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    FABULOUS JEWELS AND MORE AT TEFAF MAASTRICHT

    Friday, March 18th, 2011

    THERE are fabulous pieces to be seen in the Haute Joaillerie section at The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht.  Here are some to whet the appetite.

    The Graff blue diamond

    The Hemmerle vegetable collection.

    The aster brooch.

    The Chopard owl watch.

    Graff is exhibiting a 20.02 carat blue ice diamond ring.  The fancy deep blue diamond ring has white diamond shoulders. Each diamond pearshape sidestone is exactly one carat. The entire ring is 22.02 carats.
    Hemmerle Jewellers will unveil their new vegetable collection at TEFAF. The brooch illustrated is a white gold pod of five jade peas, speckled with demantoide garnets.
    THE Aster Brooch has a central cushion cut tourmaline supported by flame-shaped griffes bezel in yellow gold. It is contoured by a double circle of petals in white gold and brilliant-cut diamonds. This one-of-a-kind object of rare beauty and simplicity was created by Gianmaria Buccellati.
    At Chopard & Cie S.A. there is an Owl watch.  It is 18 ct white and rose gold set with diamonds (7cts), trapeze-cut diamonds (2cts) and trapeze-cut yellow sapphires (4cts).  It is from the ‘Animal World Collection 150th Anniversary.
    TEFAF 2011 has 260 exhibitors from 16 countries in nine sections. Some 30,000 works of art from the Neolithic Age to the present day are all rigorously vetted by 168 international experts in 29 specialist committees to ensure quality, authenticity and good condition.

    TEFAF Maastricht is launching the TEFAF Mobile Guide, an application for Android and iPhone, at the 2011 Fair. The application has been developed to help visitors get the most out of their visit to TEFAF.  It offers them a virtual tour, videos, an interactive floor plan, an overview of theFair’s sections, exhibitors and restaurants at the Fair and other information. It can be downloaded free at www.tefaf.com/mobile and from the iTunes AppStore and Android Market.

    (See antiquesandartireland.com posts for March 11, January 13 and January 6)

    SOME BAUBLES FROM O’REILLY’S NEXT ANTIQUE JEWELLERY SALE

    Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

    A diamond and sapphire cluster ring. (click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: IT MADE 16,000.

    These are some of the lots that feature at the O’Reilly’s auction at Francis St., Dublin on Wednesday, March 2.  The sapphire and diamond cluster ring is estimated at 17,000-18,000, the target ring is estimated at 6,500-7,500, the amethyst and diamond brooch is estimated at 1,200-1,500 and the Art Deco diamond and sapphire plaque brooch is estimated 4,500-5,000.

    The sale features around 290 lots of jewellery as well as silver and fine art.

    An antique diamond target ring at O'Reilly's on March 2. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE 6,400

    An amethyst and diamond brooch modelled as a bow at O'Reilly's. (click on image to enlarge) UDATE: IT MADE 1,200

    An Art Deco diamond and sapphire plaque brooch. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE 4,500

    CHRIS de BURGH TO SELL HIS REDS

    Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

    Christie’s will offer stock from the private cellar of Chris de Burgh at a wine sale in London on March 24.  Apparently the ladies in the life of the Irish singer songwriter, who had a worldwide hit with Lady in Red, no longer like reds. The ladies in question are his wife Diane and his daughter, the former 2003 Miss World Rosanna Davison.

    The sale comprises  320 bottles and 84 magnums of wine, principally red, and is estimated to make around £200,000. It follows the auction of 746 lots from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s private wine collection at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong during January, which raised a total of US$5.6m.
    The sale features a variety of rare wines from his home in Ireland where they were carefully stored in a specially constructed temperature controlled wine room and purpose built cabinets.
    Chris de Burgh’s long love affair with wine began whilst wine waiting at his parents’ castle hotel in South East Ireland as a teenager – a guest asked him to try the bottle of Château d’Yquem he’d ordered, and the special moment has stayed with him to this day. However, due to an intense touring and recording schedule, it was not until the early 1980s that he was able to find the time to start seriously collecting wine himself.
    The highest value lot in the sale is a vertical collection of 62 magnums of Château Mouton-Rothschild, vintages 1945-2005 (estimate: £70,000-90,000)

    TIFFANY DIAMONDS AT O’REILLY’S, FRANCIS ST., DUBLIN

    Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

    A Tiffany diamond dress ring from 1964 at O'Reilly's, Francis St., Dublin. (click on image to enlarge) UPDATE: IT MADE 12,600

    This Tiffany diamond dress ring from 1964 on the left is one of the highlights at the first 2011 jewellery sale at O’Reilly’s of Francis St., Dublin.  The sale takes place on Wednesday, February 2 at 1 p.m.  The ring, complete with its original receipt, is estimated at 10,000-12,000.

    A c1870 mourning brooch at O'Reilly's. (click to enlarge) UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 700

    It features antique and modern jewellery.  The example on the right is a Victorian mourning brooch dating from around 1870.  It is mounted in gold with a seed pearl surround and estimated at 700-800 euro.

    The 319 lots sale includes engagement rings, diamond solitaires, a three stone diamond ring,  bracelets, pendants, earrings, watches and gold jewellery.  There is a small selection of Irish antique and later silver along with collectables and paintings.

    JOHN LENNONS FERRARI TO BE SOLD AT BONHAMS, PARIS ON FEBRUARY 5

    Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

    John Lennon's blue Ferrari

    JOHN LENNON’S 1965 Ferrari GT coupe will be sold at Bonhams sale of motor cars at the Grand Palais, Paris on February 5.  It is estimated at 120,000-170,000 euro.
    Philip Norman recounts in his biography John Lennon – A Life: ‘In February 1965, John passed his driving test, an event that made headline news across the nation. Within hours, every luxury car dealership in the Weybridge area, hoping for business, jammed the road outside Kenwood’s security gates with Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Jaguar XK-E. John strolled out to inspect this gleaming smorgasbord, eventually selecting a £2,000 light blue Ferrari.’
    Better known is Lennon’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V Limousine delivered two months later and subsequently painted in psychedelic colours.
    UPDATE:  The car was withdrawn two days before the auction.  Bonhams say this was due to “seller’s remorse”.

    CHRISTMAS GREETINGS AND SOME IRISH ANTIQUE ART

    Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

    A very early view of Cork Harbour with Spike Island, artist unknown, from the Crawford Gallery Collection in Cork. (click to enlarge)

    A mid 19th century view of Blarney Castle by John Bosanquet from the Crawford Gallery Collection in Cork. (click to enlarge)

    A very happy Christmas to all readers of antiquesandartireland.com

    RECORD BREAKING WINE SALES AT SOTHEBY’S

    Monday, December 20th, 2010
    THE Season to be Merry extended year round in some quarters.  Sotheby’s wine auctions in 2010 brought an overall global total of US$88,270,602.  This is more than double the figure for 2009 and the highest in the company’s forty years of wine auctions. There was extraordinary demand from Asian collectors with every bottle offered in eight Hong Kong auctions finding a buyer and major Asian participation in London and Hong Kong sales.  Globally 99% of wine lots found buyers, and all 23 auctions exceeded the high estimate.
    The Asian sales were led by the two auctions of wine direct from the Châteaux – Cheval Blanc, Yquem and Dom Pérignon which fetched $2.6 million in May and Lafite Ex Cellars which brought $8.3 million in October.
    There was a new record for a single standard sized bottle at the Ex Cellars sale when a bottle of Château Lafite 1869 sold for $232,692.
    Sotheby’s will offer the Andrew Lloyd Webber Wine Collection in Hong Kong on January 22 next.

    110,000 HITS AND GROWING

    Monday, December 13th, 2010
    HITS on antiquesandartireland.com have passed the 100,000 mark.  According to Google’s webmaster tools the number of search queries on this site in the month to December 10 was 110,000. The previous week it stood at 90,500. I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you.  Hits come from all around the globe, the majority from Ireland, Britain and the US. Established in April and largely unpromoted, the website has been growing steadily month on month.
    Reaction has been extremely positive, and for this I am grateful.  Here are two, one from James Adam, the Irish auction house with the largest annual turnover, the other from Sotheby’s.
    James O’Halloran, managing director at James Adam, writes: “I am an avid fan of your blog, in fact it is the first site on my bookmarks bar so I check it at least once a day hoping for another snippet of interesting information from the world of art and antiques. I particularly like the wide variety of up to the minute stories and the useful links to other websites. We, at Adams are always delighted to have coverage of our activities on the blog and look forward to working with you long into the future.”
    Arabella Bishop, Director, Sotheby’s Ireland writes:  ‘I find this an invaluable website for reference to keep abreast of the art market both in Ireland and abroad.  Des’s years of experience and knowledge makes this site indispensable’

    ARTISTS AND MANSIONS

    Thursday, December 9th, 2010
    AT this time of giving three new books from Irish publishers might be of interest.  Plurabelle Publishing Ltd. of 33B Daniel St., Dublin 8 launched a Dictionary of Living Irish Artists this year.  It features 200 living Irish artists and full colour images of the work of each one of them along with biographical information.  It is written by Robert O’Byrne.  More information is available on www.livingirishartists.ie
    Tarquin Blake’s Abandoned Mansions of Ireland documents what is left of 50 mansion houses throughout the length and breadth of this country. It includes Mountpelier Lodge (Dublin Hellfire Club), the birthplaces of Daniel O’Connell (Carhen House) and the Duke of Wellington (Dangan Castle) and the home of Grace O’Malley (Bunowen Castle).  It is published by The Collins Press of Cork. (www.collinspress.ie).
    Also from The Collins Press comes Privilege & Poverty, the life and times and Irish painter and naturalist Alexander Williams RHA (1846-1930). He was an apprentice hatter, a taxidermist and a professional singer and is credited with being one of the first artists to open up the west of Ireland and in particular Achill Island to a wide audience.  This is written by Gordon T. Ledbetter.

    DIAMOND AUCTION RECORD SMASHED

    Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

    This rare pink diamond sold for 33.7 million euro at Sotheby's in Geneva. (click on image to enlarge)

    A rare pink diamond broke auction records when it made 33.7 million euro at Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 16.  The buyer was London diamond dealer Laurence Graff.

    Sotheby’s had said in advance that the market for coloured diamonds is extremely strong.  They are the most sought after gemstones in the world’s auction rooms today.

    This one is an exceptionally rare 24.78 carat fancy intense pink diamond of the purest hue.  It had been purchased directly from Mr. Harry Winston 60 years ago and has not been on the open market since.

    Sotheby’s had estimated the stone at $27-38 million Swiss Francs or about 20-25 million euro.  Demand for rare gems as wealth that is portable has pushed up prices.

    See post on antiquesandartireland.com for October 4