CHRISTIE’S TO AUCTION JEWELS OF MARIA FELIX

Christie’s will auction the jewels of celebrated Mexican actress Maria Felix at the Hotel Richmond in Geneva on May 15. Felix worked with the top Mexican film directors and made her first film in France in 1954.

Felix, who lives in Paris and Mexico and whose films are still shown in South America, received a coral cross pendant at birth and began to collect jewelry early in life. Many of the pieces to be auctioned reflect her love of coral and of Cartier, her favorite jeweler. Among them:

• A coral bead necklace with black enamel and diamond shoulder motifs suspending 13 carved coral bells with onyx, coral, diamond and emerald clusters. Cartier 1940; presale estimate $113,000-$143,000. (Estimates are converted from Swiss francs at $1.19 per franc.)

• Two coral bracelets, each with a chimera set with diamonds and emerald cabochons. Cartier; presale estimate $71,000-$83,000.

• Coral, diamond and cabochon emerald earclips by Cartier equipped with a fastening specially made for Maria Felix and still used by Cartier for heavy earclips. Presale estimate $42,000-$57,000.

AUCTION REPORT MARKS SECOND BIRTHDAY

Auction Market Resource for Gems and Jewelry, now starting its third year, has published four main issues and two special editions. In all, they’ve covered nearly 5,000 jewelry, gem and watch items with photos, descriptions, presale estimates, hammer prices, historical articles, bibliographies and reviews.

The June issue will focus on jade, picturing more than 200 jade items and reporting on jade enhancements and antique jade jewelry.

The biannual publication is $195 in the U.S. and Canada and $225 overseas. Gail Brett Levine, Auction Market Resource for Gems & Jewelry, P.O. Box 7683, Rego Park, NY 11374; (718) 897-7305, fax (718) 997-9057.