/>To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic cartoon character Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz, a Hong Kong jeweler has created a 207-carat Diamond Snoopy.
Infamous luxury brand TSL has given Snoopy the grand treatment with a whopping 207-carat Diamond Snoopy. At 5.5 inches, this luxury Snoopy features 9,917 diamonds, 783 black diamonds and 415 rubies. It took TSL’s designers over eight months to create this sparkling Snoop and if you have a spare $427K lying around he can be yours!
Pablo Picasso’s 1932 painting of his mistress has sold for a world record amount.
Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sold to an undisclosed buyer for a whopping $106.5 million on Tuesday. This is a world record for any kind of work of art sold at auction, which must have made Christie’s auction house pretty excited.
The painting of Picasso’s mistress sold for an astounding $106.5 million, a world record for any work of art sold at auction. With a pre-sale estimate of around $80 million, no one was as surprised as Christie’s auction house when the painting sold for such a high amount to an unidentified telephone bidder on Tuesday.
Princess Diana’s family is reportedly selling off some of their infamous art collection this summer with Christie’s in London.
As part of an old masters auction on July 6, pieces such as this Peter Paul Rubens “A Commander being armed for Battle” will be auctioned. This painting has been in the Spencer family for 200 years and is part of the collection being auction, which is supposed to go for around $30 million.
La Maison Ruinart, the oldest established champagne house in the world, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its 1959 Dom Ruinart
Maarten Baas Melting Collection Ice Bucket
Blanc de Blancs in 2009 and decided to honor the occasion by commissioning a work of champagne-related art from Dutch artist Maarten Baas.
The Melting Collection Ice Bucket is what resulted, a beautiful shining silver bucket and its lid dissolving helplessly into a puddle on the table.
Only 50 will be produced, delivered in a felt-lined leather and wood presentation box complete with a ‘made-for-display’ water-filled Dom Ruinart bottle.
Price: $8,800
We last heard of famed Scottish photographer Rankin when his bespoke bottle for The Macallan
Rankin's cheeky new photography book.
single malt Scotch debuted. Now the shutterbug has released a new volume of edgy erotica appropriately titled Rankin’s Cheeky.
The book features a foreword by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and an introduction by Heidi Klum, who has shed her clothes for the photographer’s skillful erotic studies on a number of occasions. “I’m never shy with Rankin,” Klum says.
Kate Moss has also been snapped by the master in her birthday suit many times; some of the images are featured in the book. “Any time Rankin takes a picture he knows what he wants, and there is really no chance of being anyone but who you are, even if you try,” she notes. “You can trust him. I trust him.”
The Vatican‘s secret archives have been the subject of lore for centuries and have spawned plenty of movies and novels. Now some of the Vatican’s documents have been revealed in a new book, The Vatican Secret Archives. The 252-page book is full of color photos and represents a chronological journey through the meandering history of the past centuries starting with the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum, an old book containing formulas in use by the Papal Chancellery dating back to
New book from Vatican's Secret Archives.
the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century. Other documents include a letter from Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V, a letter from Pius X to Hitler, and works from saints include St. Teresa of Avila.
The regular book is available from Amazon.com and other sources for around $100. But for the truly dedicated collector there is a limited edition of 33 which is hand bound in the studio of the Vatican Secret Archives. The books will be printed on felt and hand stitched with leather ties. Collectors editions will be numbered, stamped and certified. Each book will be made by request and can be ordered in Italian, English, French or Dutch and can be personalized. It sells for € 4,950. A press release from VdH Books states that there is also the possibility of paying a unique visit to the Vatican Secret Archives for the 33 buyers.
Hallmark Jewellers – in tiny Titschfield, Hampshire – has created the world’s most expensive Christmas ornament.
Hallmark Jewellers creates the world's most expensive Christmas ornament.
The ornament itself is composed of 18 carat white gold and is studded with over one and half thousand diamonds. Two rings consisting of 188 red rubies surround the body of the ornament.
It took more than 130 hours just to set the gems in the piece.
The National Association of Goldsmiths independently valued the bauble at 82,000 British pounds which depending on the exchange rate is just over $130,000.
All of this hard work and expensive gemstones are not going unprotected. In something out of a James Bond movie the decorative ornament is encased in a special container framed in steel an 6mm thick laminated glass. If the alarm is triggered a internal signal will fill the shop with smoke.
Lehman Brothers is no more but their art collection is about to go on the auction block. Lehman’s was noted for their amazing art collection and they had some of the most renowned artists lining their hallways and several hundred pieces
Lehman Brothers art collection goes to auction.
will be finding new homes on 1 November 09.
The auction showcases modern and contemporary art with works by Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein and others. The art being sold is estimated to be in the $500,000 to $750,000 range. Proceeds will go towards any creditors.
If contemporary art isn’t your fancy, on 6 December 09, Freeman‘s will sell off 30 lots of European fine paintings from the Lehman collection.
Additionally, another 500+ lots will go to auction on 12 February 2010.
~~ Raine Devries
It’s that time of the year boys and girls!
Neiman Marcus unveils their 2009 Christmas Book.
Neiman-Marcus has unveiled the 2009 Christmas Book. Oh happy days and damn any recession because we have visions of cupcake-shaped electric cars for the kiddos, the world’s fastest electric motorcycle, and dinner with some of today’s bestselling authors. These are just a few of the fantasy gifts for sale in Neiman Marcus’ 2009 Christmas book.
Dallas-based Neiman Marcus made a conscious effort to offer more affordable options while not disappointing loyal luxury shoppers as it unveiled its Christmas Book at the Dallas Contemporary.
Among this year’s offerings are a customized Cupcake Car for kids that costs $25,000 and reaches top speeds of 7 miles per hour. For adults, there’s a 2010 Jaguar XJL super-charged sedan, priced at $105,000. Neiman Marcus customers will be the first to be able to purchase the vehicle, which comes with a 5-piece set of luggage that matches its leather interior.
This year’s his-and hers gift – an annual tradition – is an ICON A5 sports aircraft, with pilot training for two. It costs a mere $250,000.
At $200,000, the Algonquin Round Table Experience includes dinner for two at New York’s Algonquin Hotel with Malcolm Gladwell, John Lithgow, Nora Ephron with eight famous authors, including and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
About 40 percent of this year’s catalog items are priced under $250.
The luxury retailer’s his-and-hers gifts and other over-the-top holiday gift ideas represent a tradition that dates back to the 1950s. Stanley and Edward Marcus started picking attention-grabbing gifts to get the store on national TV, and it still works.
Last year, the Dallas-based retailer offered all 530 square yards of one of the end zones at Texas Stadium and a party to go with it for $500,000. His-and-hers gifts were life-size Lego likenesses of the buyers for $60,000 apiece.
A limited-edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series sedan offered a year ago didn’t sell out. Thirty-one were offered to represent the number of years that BMW has been selling in the U.S. A car has been part of the catalog for many years and has been known to sell out in a matter of minutes.
Luxury has been hard hit by the recession and has experienced some of the biggest sales declines. Neiman Marcus is adding more merchandise in its middle price points this year, while it continues to sell its highest priced luxury brands.
For the second year, Neiman Marcus is publishing a separate holiday book featuring “giftable” items, many under $100.
The 1984 Michael Jackson portrait by Andy Warhol will soon be hitting a New York auction block.
The 30 x 26 inch portrait was done by Warhol when both stars were at their highest. Valued at close to $850,000, the artwork is currently on display at London’s British Music Experience where MJ was to launch his comeback tour prior to his untimely death.
What do you expect this portrait to go for at auction?
