Robert Charlton, a promiscuous businessman, had trouble keeping faithful to his wife, Elizabeth Charlton. Luckily for her, whenever Charles indulged in an extramarital romp, he felt guilty - guilty enough to buy her expensive jewelry, including some magnificent diamonds. This implicit agreement satisfied both spouses and soon enough Elizabeth Charlton was boasting quite a collection. By the time her husband died at the age of 63, after 25 years of marriage, Elizabeth was in possession of 43 items.

When Mrs. Charlton passed away in 2006, at the age of 90, her jewels were passed on to her daughter Marie, who elected to sell them at auction.

Last week, the contents of Elizabeth Charlton’s jewelry box sold for £286,000 - approximately £6,000 per tryst.

Clare Durham of Woolley and Wallis auctioneers said that Mr. Charlton’s affairs were an open secret in his family and that most of the jewelry was antique when he bought it during the 1950s and 1960s.

She expounded: “It is a beautiful collection of fine diamond jewelry. There were 43 items in total and most of it dates back to the late Victorian and early Edwardian period. It may even have been more than 43 times, because the family have kept some of the pieces. Any time Mr. Charlton was naughty and played away he bought his wife a nice bit of jewelry to keep her sweet. She was well aware of what was going on and he cheated on her a lot. His daughter was fully aware of what was going on at the time and the family have told us the story. It was no secret to anyone.”

Several pieces were sold for serious money at the auction. The most expensive being a necklace made up of 54 diamonds. The item sold for £50,000 – a treasure the auctioneers believe Mr. Charlton paid £5,500 for in the 1960s. A large pendant sold for £44,000, a pair of earring for £18,000, and a diamond solitaire ring for £19,000.

Before his passing, Robert Charlton was chairman of a large building company and also ran a printing firm. He also ran a company called Marpak Graphic. In addition, he owned two nightclubs, providing him with plenty of opportunities to meet interested women..

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