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Wednesday, 11th October 2006 (5423 views)

Actress Ellen Barkin made a rather sizeable $20.3 million (£10.9 million) this week by auctioning off the gold she accumulated during her six-year marriage to billionaire Ron Perelman.

Some 100 pieces of jewellery, including an 18-karat gold wedding ring, were sold at Christie's International auction house in New York on Tuesday.

Among the precious gems were a pair of diamond-encrusted Van Cleef & Arpels gold bracelets which attracted a starting bid of $50,000.

Barkin's wedding ring, a wide band set with bell-cut diamonds and topped in 18-karat gold, was also up for grabs. It sold for an impressive $156,000.

It is estimated that the stunning jewellery collection would have cost around $15 million altogether when the items were originally purchased.

However, much to the astonishment of onlookers, Barkin actually managed to make a $5.3 million profit on her second-hand jewels.

"In five years, to be able to sell it and get more than you paid for it – it hasn't happened before with jewellery,' said Madison Avenue jewellery dealer Fred Leighton.

 

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