Jewel Narrative: The extraordinary stories behind the world’s most sought-after gems

Jewels have always been a source of fascination, obsession and intrigue. Precious stones have been the inspiration for heist movies, romance novels and murder mysteries ever since we started putting pen to paper. In the case of these beguiling bedazzlers the truth is even stranger than fiction.

The Nawanagar Necklace

In 1931, Jacques Cartier was commissioned by the Maharajah of Nawanagar to create a necklace formed of two strands of diamonds. Eight weeks later Cartier declared the arrangement “the finest cascade of coloured diamonds in the world”. The illustrious treasure featured seven of the rarest diamonds in the world, including the Ranjitsinhji diamond, and weighed six pounds. It mysteriously disappeared after the Maharajah’s death in 1933 and is presumed to have been broken down into smaller untraceable designs. If that sounds familiar it was also the fate that befell “Le Toussaint”, the fictional necklace which was the target of the grand heist in the movie Ocean’s 8, the design of which was based on this very necklace.

The Black Star of Queensland

In the 1930s, a boy called Roy Spencer was playing in a field near Anakie in Queensland Australia. He found a large, heavy greyish stone and carried it home with him, where it was used to prop open the porch door for the next nine years. Once Roy’s miner father Harry clocked that his doorstop might be worth a buck or two, he put it up for sale. It was eventually bought by Armenian jeweller Kazanjian who studied the stone for two months before cutting it. In cutting out the cabochon, Kazanjian lost 423 carats before finally revealing an immaculate six-pointed star within the stone – despite the lost carats, The Black Star remains the second-largest sapphire in the world. The stone now belongs to Swiss Gabrielle Grohe after she purchased it for her then-boyfriend Jack Armstrong. After they split Armstrong tried to claim ownership of the sapphire but couldn’t come up with the cash to buy Grohe out.

The Moon of Baroda Diamond

Fewer gems can boast a more impressive lineage than the Moon of Baroda, which came from the very same Golconda mine which bore the Koh-I-Noor and the Hope diamonds. From the mine The Moon went to the Gaekwad family, the Maharajas of Baroda, who lent it to the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria for a period. It has been looted by Persian ruler Nadir Shah before being returned to Baroda and lent to Marie Antoinette before being bought by Meyer Rosenbaum in 1943. The diamond was finally cemented in pop culture history when it was lent by Rosenbaum to Marilyn Monroe so she could wear it in the iconic hit Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

But the extraordinary story of The Moon of Baroda is far from over. The pendant is coming up for auction at Christie’s Hong Kong on 27 November. Weighing 24.04 carats the canary yellow stone is estimated to go for a staggering HK$4-6 billion. Fancy!

Text: Alice Duncan

Far From Free Port: Niepoort in Lalique 1863 sells for stellar prices

Distiller devotees got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase a portentous piece of port history recently when the first of five Niepoort in Lalique 1863 decanters went under the gavel in Hong Kong, courtesy of Acker Merrall & Condit, the New York-headquartered wine merchants and auctioneer group.

After several rounds of fierce bidding, the 1863 bottle went for a world-record breaking US$128,000, six times its presale estimate.

What made the crystal demijohn decanters so special are that they are the latest fruits of the long-term partnership between Niepoort, one of Portugal’s most-admired port producers, and Lalique, the legendary French crystal glassmaker, with each numbered item bearing both the glassmaker’s own imprimatur and an engraved acknowledgement of ‘Francisco Marius van der Niepoort’, one of the port-making pioneers who founded Niepoort.

However, the true allure of this illustrious lot is down to what lies within – an exceptionally rare 155-year-old vintage port distilled way back in 1863, the same year Abraham Lincoln signed the slavery-abolishing Emancipation Proclamation, but they may only be coincidence. While its vintage may cause some concern as to whether this particular port is way past its prime, fear not – last year, renowned wine critic James Suckling gave it an unambiguous 100 points without so much as slurring a word.

Time and Time Again: All the very finest in second-hand accessories

Anyone who believes in ‘Out with the old, in with the new’ may just change their minds after taking a gander at these beautifully-designed second-hand accessories, all carefully selected by Gafencu’s Style Team from the lookbooks of the world’s best-loved luxury labels.

Look 1:

From left:
Santos de Cartier watches in steel cases with 18K yellow gold bezel, Santos de Cartier Biplane cufflinks in sterling silver with blue synthetic spinels, Santos de Cartier cufflinks in sterling silver with brown kotibe wood, Santos de Cartier palladium-finished key ring, all by Cartier

Polished metal grey wood tray engraved with Art Deco motifs, grey bisque porcelain bowl with Art Deco motif, green wood candle holder and metal body with Art Deco motif, burgundy wood case with double C motif metal cover, all by Cartier

Look 2:

From left:
De Ville Trésor watch in stainless steel with diamonds by Omega; Possession watch in 18K white gold case with diamonds by Piaget; A Walk in the Garden teapot, tea cups and saucers, all by Hermès

Look 3:

From left:
Pierre Arpels Platine watch in platinum case by Van Cleef & Arpels; Piaget Polo S watch in steel case by Piaget; Declick Dice game, Pli’H change trays and desk accessories, and poker cards, all by Hermès

Look 4:

From left:
Alhambra Talisman watch in pink gold with diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels; Imperiale Moonphase watch in 18K rose gold case by Chopard; A Walk in the Garden plates, cup mat and cereal bowl, all by Hermès

Look 5:

From left:
L.U.C 1937 Classic watch in stainless steel case by Chopard; Luminor 8 Days Power Reserve Acciaio watch in steel case by Panerai

Photos: Neville Lee
Art Direction & Styling: San Wong

Top Hat: Indiana Jones’ iconic fedora fetches big bucks at auction

Both Marty McFly’s hoverboard from Back to the Future II (1989) and Anakin Skywalker’s light sabre from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) were on offer to movie-minded auction-goers last month as part of the latest Entertainment Memorabilia Live sale organised by Prop Store, the London and Los Angeles-based purveyor of fine movie mementos.

*Iconic Indiana Jones fedora sold for a heroic £320,000 at auction*

Even the abiding appeal of time-travelling teenagers and Jedi weaponry, however, was not enough to steal the top spot at the sale, with that accolade undoubtedly going to the iconic fedora worn by Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the franchise’s 1981 debut, which went for a heroic £320,000.

Mind you, even Indiana Jones might have been topped had another of the auction’s most illustrious lots – the jacket worn by Han Solo (Ford again) in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the second tranche of the original Star Wars saga – gone for anything like the initial estimate of £500,000 to £1 million. Sadly, it failed to meet its reserve price, with the highest bid clocking in at just £450,000 – not enough to Force the sale through.

Juin-Octobre 1985 by Zao Wou-ki broke all records at recent auction

Zao Wou-ki (1921-2013) has long been regarded as one of China’s pre-eminent modern artists whose massive masterpieces are only dwarfed by the huge prices they command (read more here).

Now, one particular item from the grandmaster’s oeuvre – Juin-Octobre 1985 – created quite a buzz when it came up for auction at Sotheby’s Modern Art Evening Sale, with its eventual price estimated to be around US$44 million. It ultimately went on to set new auction records by getting sold for US$65 million.

Constructed as a three-panelled triptych – a format greatly favoured by Zao – the central canvas measures a whopping 280cm x 400cm, and is flanked by two further 280cm x 300cm panels. Commissioned by the renowned architect IM Pei – a lifelong friend of Zao’s – it hung in Singapore’s Raffles City complex until 2005, when it was auctioned by Christie’s, with the winning bid said to be in the region of HK$18 million.

Putting the artist’s work into perspective, Vinci Chang, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Asian Art, said: “Zao’s paintings are held in the same regard as those of Western masters. As a consequence, we are deeply honoured to be able to present Juin-Octobre 1985, the largest painting in the artist’s oeuvre and without a doubt, a singular masterpiece and one of unparalleled importance.”

With the value of his paintings set to soar even higher as the posthumous reputation of Zao Wou-Ki continues to build, his works seem to offer that rarest combination – aesthetic delight and escalating investment value.

Text: Tenzing Thondup

Special-edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ camera is both vintage and cutting-edge

For well over a century now – ever since Oskar Barnack invented the world’s first 35mm camera, the Ur-Leica – the renowned German camera brand Leica has been setting the benchmark for photo quality and image capturing technology. Across the intervening decades, its cameras have stood at the frontier of unfolding historic events, capturing iconic moments that have become world-famous.

To pay tribute to this long legacy, a nostalgic, special-edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ has just been released. This classic model features a genuine leather trim and a matching strap in a nostalgic khaki reminiscent of WWII-esque army camouflage fatigues. The engraving of the classic Leica script at the top plate has also been accented in the same hue.

But don’t be fooled by its vintage-looking exterior. In terms of mechanics, the Leica Q ‘Khaki’ boasts the same technical specs as a standard Leica Q – a speedy Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7ASPH lens, a full-frame sensor, an integrated viewfinder with a 3.68MB resolution, full HD-quality video recording of up to 60 frames per second and WiFi capabilities for remote control and digital file transfers. Merging the classic with the high-tech, this 495-piece limited edition Leica Q ‘Khaki’ is almost sure to be a guaranteed collectors’ item for any vintage Leica lover.

Historic Horology: Thomas Tompion timepiece clocks in at HK$2.6 million

Clock designed by Thomas Tompion sells for HK$2.6 million — *Historic clock designed by Thomas Tompion sold for HK$2.6 million at a recent Bonhams auction*

As true watch collectors would surely vouch, any clock made by Thomas Tompion, the renowned 16th century British timepiece technician, merits a place in the all-time great league of classic chronometers. Favoured by British royalty from Charles II to Queen Anne, Tompion is credited as being among the first watchmakers to introduce precision technology to the industry. It’s no wonder then, that his clocks command astronomical prices when they go under the gavel.

The most recent such piece to pique the hunger of haute horologists was a particularly fine late-17th century specimen – an ebony-veneered quarter-repeating table-clock, which sold for nearly HK$2.6 million at a recent Bonhams London auction. Featuring a gilted-brass body, three separate dials and a mounted quarter-repeat system, the skills of the master watchmaker were evident in every detail. Proving its provenance beyond any doubt was a give-away engraving reading: “Thomas Tompion LONDINI Fecit”. Surely no forger would be smart enough to include such a detail.

Old China Yangcai Vase: Attic-found premium porcelain sold at auction

It’s not often that sifting through an attic turns up anything more valuable than sepia-toned photos of distant relatives. One Parisian family that recently discovered an ornate vase stowed away in a shoebox had rather more luck. When Olivier Valmier, Asian Arts Specialist at Sotheby’s Paris, was granted a peek into the box, he soon realised the true value of this particular piece of porcelain. It was nothing less than an imperial Yangcai vase, custom-made for the 18th-century Qing dynasty Qianlong Emperor.

While Sotheby’s claims that it is the only existing such item not safely stashed in a museum, it is undeniable that the vase is an intact specimen of the Yangcai style. And there isn’t many of those to be had. Produced during imperial Chinese times, such items were either unique one-offs or part of a specially commissioned pair.

This particular rediscovered relic has been hailed as a splendid example of the porcelain of the period, with its mixed landscape of deer, cranes and pine trees showing both Western and Chinese influences. With the only comparable piece kept in Guimet Museum of Asian Art in Paris, it’s no wonder the yangcai vase got snapped up for a staggering €16,182,800, almost 23 times the original estimate.

Flying Start to Buying Art at Macey & Sons with Asia Miles Points

As the whisky-loving world comes to terms with the shortage of aged Japanese Whisky, Macey & Sons, house of art, antiques and luxury collectibles, has consigned over 100 bottles of rare Japanese and Scotch single-malt whiskies for true whisky lovers.

Macey & Sons’ ‘The Whisky Auction Day’ will be held on Thursday 25 October 2018, from 6pm to 9pm. An exclusive VIP viewing will be held on 18 October, from 7pm to 9pm. General viewing will take place on 19, 22, 23, 24 and 25 October, from 10am to 8pm daily.

Macey & Sons not only has access to incredible pieces of fine art and collectibles, the auction house also likes to show their appreciation to new and loyal clients in many different ways. With that in mind, from 1 September 2018, Macey & Sons is partnering with Asia Miles. For every piece of fine and contemporary art or collectibles purchased, customers can get 1 Asia Miles point per HK$5 dollar spent.

To register interest, inquire or request a call back, contact info@Maceyandsons.com or +8523468 7908

Affairs of the Art: Fine Art Asia 2018 and Ink Asia 2018 from 29 September to 2 October

Good news for those who have their heart set on art this season! Fine Art Asia 2018, Asia’s leading international fine arts fair, returns to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this fall, along with Ink Asia 2018, the world’s first art fair dedicated to ink art.

Taking place from 29 September to 2 October 2018 (with a VIP preview and Vernissage on 28 September), the two events will open up a world of artistic possibilities for art aficionados. While Fine Art Asia 2018 will showcase a wide array of art, ranging from Western artists’ Impressionist paintings and avant garde photography to Oriental artifacts, Ink Asia 2018 will focus on contemporary ink and ink-inspired works.

Bringing together worlds both ancient and modern, the fairs will provide a unique opportunity to view and acquire the best artworks across a wide range of categories.

Andy Hei, founder and director of Fine Art Asia and Ink Asia, said, “As always, our aim is to create a professional platform for the art market in Hong Kong, and to promote cultural exchange between East and West. Hong Kong is the focal point of the art market in Asia. Fine Art Asia 2018 and Ink Asia 2018 provide ideal platforms for international galleries to cater to the aspirations of knowledgeable collectors.”