Child Star: Daughter Gets Diamond Name-checked as Manami Star

By all accounts, a truly special father-daughter bonding moment took place at a recent Sotheby’s auction when, after a fierce bidding war, a gargantuan 88.22-carat oval diamond was sold to a Japanese collector for US$13.8 million. Immediately upon completing the sale, the purchaser then renamed the precious stone the Manami Star after his eldest daughter.

This poignant gesture only further added to the undoubted allure of the gemstone, one of only three oval diamonds of 50 carats or more to have been offered for auction in living memory. Officially deemed a category D, Flawless, Type IIa, Brilliant diamond, it holds the particular distinction of notching up a perfect score across all the 4 C’s that count – cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.

The original rough diamond that morphed into the 88.22-carat gem was mined in Botswana at a site co-owned by the De Beers diamond merchants and the Botswanan government, a site that was already renowned as a source of stones of the highest quality. Weighing in at a staggering 242 carats, the original was then painstakingly professionally polished and cut over several months, before emerging in its ultimately symmetrical, iridescent form.

Money Bunny: Jeff Koons’ Rabbit shatters records

Since bursting upon the art scene back in the ’80s, American artist Jeff Koons has been no stranger to controversy. Indeed, his ostentatious artworks have long been decried and celebrated in equal measure. All the controversy surrounding his sundry creations has, of course, only driven up their value. A clear case in point is his Balloon Dog (Orange) – a stainless steel sculpture of a toy balloon dog – which sold for US$58.4 million in 2013, the then-record for any auctioned artwork produced by a living artist.

Now, that record has been shattered and by yet another of Koons’ animal-inspired creations – a 41-inch stainless steel sculpture simply known as Rabbit. Completed in 1986, this cartoonish figure is widely regarded as one of the most iconic examples of 20th-century art, hailed as being exuberant and celebratory by his admirers, while dismissed as vacuous and disposable by his many detractors.

Regardless of its artistic value, none can deny its monetary worth, with this best-in-show bunny snagging US$91.1 million at a recent Christie’s auction, surpassing the US$90.2 million record set last November by David Hockney and reaffirming Koons’ reputation as a genius cash-generating creative talent.

Auto Exotica: Shelling Out on ’60s Super Car Shelby Cobras

Auto enthusiasts got a treat when the Mecum Indianapolis 2019 Spring Classic auction revved into action. In total, 1,000 vintage cars were sold over the six-day event, with three near-mint ’60s Shelby Cobras – the rump of the estate of Steven Juliano, a New York night club impresario and classic car collector – commanding top billing and collectively selling for over US$7 million.

All created by Carroll Shelby, the celebrated American car designer, whose works spanned such iconic models as the AC One and the Shelby Mustang, the star billing went to a 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Roadster. One of just 27 such roadsters ever made, its all-original parts, factory-delivered Goodwood tires and an odometer reading of just 10,760 miles saw it fetch US$2.86 million.

Coming in a close second was a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster. Lauded as one of the best-maintained original Cobras still in existence, it sold for truly impressive US$2.42 million. Rounding out the list was a 1964-built 289 Roadster with its attention-grabbing Ford Rangoon Red livery. One of the most customisable designs of its day and the only one of its kind built specifically for road use, it went under the hammer for a very creditable US$1.76 million.

George Daniels Prime Pocket Watch Headlines Auction

While ‘modern pocket watch’ may seem somewhat oxymoronic in terminology terms, a particularly prized example of just such a haute horological highlight – a George Daniels Grand Complication pocket watch – stunned industry insiders recently when it sold for a staggering US$2.4 million, an all-time high among the specially-sourced lots going under the gavel in Geneva this season.

While many may not be familiar with the name ‘George Daniels’, he is an English horologist of a 1926-2011 vintage and oft considered one of the greatest watchmakers of his generation. His chief claim to fame lies in his invention of the co-axial escapement, a monumentally innovative mechanism that continually keeps precise time without the watch’s movement requiring any conducive lubrication.

This particular pocket watch, created at the height of the ’70s Quartz Crisis, features that very mechanism, as well as Daniels’ first-ever instantaneous perpetual calendar, a retrograde date, a minute repeater, a thermometer, an equation of time and a power reserve indicator.

Obviously only too aware of its value, Alexandre Ghotbi, head of sales for Phillips Geneva, described this unique statement timepiece as “the greatest horological invention of the last 200 years.” And he should know.

Blue Up: New blue-hued gem set to sink pink diamond reign

With pink diamonds currently the only gems any self-respecting member of la beau monde will be seen out and about with, it’s all too easy to forget the allure of the more earthy and calming coloured precious stones, notably those distinctly blue of hue. In fact, given that the largest blue diamond ever to be unearthed in Botswana has just seen the light of day, overlooking such luminescently luxurious items may just have become a degree or two more difficult.

The as-yet-unnamed brilliantly blue diamond was dug up by the Okavango Diamond Company, a state-run jewel mining conglomerate and, even in a country that prides itself in producing the most pristine of precious stones, this 20.46-carat giant of a gem was instantly hailed as Something Very Special Indeed.

Estimated to have coalesced into its current form some 500 million to 3 billion years ago, this Type Ilb Fancy Deep Blue boasts one of the most keenly sought-out colour classifications of any blue diamond, leaving any pale pink pretender to the throne looking distinctly pasty by comparison.

Mundi Mouring: Where in the world is the missing da Vinci

We all misplace things from time to time, be it our keys, bank cards or other halves. Few of us, however, can claim to have unwittingly parted company with the World’s Most Expensive Painting Ever. But then few of us, unlike the somewhat cavalier custodians of the Abu Dhabi Louvre, are ever likely to be entrusted with as illustrious an illustrative work as Salvator Mundi, a 500-year-old painting of Jesus said to have been the work of Leonardo “Mona Lisa” da Vinci, which fetched a truly divine US$450 million at an auction in 2017.

Now the property of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the work was scheduled to go on display in the United Arab Emirates gallery back in September. After extensive ducking of the issue and several months of prevarication, it finally transpired that the Louvre’s sundry art-look-afterers, thought that, maybe, it had been sent to Zurich to be examined. Or maybe Geneva. Alternatively, it may well be deep in the repository’s cellars, possibly under a pile of unopened mail and some old instant noodle cartons. Whatever the final outcome, one thing is clear – the Lord certainly has been moved in a mysterious way.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire becomes world’s most expensive new car

Just when you thought the world of autocratic automobiles couldn’t possibly get any more exciting, the very latest supercar – the Bugatti La Voiture Noire – smashed all previous records by commanding a price of US$18 million.

Luxuriously crafted and exotically created by France’s Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S, a Volkswagen group subsidiary, it is now officially the most expensive new car ever sold. At least part of its value is down to the fact that it is a genuine one-off, with no take two planned for this most memorable of motors.

Undoubtedly the most remarkable motor vehicle to have been crafted in the 21st century to date, the genuinely magnificent La Voiture Noire comes equipped with a massive 8-litre quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine capable of delivering up to 1,500 bHp.

Describing the “aesthetic feast” that is La Voiture Noire, Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann said: “We are paying tribute to a long tradition, to France and the creative work of Jean Bugatti. At the same time, we are transferring extraordinary technology aesthetics and extreme luxury to a new age.”

Raise a toast to daddy dearest with Louis XIII cognac

Our fathers are the silent heroes in our lives. This Father’s Day, surprise your dad with a premium cognac from French luxury cognac brand Louis XIII – an ideal gift with a special engraved note of ‘Happy Father’s Day’* as a tribute to this very special man in your life.

At Louis XIII, legacy carries a lot of weight. Just like our fathers mentor and guide us, each generation of cellar master at Louis XIII creates and nourishes the special cognac that carries the maison’s legacy into the future. Just as our relation with our father bridges the gap between the past and the future, so also the transmitted knowledge of each of Louis XIII’s cellar masters creates a bond between the past and the future – culminating in the cognac that lives on for generations…

The enchanting beauty of the cognac is visible in its rich amber hues, but it is only in its aroma and taste that a whole range of flavours open up – from light floral notes of dried roses and honeysuckle mingled with the rich candied notes of preserved plums to rich notes of cigar box and leather giving way finally to the vivid freshness of passion fruit, spiked with ginger, thyme or myrrh. With each drop, opulence vies with vivacity making every tasting a special occasion.

But notwithstanding the rich aromas and flavours of the drink, gifting a Louis XIII cognac to your father is also very much a symbolic gesture. As a family-run luxury brand born in 1874, that still upholds strong family ties, Louis XIII represents a promise to honour family values through time – symbolises the emotional connection between you and your father.

*Engraving service requires one week of time to implement, for more information please contact: Calvin.Chen@LOUISXIII-COGNAC.com

Hornographics: Antique Golden Horn pot resurfaces at auction

A rare example of Iznik earthenware – ceramic items produced in 1475–1700 AD in what is now Turkey – a Golden Horn pottery dish no less, went under the hammer at the Sotheby’s Arts of the Islamic World auction early last month, the first item to be sold through such means in more than 30 years.

This particular bit of tableware purportedly dates back to around 1530, with its distinct look said to be down to the unique illustrative skills of the specially-trained court officials of the day. Even more remarkably, its distinctive cobalt blue spirals designs – featuring stems, flower-heads, floral vines and palmettes – remain nearly as vivid as they must have been when they were first rendered some 500 years ago.

An item sure to outshine any other in even the most salubrious ceramics cabinet, it last came up for auction back in 1989 and has languished in a private collection ever since. As for its Golden Horn (Tuğrakeş) classification, it is the categorisation for a group of ancient pottery fragments discovered over 120 years ago along a series of waterways off the southern shores of Istanbul.