Jewels for Hope: Lily Safra’s Charity Jewelry Auction

By Erika W.

On May 14, Christie’s Geneva will be auctioning the jewelry collection of renowned philanthropist and jewelry connoisseur, Mrs. Lily Safra. The sale is expected to surpass $20 million with all proceeds to benefit 20 different charitable institutions. 70 lots will be featured at the sale with a notable section devoted to Mrs. Safra’s jewelry by JAR, which includes 18 pieces–the largest private collection of JAR’s creations to be offered at auction. The sale will also highlight rare gemstones, including a 34.05 carat emerald-cut diamond ring, a 32.08 carat Burmese ruby ring by Chaumet, and a 31.21 carat Burmese sapphire ring by Boucheron. Important period jewelry from the Belle Epoque to Art Deco design periods complete Mrs. Safra’s remarkable collection offered at Christie’s sale.

“A sublime collection of 70 rare jewels, comprising the very best in all styles, periods and makers, from the late 18th
Century all the way to modern times, is enough to attract the attention of jewellery amateurs and professionals worldwide.
When it includes also the largest group of creations by JAR ever to be offered at auction, it is bound to create a sensation.
And when the entire proceeds of the sale are to be shared between 20 hand-picked charitable institutions in the four corners
of the world, this landmark sale rises to a whole new level,” said François Curiel, International Head of the Jewellery Department, in a statement.

Photo: Christie’s

A 32.08 carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring by Chaumet, a 34.05 carat emerald-cut diamond ring (D VVS1, Type IIa), and a 31.21 carat Burmese sapphire and diamond ring by Boucheron owned by Mrs. Lily Safra will be auctioned by Christie’s on May 14.

Photo: Christie’s

A pair of 19.43 carat (D VS1 Type IIa) and 19.16 carat (D VVS2 Type IIa) pear-shaped diamond ear clips are expected to fetch $3.5-5 million.

Photo: Christie’s

Camellia flower bracelet with pink diamonds by JAR (1994) – estimate $400,000-600,000.

Photo: Christie’s

Pair of sapphire, ruby, and diamond Moghul tulip ear clips by JAR (1987) – estimate $250,000-500,000.

Photo: Christie’s

Ruby Camellia brooch by JAR (2003) – estimate $1.2-1.5 million.

Photo: Christie’s

Diamond and emerald “Eglantine” necklace by Cartier (1906) – estimate $600,000-800,000

All proceeds from the sale of Mrs. Lily Safra’s jewelry collection
will benefit the following 20 charitable institutions:

• Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
• Children Action, Geneva, Switzerland
• Claude Pompidou Institute for Alzheimer‟s Disease, Nice, France
• Edmond and Lily Safra Children‟s Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel
• Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge at the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
• Elton John AIDS Foundation (worldwide)
• Fight AIDS Monaco
• Henry Street Settlement, New York
• Hopes and Homes for Children, Romania
• Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
• Imperial College, London: Edmond J. Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology
& Edmond J. Safra Chair in Radiochemistry
• Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris
• Keren Shemesh, Israel
• King‟s College, London: Edmond and Lily Safra Parkinson‟s Research Fellowships
• Le ballet de l‟Opéra national de Paris
• New York University, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center
• Royal Opera House, London
• Université Joseph Fourier, Institut des Neurosciences, Bâtiment Edmond J. Safra & Institut Clinatec, Centre de Recherche Edmond J. Safra, Grenoble, France
• University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, Canada: Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson‟s Disease (Dr. Anthony Lang & Dr. Andres Lozano)
• Water Treatment Program, Amélia Rodrigues (Bahia), Brazil

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