Barkin Unloads Family Jewels

Wed., Oct. 11, 2006 4:05 PM PDT by Josh Grossberg

Ellen Barkin's swimming in a sea of cash.

The Sea of Love star raked in a cool $20 million Tuesday after auctioning off her jewelry collection, including the wedding ring given to her by her ex-hubby, Revlon billionaire Ron Perelman.

Barkin, 52, gave Christie's the go-ahead to hawk 103 baubles ranging in type from dazzling rubies and sapphires to period diamonds and pearls in what was billed as a "Magnificent Jewels" firesale.

Initial estimates put the Barkin castoffs--which included unique designs from such jewelry houses as Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and JAR (acclaimed designer Joel Arthur Rosenthal)--between $12 million and $15 million.

But the jewelry ended up exceeding all expectations, tallying $20.3 million. According to Rahul Kdakia, head of Christie's jewelry department, the total represents "the highest single-owner jewelry sale of the past 15 years in the U.S. and also places it among the top four ever worldwide."

"It was an absolutely packed, packed room with a lot of buzz. It was an electric sale," said Christie's rep Kate Swan.

And diamonds definitely proved to be this girl's best friend.

The top three sellers all eclipsed $1 million: an oval-shaped 22.76-carat diamond rock by JAR was snapped up by a private American collector for $1.8 million; a 30.8-carat rectangular diamond ring went for $1.47 million; and a pair of colorless and faint pink diamond bangles also by JAR fetched $1.1 million.

And the newly single Emmy winner got an added bonus.

After Perelman abruptly left her in January and filed for divorce seeking to end to their five-year marriage, Barkin decided to do a little house cleaning. So she tossed in the wide-band, 18-carat diamond-encrusted JAR-cut wedding ring she wore during their union. Initially valued between $30,000 to $50,000, the item sold for a tidy $156,000.

Swan said that Barkin "was by all accounts thrilled" with the results. And why not, considering she earned in one sale what fellow stars Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts make for one picture.

After getting her start in Diner, Barkin had a string of hits in such sexy thrillers as The Big Easy with Dennis Quaid and Sea of Love with Al Pacino. She was semi-retired during her marriage to Perelman, but post-divorce is diving back into work.

She'll be seen in theaters next year opposite Pitt and George Clooney in Ocean's Thirteen, which is finishing up shooting in Los Angeles