Geneva – Christie’s To Sell Lily Safra Jewels For Charity

Geneva – Auction house Christie’s says it expects to raise more than $20 million for charity selling the jewelry collection of philanthropist Lily Safra.

Christie’s said Tuesday that the 70 lots — including a range of antique and modern jewels — will be auctioned in Geneva on May 14.

Lily Safra’s banker-husband Edmond J. Safra was killed in a suspicious fire at his apartment in Monaco in 1999.

The founder of Republic National Bank of New York and his wife have given money to hundreds of charitable projects around the world and to art galleries, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Paris Louvre.