sotherby news and archive

Ultra-rich bid for all that glitters at Swiss auctions

Geneva's autumn jewel auctions got underway Tuesday, with Russian oligarchs and Chinese billionaires among those eyeing up the array of eye-wateringly expensive bling on offer. The Swiss city's twice-annual sales of rare jewels are often dominated by stones the size of door-stoppers. But this week, gems valued by their weight in carats will...

Fashion

Oppenheimer blue diamond sells for record 57.5 million US dollars

A dazzling blue diamond once owned by mining magnate Philip Oppenheimer etched a record 50.6 million US dollars (45 million euros) at auction in Geneva Wednesday, auction house Christie's said. The 14.62-carat "Oppenheimer Blue" is the largest stone in the exceptionally rare Fancy Vivid Blue category ever to go under the hammer, according to...

Fashion Featured

Watch fetches record 13.3 million pounds at Swiss auction

A Patek Philippe gold watch billed as the most expensive -- and most complicated -- in the world fetched a record 21.3 million dollars (13.3 million pounds) on Tuesday when it went under the hammer in Switzerland. The sale of the "Henry Graves Supercomplication", a handcrafted timepiece named after its original owner, a New York banker who...