The magnificent jewellery collection of Mrs lily safra offered at Christie’s geneva on 14 May will benefit 20 charitable institutions.

The collection includes the largest single-owner selection of jewels by the Parisian jeweller the elusive JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal) ever seen at auction. The proceeds will be generously donated to 20 different charitable institutions. Regarded as a major philanthropist of our time, Mrs Safra is also a discerning connoisseur. This jewellery collection reflects her refined taste and its evolution throughout five decades, from the 1970s to the present day.

Featuring 70 lots, the collection of Mrs Lily Safra is estimated to realise in excess of $20 million and includes important diamonds, rubies and sapphires, as well as an outstanding array of fine antique and period jewellery.

A special section of the sale will be dedicated to a group of extraordinary jewels by JAR, the majority of which were created specifically for Mrs Safra by the renowned jeweller between the 1980s and 2000s. Showcasing 18 pieces, this is the largest private collection of creations by JAR ever to be offered at auction.

François Curiel, International Head of the Jewellery Department: “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. Only a connoisseur with an eye as refined as that of Mrs Lily Safra could have collected such an ensemble of jewels, and only someone with her philanthropic conviction could have expressed such powerful support to worthwhile causes in all charitable fields. We are proud to be associated with such a commendable endeavour”.

MRS LILY SAFRA

Mrs Lily Safra has carried on the philanthropic tradition of her husband, Mr Edmond J. Safra, one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished bankers and founder of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. Since 2000, Mrs Safra has chaired this Foundation, which supports hundreds of projects related to education, science and medicine, religion, culture, and humanitarian relief in over 40 countries.

She is a passionate art and jewellery collector, and has provided significant assistance to institutions including the National Gallery of Art (Washington), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Israel Museum (Jerusalem), the Courtauld Institute of Art (London), the Château de Versailles, and the Musée du Louvre, where the “Salle Edmond et Lily Safra” honours the works she and her husband donated.