PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3br br The announcement that caused a storm in Britain … King Edward the Eighth's abdication in 1936.br br The monarch renounced the throne to marry American commoner Wallis Simpson.br br Now almost 80 years later, Sotheby's London has sold a collection of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's jewels.br br Simpson was considered a symbol of style of her generation and she was particularly fond of French jewelry-maker Cartier.br br And the most valuable item at auction was this 1945 Cartier sapphire bracelet which fetched £230,500 British pounds or around $380,000 U.S. dollars.br br The entire collection sold for a higher-than-expected total of £620,125 pounds, which is just over one million U.S. dollars.