Diamonds are a girl's best friend
Diamonds are a girl's best friendReuters

Sparkling diamonds are 'a girl's best friend' – especially when they bring millions at a Sotheby's Auction for breast cancer research.

The venerable auction house announced this week it will auction jewels from the collections of the late cosmetics doyenne Estee Lauder and her daughter-in-law, Evelyn Lauder.

The sale, to take place December 5 at Sotheby's “Magnificent Jewel” auction, will involve more than 35 pieces featuring breathtaking diamonds, rubies and other gem stones set in platinum, white and yellow gold.

Among the most famous is Estee Lauder's yellow, canary-colored diamond in the shape of a heart once worn in a ring by the Duchess of Windsor, then mounted as a necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Total weight in diamonds: 47.14 carats. Its estimated worth is set between $1.5 to $2 million.

A platinum and 22.16-carat white solitaire diamond ring from Evelyn Lauder's collection, also being auctioned, is estimated to be worth $3 to $4 million.

Another piece to be sold is Estee Lauder's famed 6.54-carat pink and white diamond ring from Oscar Heyman & Brothers. Estimated worth: $4 to $5 million.

Select pieces from the collection will be shown on tour in Los Angeles, London and Geneva prior to the sale in New York City.

Proceeds from the stunning jewels, estimated to be worth more than $13 million, will go toward The Breast Cancer Research Foundation founded by Evelyn Lauder in 1993.

Israel has become a leading trading center for polished diamonds and is currently the largest exporter of the gems to the United States. Exports of polished diamonds from Israel totaled $7.2 billion in 2011, industry leaders said Tuesday.