ASIA / PACIFIC
December 7, 2015
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Marcos jewelry appraised
ahead of possible auction
By Teresa Cerojano
The Associated Press
ANILA, The Philippines —
The Philippine govern-
ment is appraising the
dazzling jewelry collection seized
three decades ago from Imelda
Marcos, the former first lady famous
for her massive stash of shoes, as it
decides what to do with the jewels one
expert compared to those owned by
royalty.
The jewelry was seized when
dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his
family fled to Hawai’i in 1986
following a popular revolt that ended
his two decades in power. The pieces
include a barrel-shaped diamond
worth at least $5 million and a
Cartier diamond tiara that’s likely
multiple times more valuable than
the previous estimate of $30,000 to
$50,000.
The Marcos family allegedly
amassed billions of dollars worth of
ill-gotten wealth, and the dictator’s
widow, now 86 and a member of
congress, became known for excesses,
symbolized by her huge shoe
collection and staggering jewelry.
The jewelry collection, comprising
three sets seized in various locations,
was valued at $5 million to $7 million
when it was last appraised in 1988
and 1991.
But it is likely to have significantly
risen in value, Andrew de Castro, of
the presidential commission tasked
to recover the wealth, said.
The collection is being appraised by
Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction
houses while the government decides
whether to auction it, he said, calling
the
collection
a
physical
manifestation of excesses during the
Marcos regime while many Filipinos
suffered in poverty.
Putting the jewelry in a museum or
an exhibit has been suggested. The
jewels have been stored in a vault at
M
STAR POWER. Actress Angelina Jolie Pitt, left, United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees special envoy and co-founder of the Pre-
venting Sexual Violence Initiative, visits Jan Mai Kaung refugee camp
in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar, in this July 30, 2015 file photo.
A little-known Cambodia International Film Festival has received a star-
powered boost from Jolie Pitt. The Hollywood star, who is currently in
Cambodia filming her latest movie, is serving as president of the festival’s
honorary committee, according to organizers. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
Jolie Pitt serving in honorary
post at Cambodian film festival
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The little-known
Cambodia International Film Festival has received a
star-powered boost from Angelina Jolie Pitt.
The Hollywood star, who is currently in Cambodia
filming her latest movie, is serving as president of the
festival’s honorary committee, according to organizers.
The festival, which is held in the capital of Phnom Penh,
runs through December 10 and features 130 films from 34
countries.
“Cambodia’s rich history, long culture, and talented
people mean it has a huge amount to offer the region and
the world,” Jolie Pitt said in a statement issued by the
festival. “I’m proud to support the Cambodia
International Film Festival and Cambodia as a home for
vibrant and innovative filmmaking.”
Festival adviser Cedric Eloy, head of the Cambodian
Film Commission, said Jolie Pitt’s role provides moral
support and helps “bring attention to the rebirth of the
Cambodian film industry.”
Cambodia’s film industry was devastated by the
murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. The
regime executed artists, writers, and filmmakers as part
of its Maoist vision to eliminate the educated elite and
transform the country into an agrarian utopia. More than
1.7 million people died under the regime.
Jolie Pitt is currently filming an adaptation of a Khmer
Rouge biography, First They Killed My Father, based on a
2000 memoir by Cambodian author and human-rights
activist Luong Ung.
INFAMOUS COLLECTION. Christie’s auction house appraiser David Warren examines a set
of jewelry from the Roumeliotes Collection, one of three sets of the Marcos Jewelry Collection, dur-
ing an appraisal at the Central Bank of the Philippines in Manila, the Philippines. The Philippine gov-
ernment is having millions of dollars worth of jewelry — seized three decades ago from former first
lady Imelda Marcos — appraised ahead of a possible auction of the collection. The jewelry was
confiscated when the Marcos family fled to Hawai’i in 1986 following a revolt that ended her hus-
band’s two decades in power. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Pink diamonds are very rare.
the Philippine central bank for nearly
Warren said a 16-carat vivid pink
30 years.
“If I didn’t know where the col- diamond was sold by Christie’s in
lection came from, I would probably Geneva for $28.5 million.
The provenance of the jewelry
say it could have come from a royal
person,” said David Warren, who could radically increase prices should
headed a Christie’s auction house the pieces be auctioned, Warren said.
Jewelry pieces held up for photo-
team that inspected the jewelry. He
said the extensive collection includes graphers by customs employees who
removed them from plastic wrap-
very rare and exceptional pieces.
A 25-carat Indian pink diamond pings included various necklaces
probably cut in the 18th century and with diamonds ranging from the size
worth at least $5 million was newly of corn kernels to fat almonds, strung
discovered to be part of the collection. together like a lei of mini chandeliers.
In
addition,
the
Philippine
It was previously listed as crystal and
may not have been shown to government is planning to launch a
appraisers, Warren said. Marcos’ website to crowd-source tips on the
briolette-cut or barrel-shaped pink whereabouts of some 200 missing art
diamond is from India’s famous works, including paintings by Van
Golconda region, which produced Gogh, Picasso, and Rembrandt that
rare finds like the Hope Diamond and were owned by former first lady
a 500-carat diamond that is part of Imelda Marcos, according to an
official.
the British crown jewels.
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