Max jewelry for sale

THE jewelry of Mary Max — famed pop artist Peter Max’s late wife, who took her own life in June — is going up for auction this month. As part of its Important Jewelry sale on Dec. 13, auction house Doyle is selling off 70 lots of Mary’s jewelry collection with baubles by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and more. The lots include estimates ranging from $350 to $50,000. The priciest lot is a Van Cleef gold, amethyst, turquoise and diamond bangle bracelet. The collection is being displayed Saturday through Tuesday on the Upper East Side. A source close to Peter said of Mary, “She told Peter when they got married that there were two things she would always want: designer clothing and jewelry. He was always going to buy her jewelry. She wore beautiful diamonds at many events.” We previously reported that after Mary’s death, family members were buzzing about her jewels. Mary had been involved in a bitter legal battle over Peter, who reportedly suffers from advanced dementia, with the artist’s son. A source told us at the time of Mary’s death: “Peter’s family all feel the jewelry belongs to Peter, as he is the widower and he bought it all.” But court documents filed in August by Mary’s brother, Daniel Balkin, indicate that Mary likely had no will and listed her mother, Ruth Balkin, as “sole distributee” of her estate. Peter was revealed in the court docs to be “disqualified by postnuptial agreements” from Mary’s inheritance. Mary committed suicide and was discovered in her Riverside Drive apartment. Mary’s attorney and Peter’s legal property guardian, did not get back to us about the auction.