Category: Collectibles

The Right Pick: Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men

While we don’t believe that you have to wait for 14 February to gift a special something  to a special someone, in case you’re looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift for Mr. Right, here are some gift ideas you should definitely check out…

Valentine's Day gift

If your man loves exercise and outdoor sports, he’s probably already eyeing the Brompton Bicycle 20 Years in Asia Gold Edition. Striking black gloss components, including handlebar, stem, seat post and 16” wheels, alongside the black Brooks B17 saddle, handcrafted premium British leather make this any biker’s dream vehicle.

Valentine's Day gift

For the Jay Gatsby in your life, who loves to host extravagant parties, the Manhattan collection of wineware from Saint Louis’s 2018 Autumn Winter collection could be an ideal addition to his party accessories. Featuring the essential tools of mixology that help mix and enjoy cocktails at home among friends, the Manhattan collection ensures that happy hour starts at home.

Valentine's Day gifts

Another Valentine’s Day gift that may hit the right note with gentlemen who enjoy a tipple or two would be the limited-edition Rémy Martin XO and VSOP collections. Two very special limited-edition boxes join Rémy Martin’s collection of swanky gift boxes created for refined tastemakers, including an exciting collaboration with American avant-garde artist Matt W. Moore.

Valentine's Day gifts

Of course, there’s no wrong time to gift a fine timepiece to a discerning gentleman. Even better if the gentleman in question is an avid horologist, but even if he’s not, no fear, Franck Muller’s Vanguard 7 Days Power Reserve Skeleton will make him a fan in no time. Thanks to its open-faceted skeletal structure, architectural and geometric open-worked bridges are in full display, allowing one and all to admire its intricate mechanism.

Valentine's Day gifts

For the modern jet-setting man, what could be a better Valentine’s day gift than Il Bisonte’s Travel Kit in cowhide leather? Coming from a true-blue Italian brand that stands for practical luxury and timeless trends, the travel kit includes a padded eye mask, a luggage tag, a cord wrap and a passport/card case wallet in black, red or nude.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Good Germs: New study shows bacteria may be the answer for art restoration

Contrary to the popular saying, “time heals all”, there are certain objects that are instead ravaged by time, for instance the beautiful ancient paintings that provide us a glimpse of the glorious yesteryears, of times Medieval and Renaissance, of kings and battles, and transports us to a bygone era for a little while.

However, many natural factors over the ages adversely affect the astounding relics of the world of yore, including sunlight, heat, humidity, and most unsurprisingly, bacteria. It’s no wonder then that it’s a constant battle against the elements that collectors and buyers are fighting as they try to keep their artifacts safe and intact. However, recent studies suggest that bacteria may be the answer for art restoration needs.

art restoration
Baroque master Carlo Bononi–the “Incoronazione della Vergine” (The Coronation of the Virgin) (Image: PLOS)

According to a new paper published in PLOS One, Italian researchers have found that several strains of bacteria – primarily Staphylococcus and Bacillus colonise different parts of the artwork based on the colours on the painting, probably because they consume the ingredients that make up those particular colour pigments. They also found out that while most microbes destroy the artwork, there are some others that could possibly be used to help in preservation. By adding spores of other strains of Bacillus subtilis, pumilus and megaterium, the malignant microbes and fungi are able to be destroyed.

The restoration proved successful with 17th-century oil canvas painting “Incoronazione ella Vergine” (The Coronation of the Virgin), which had suffered damage due to an earthquake back in 2012.

So, what does this mean for private art collectors? Well, it’s early to say if this bacterial solution can be made available commercially any time soon, as the study has only been released just last month. But if your patience is able to fight off bio-degradation, we’re sure your paintings can wait a bit longer too.

Text: Bailey Atkinson

 

Dragon and On: Reptilian relic dragon ring remains unfaded and unjaded

The dragon, that most legendary of Chinese mythological creatures, has traditionally been associated with power and potency. Indeed, along with its ascendancy over all things elemental, the might and majesty of this winged wonder is said to be bestowed upon only the luckiest and most worthy of folks, surely a sign that the victor in a recent dragon-centric auction at Christie’s Hong Kong must, indeed, be of cast-iron character and undebatable demeanour.

Dragon Ring

Whatever their actual stature, they are fortunate indeed to have outbid all comers in pursuit of the 2,200-year-old Jade Dragon Ring, which ultimately went under the hammer for US$1.1 million (HK$7.9 million). Said to be one of the few extant artifacts from the time of the Warring States era, one of the less-edifying chapters in the saga of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-9AD), this astonishingly well-preserved 9.5cm-wide ring has somehow managed to maintain its exquisite design over the centuries, with just a touch of opaque white-coloured calcification. Say what you like about the Western Han, they knew a thing or two when it came to leaving a leitmotifed legacy.

Un-Pinkable: Pink diamond raw carat cost soars

Just when you thought the world of luxury living had few records left to break, with the holders of the Goldest Toilet, Most Jewel-Encrusted Beard Trimmer and Haute Couturest Wellies now all a matter of well-established public record, Harry Winston, the New York-headquartered purveyor of high-spec watches and bespoke jewellery items, came up with a claim to fame that effortlessly fuses the obscure with the opulent – the Highest Amount Ever Paid Per Carat for a Pink Diamond.

pink diamond

The record in question was set when the 86-year-old company made a successful bid of US$50 million for the 18.96-carat Pink Legacy diamond when it came up for auction at Christie’s Geneva. That’s a whopping US$2.6 million per carat fact, fans!

Set to be renamed – somewhat unimaginatively – the “Winston Pink Legacy”, the gem is said to be one of the few (if not the only) 10-carat-plus pink diamonds ever to be uncovered. Making it yet more unique still, it also boasts the very highest grade of colour intensity, making it a one-in-100,000 find even among the already ultra-rare pink diamonds themselves.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith: Rare car sees accelerated bidding in Mumbai

A classic 1947 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith proved the star turn at India’s first-ever online bidding war for truly classic automobiles, as organised by AstaGuru, one of the country’s leading auction houses. In the end, this most luxurious of land vehicles went for a whopping US$247,216 (HK$1.9 million), with the winning bid – from an anonymous Mumbai-based businessman – accounting for nearly half of the sales’ total takings of around US$500,000.

Rolls Royce Silver Wraith

A product of the immediate post-World War II boom period, the car reflected the optimism of the times, as well as the reborn love for the finest things life had to offer. This particular vehicle was actually an upgraded take on a 1939 model, complete with oodles of additional legroom and a judiciously-enhanced 30bHp engine.

Stashed below its magnificent blue paint job, the engine in question was a six-cylinder Bentley Mark 5, an internal combustion system said to be so smooth that it outperformed the most luxurious of limousines in terms of travel experience. With few such vehicles ever coming up for public sale, it’s really of little surprise that the expected bidding shifted up several gears.

Photo credit: AstaGuru

Unfinished sketch by David Hockney fetches US$90.3 million

Even David Hockney, that most celebrated of British Pop Art painters, couldn’t have envisaged so fanciful a notion as a canvas he left incomplete some 47 years ago one day commanding a record sum at auction, while being universally hailed as a modern-day masterpiece. Inconceivable or not, fact has outpaced fancy, with Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), the unfinished fine art-ery in question, fetching a truly monumental winning bid of US$90.3 million (HK$706 million) when it came up for auction at Christie’s New York.

David Hockney
Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) by David Hockney

Bidding for this half-finished Hockney opened at a more-than-respectable US$18 million, before rapidly soaring to US$90 million, a figure some US$72.3 million higher than its clearly conservative reserve. Pretty much in one bound, this established Hockney’s experimental piece as one of the high-water marks of post-World War II creativity, while catapulting the artist himself to the all-time pantheon of preeminent painting practitioners. One can only wonder how much it would have fetched had David Hockney ever actually deigned to complete his design.

Photos: Renaud Camus

Star Wars Sketches: Darth drafts to go under the gavel on 11 December

Movie-minded auction-goers wouldn’t want to miss one of Bonhams London’s sales later this month (December 11), especially if they want to secure some truly stellar movie memorabilia. Up for grabs is no less than a 62-lot archive featuring many of the personal notebooks, sketches and drawings that once belonged to John Mollo, the Oscar-winning British costume designer whose Star Wars sketches laid the foundation for the distinctive look of the best-known characters in the Star Wars’ universe.

Early Star Wars sketches sold at recent Bonhams auction
Early Star Wars sketches to sell at upcoming Bonhams auction

Perhaps the most coveted item among this veritable treasure trove is Mollo’s personal sketchbook, which covered the period April 1975 to July 1976 and features many the initial sketches of the costumes ultimately destined for such Star Wars stalwarts as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Chewbacca and, of course, the franchise’s ever-iconic stormtroopers. Alongside these provisional sketches are scribbled details of costume budgets, brainstorming sessions and notes from meeting with Star Wars creator George Lucas

Putting this lot into due perspective, Katherine Schofield, Head of Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams, said: “Without a doubt, John Mollo created costumes that elevated many characters to cult cinematic status. These sketchbooks are a unique part of cinema history – in my experience nothing like this has ever been seen at auction before.”

Peacock Necklace: Kashmir sapphire and higher valuations

While Kashmir may have been a hotbed of unrest for several decades now, such turmoil is yet to taint the reputation of the region’s stunning sapphires, famous the world over for their rich deep blue colouring. Now a truly fine example of these most precious stones, as featured in the Peacock Necklace – a stunning sapphire-and-diamond necklace – was just auctioned by Christie’s Hong Kong. The piece, which originally featured an estimate price of between US$12 million and US$15 million, did not disappoint when it went under the hammer last week. The Kashmir sapphire and diamond necklace’s final sale price stood at a staggering US$14.96 million. 

Sapphire

All originally mined from the remote Padder region in Kishtwan district, some 21 dazzling shards of Kashmir sapphires, together with an array of brilliant diamonds, adorn this unique necklace, with the gems said to total some 109.08 carats. The centre stone alone weighs an astonishing 10.56 carats, which makes it extremely rare and valuable among sapphires, as finding a single stone of such quality and weight is almost unheard of. And when you also factor in the masterly craftsmanship behind the entire suite of gems, it’s no surprise that the attention of the whole haute joaillerie world was focused on this most luxurious of lots.

 

 

Rare 1830 pocket watch by Edouard Bovet up for auction

It’s no secret that China and Hong Kong are the very heartlands of the world of haute horology, home to the keenest collectors and the biggest buyers. How, though, did this fixation with the world’s finest Swiss timepieces begin? The answer is engagingly simple – it’s all down to the bold ventures of one young enterprising precision engineer – Edouard Bovet.

Rare 1830 Edouard Bovet watch fetches top dollar at auction

Back in 1818, Edouard Bovet, a Swiss-born apprentice watchmaker working at London’s Magniac company, was transferred to Guangzhou in a bid to drive the sale of Swiss watches across China. Quickly gauging the size of the potential market, in 1822, he formed his own company – Bovet Fleurier – a luxury watch manufacturer specialising in high-quality timepieces for the Far East market.

The rare Edouard Bovet pocket watch still remains in near-mint condition

Now, one of his hugely-rare watches – an 1830-made Bovet Fleurier centre seconds pocket watch – has come up for sale via the Hong Kong branch of Heritage Auctions. Encased in 18K gold, with figures of Venus and Cupid painted on translucent blue enamel, its near-mint condition is expected to help it fetch staggering figures, if certain horology experts are to be believed.

Positivi-Tea in a Cup: The benefits of tea and our eight favourite luxury tea sets

Since our afternoon champagne tea at The Conrad with Perrier-Jouët, it is, perhaps, unsurprising that we’ve had tranquili-tea and wellness on our minds here at Gafencu. Long a firm favourite in households all around the world for millennia – this somewhat innocuous-seeming beverage actually boasts countless health benefits. Take a gander below to see exactly what your morning cuppa actually holds. 

The Benefits of Tea

Contains Stroke- and Heart Attack-Decreasing Antioxidants

The aromatic beverage is the essentially a miracle in a porcelain cup. Tea contains antioxidants that keep us young and protect us from harmful pollution. Another benefit to its herbal magic is its ability to reduce our risks of heart attacks and stokes. Studies have actually found that individuals who drank one to three cups of green chai a day were 35 percent less likely to experience a stoke.

tea

Prevents Bone Loss

The magic doesn’t stop there, this medicinal beverage has also been proven to prevent bone loss. With more calcium than milk, it also contains healthy doses of iron, and vitamins A and K. 

Boosts Your Immune System

We’re sure this is a surprise to no Hongkonger, but this marvellous drink is also a mega immune system booster. Containing anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, tea has been the go-to cure for sore throats and runny noses for generations.

Keeps Your Teeth Shining

While the leafy beverage may contain less caffeine than its coffee counterpart, it more than makes up for this shortcoming by being much gentle on your teeth. Unlike a cup of Joe, it does not erode tooth enamel or leave behind unsightly stains. 

tea

It Keeps Us Social

Beyond its countless health benefits, tea-drinking also makes for a wonderfully soothing activity. For some, it may even evoke a tinge of nostalgia, with childhood memories of mothers and grandmothers teaching us how to set up the china, fold the napkins and prepare the perfect pot of tea coming to the fore. 

With Christmas less than a month away, many of this city’s over-stressed denizens could surely benefit by setting aside time for a well-deserved tea party with friends and family. But first, we must find the perfect set for our parties. Below we have carefully curated a selection of our favourite tea-sets from such renowned brands as Wedgewood Prestige and Fornsetti that are sure to bring creativi-tea and sereni-tea to your leisurely gathering.

Text: Bailey Atkinson