Mrs. Lily Safra and Her $35 Million Record-Breaking Jewelry Collection.mp4

Lily Safra, born in Brazil and the wife of the late banker Edmund Safra, is a major philanthropist who had a romantic affair with jewels. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds and all the precious stones adorned her amazing collection of antique necklaces, rings, bracelets and brooches. Yet she could easily bid farewell to some of her valuable jewels and help people in need. The 70 pieces of two centuries and varied styles were auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting 20 charities, including Rwandan and Romanian Children, a New York hospital for Parkinson's disease and Elton John's AIDS Foundation, is indeed a magnificent collection of the billionaire wife. Jewels for Hope is the name given to the sale, which took place at Christie's in Geneva and eventually raised $35 million. In this video, we will show you some of the most spectacular pieces, including the Hope ruby ring, Cartier emeralds and diamond necklace, and two of her beloved ruby brooches. Shall we start? The Hope ruby ring. One of the most intriguing gemstones at Christie's auction was a 32-carat cushion-cut Burmese ruby with pigeon's blood encircled by diamonds in a shomay ring. Amer Radwan of Dubai purchased the ruby and diamond ring for a breathtaking $6.7 million. Luz Mila Patino, the Countess du Bois-Rouvray and the daughter of Simon Patino, the proprietor of a tin mine in Bolivia, was the former owner of the ruby. Back then, the gemstone was known as the Patino ruby and only later was renamed the Hope ruby. Diamond ring. Mrs Safra described her most emotional piece as a classic rectangular-cut diamond ring of 34.05 carats, a wedding gift from her husband, Edmund J. Safra, the global banker, who died in an arson fire in 1999. She said that she held a shared vision with her husband, whether choosing jewellery or deciding on charitable work, which includes mainly medical but also educational and cultural institutions. Columbian emerald bead. Necklace. One of the jewellery items that mesmerised us at first sight is this emerald beads and diamond necklace, which was acquired by Lily Safra at Christie's New York on 9 December 1996. The necklace is designed in two strands of 33 and 31 graduated emerald beads, weighing a total of approximately 598.71 carats, gathered by an oval-shaped bommé clasp, set with emeralds in a diamond-set foliate surround, mounted in platinum and gold. The clasp is indeed extraordinary and larger than usual clasps. Antique emerald and diamond necklace. Every great collector has more than one emerald necklace. So did Mrs Lily Safra. As she once told in the interview, all styles and periods appealed to her, as long as the jewels were unique, exceptional in terms of material and craftsmanship, and elegant in design. Nevertheless, her collection boasts more antique jewellery, and this one is a great example. Dating back to the early 19th century, this great necklace is designed with two rows of rectangular-cut emerald and old-cut diamond-graduated clusters, interspersed by diamond collets, to the similar single-row back chain, mounted in silver and gold. Tourmaline and diamond flower brooch. Lily Safra collected art and jewels, including many incredible pieces by Joel Arthur Rosenthal, who is known by his initials, J.A.R. A special section of the sale was dedicated exactly to these jewels, the majority of which were created specifically for Mrs Safra between the 1980s and 2000s. Her collection included 18 outstanding pieces, where brooches are among her favourite ones. The tourmaline brooch makes use of pinkish-red tourmaline gems for the flowers, green tourmaline for the stem, and a pear-shaped white diamond, weighing over 30 carats. Designed in 1982, the elegant brooch was sold for over $1.2 million. Ruby Camellia Flower Brooch. The Ruby Camellia Flower Brooch was made in 2003, with pavé-set rubies, weighing a total of approximately 173.09 carats, of varying sizes in silver and gold. Possibly, when held in my palm, the flower brooch reminds us of the live piece that is sure to have its own heartbeat. Only the finest artistry can produce the vivid ruby-red tapestry that is made up of individual bright red rubies that are claw-set in gold and silver. The rubies are all a little off-round, and are arranged so beautifully that the larger stones are in the centre, and the smaller stones are on the outside, creating a delightful three-dimensional brooch that embodies the creator's passion and heart in a material and touchable way. This stunning red jewel showcases Jarre's gift, and eventually was sold for $4.3 million. Diamond and Emerald Eglantine's Necklace. Lily Safra's jewels are not only an incredibly beautiful and valuable collection, but they are also representative of important historical eras of jewellery design, from the early 19th century through to Art Deco and beyond. One such representative piece is a Cartier Belle Epoque Diamond and Emerald Eglantine's Necklace. This intriguing piece was created in 1906, and takes the form of a flower garland with pavé-set diamond petals, old cut diamonds, and emerald detail linked by pavé-set diamond twigs and leaves, enhanced by emerald berries. In the wild, eglantine roses are lovely and fragrant. The rose, which is indigenous to Europe and Western Asia, is renowned for its apple-like scent and hooked prickles. Cartier, who is renowned for taking any aspect of nature and turning it into the pinnacle of craftsmanship, has turned these features into the most breathtaking platinum and diamond creations. Belle Epoque Diamond Necklace. One more piece that represented Belle Epoque is the necklace by Cartier that reminds of a bow made of diamonds. The auction describes it as, suspending rope hoops and two tassel pendants entirely set with diamond, where the central motif can be detached and worn as a brooch, with additional fitting and screwdriver mounted in platinum. The necklace was sold in the navy blue leather fitted Cartier case. Five turquoise and diamond necklaces. The world of jewellery is well-saturated with the shapes of animals, including snakes. Thus, Mrs Lily Saffra's jewellery box had several rare antique snakes in the form of necklaces and bangles. Designed as articulated snakes, encrusted with turquoises and diamonds, gold scale body and garnet and ruby eyes, all five necklaces can be worn together, creating the assembly of ancient jewellery. According to reports, the jewellery set once belonged to Maria Felix, who had famous collaborations with Cartier. Art Deco, Emerald and Diamond Sautoir. Designed in 1925 by Mauboussin, the necklace is designed as a diamond S-shape link chain, composed of three bracelets, with the suspending a detachable pendant centering upon a sugarloaf cabochon emerald, enhanced by a diamond set fringe. According to the Swiss Gemological Institute, the emerald is of superb quality from Columbia mines, with a moderate amount of oil. But getting back to brooches, Mrs Saffra loved to collect the delicate works depicting flowers and bows. She had a diamond set of 12 variously shaped graduated leaf brooches and a pair of similar ear clips, mounted in silver and gold. All designed by Chaumet, the shape of leaves gives the feeling of action, either blown by the wind or falling from the tree. And what do you feel? There is also an antique pair of enamel, diamond and ruby brooches. The lovable clips are designed as a spray, the flower heads and buds set with old cut diamonds and cabochon rubies to the translucent green and golden brown enamel leaves, mounted in silver and gold. They once were a part of Christie's New York sale in 1995 year. Despite her wealth, Lily Saffra has experienced some horrific tragedies. Her youngest son and grandson died in a terrible vehicle accident and she lost her second husband to suicide. To top it all off, her fourth husband's untimely death in the 1999 fire must have been devastating. While some could argue that Mrs Saffra is simply fortunate to have been married well, few people would part with their priceless gems to help others. She acknowledged that she was overjoyed knowing that so many people in need around the world will benefit from the money raised from Christie's auction. We wonder if you have liked this jewellery insight and what piece is the most fascinating. 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