London, England (CNN) -- Theirs was a royal love affair immortalized in diamonds and gold.
Now, more than 70 years after England's King Edward abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, some of the couple's jewels are coming up for sale.
Sotheby's announced plans to auction 20 items that were owned by the couple in London in November. The items include 11 pieces by Cartier, some of which are estimated at more than 1 million pounds ($1.5 million) each.
"The offering comprises not only incomparable examples of the genius of Cartier in collaboration with the Windsors, but also pieces whose inscriptions tell the story of perhaps the greatest love story of the 20th century, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain," said David Bennett, the chairman of Sotheby's Jewelry in Europe and the Middle East.
The couple commissioned jewels from the great European jewelry houses during their courtship in the 1930s and after they were married, Sotheby's said.
Cartier was one of their favored jewelers, and the company's high jewelry director Jeanne Toussaint created some of her best work just for the couple, who came to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
One of the pieces she created was an onyx and diamond bracelet in the form of an elongated panther. Designed in 1952, the bracelet was among the finest of Toussaint's "great cats" jewels and is in the sale at an estimated 1-1.5 million pounds.
Also up for sale is a diamond flamingo brooch with feathers of rubies, sapphires and emeralds, and a beak of citrine.
CNN
