Portland jeweler Stephani Briggs will be in New York this weekend, showing a necklace she recently completed featuring 18- and 22-karat gold and natural Mississippi River pearls.

The necklace will be auctioned at a charity event that is part of the exclusive Explorers Club Banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria. Briggs said the value of the necklace is estimated at $14,000.

Two years ago at the Explorers Club event, a piece of hers sold for $12,000 at auction.

Briggs is a 1981 graduate of Maine College of Art.

The theme of this year's banquet is "The Balancing Act: Exploring Biodiversity." Briggs' necklace features pearls that come from mollusks threatened by eco-degradation. The pearls she used in her necklace were purchased from an old collection harvested with sustainable yields, she said.

The necklace was commissioned by New Jersey philanthropist Susan Babson. "She is one of my best customers, and also a conservationist. She suggested I make a piece for the Explorers Club to help them raise money for scientific research," Briggs said.

All sales from the auction will benefit the Explorers Club.

E-mail this entry to a friend