I often hear about the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in association with arts funding and medical resource. Duke inherited a $100 million estate when she was 12, the results of her father’s successful American Tobacco Co. She died in 1993 at age 80 and, following years of sorting out legal hassles, her jewelry, furniture and wines are being auctioned off by Christie’s in June. To entice those able to afford the baubles, Christie’s has been holding invitation-only viewings of Duke’s jewels in cities around the world. At the two days of showings in San Francisco, guests enjoyed breakfast, tea, or cocktails and were allowed to try on items such as a Belle Epoque diamond and pearl pendant necklace (valued at $800,000 to $1.2 million) and a 1927 Art Deco Cartier bracelet (valued at $350,000-$500,000). Other pieces of note of note are a 19.72 carat cushion-cut diamond ring and an emerald necklace with pomegranate shaped beads. Proceeds from the sale will, of course, go to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.