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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...

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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...

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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...