Barkin Jewelry Expected To Fetch $15M
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Before they divorced in February, actress Ellen Barkin and billionaire financier Ronald Perelman seemed to dovetail in at least one area: her love of glitzy jewelry and his deep pockets. The dazzling fruits of their shopping sprees went on view on Friday at Christie’s International in New York.
More than 100 pieces will be sold tomorrow and are expected to fetch as much as $15 million. Ms. Barkin has said she will use the auction proceeds to fund a movie-production company.
Many high-profile single-owner jewelry auctions have occurred in the past, usually following the death of a grand dame, but this is possibly the first such sale driven by divorce and the wife’s unashamed profession that she wants some karmic cleansing — and maybe just a bit of revenge.
Ms. Barkin was a regular at jeweler Fred Leighton’s Manhattan shop on Madison Avenue.
