Auction World Wonders of 2013

 Not only has 2013 brought a great year of wild and wonderful auction results in McTear's, but also the world over. Auctioning is becoming more and more popular, with a lot of money to be spent and gained. Here we have some of the best and brightest results in the world from 2013.

 On 5th June in New York, this Clark Sickle-Leaf Carpet estimated between $5-7 million, broke records by selling for an unbelievable $34 million, making it the most expensive carpet and also Islamic work of art to be sold- we are sure there will be a 'no shoes' rule on this carpet!



 Diamonds are always a favourite in McTears... this stunning white diamond was the largest diamond to ever be sold at an auction. The diamond sold on 7th October in Hong Kong weighed 118 plus carats and sold for $30.6 million- a lot to pay for a 'best friend', but I am sure the owner is will have a very happy future with this one!



 In New York, the highest price achieved for any modern artwork in 2013 was this Alberto Giacometti 'Grande tête mince', selling at just over $50 million.

 On 21st November in New York, this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was sold at an impressive $14.3 million at the first major car auction in Manhattan in over 10 years which set records for many models, but this one coming up top- great for a Sunday drive!

 A fantastic year for auctions! Keep yourself up to date with the auctions we have coming up in McTear's in 2014 here to make sure you don't miss out, and if you think you have a valuable item that you are curious about the value of let McTear's help, see for valuations here.

Shine Like a Diamond...

Earlier this week, a dazzling diamond fetched a record breaking £13.5m at Christie's semi-annual jewellery sale in Geneva. 

This flawless diamond from India’s mythical Golconda mines, that once belonged to Archduke Joseph August of Austria (1872-1962),  was snapped up by an anonymous buyer at an auction on Tuesday night.

With the value of the diamond increasing, the unique, rare, colourless stone – weighing 76 carats – obtained over double the price that was paid for it roughly two decades ago, sold by an American jeweler Black, Starr & Frost. It surfaced at auction in 1961 and again at Christie's in November 1993, netting £4m at the time and has subsequently been sold on again for over 3 times the price paid in 1993.

François Curiel, director of the international jewellery department at Christie’s described the sale as being ‘flabbergasting’ and although the market is experiencing a slight decline, the diamond managed to fetch ‘a world record price per carat for a colourless diamond’.

In a sale that overall reached a ‘glittering’ £50m, the alluring diamond was the ‘VIP’ out of the 290 lots that were sold.

Dating back to the 4th century B.C, India was one of the first countries to mine the gem, with their diamonds being cherished for their size and beauty, especially the stones from Golconda. "Diamonds of Golconda" stones are rare and famous with the exact source of the so-called "lost mines of Golconda" being unknown.

Here is another fabulous diamond. The Darya-i-Nur was a rare blue-diamond (186 carats), which was owned by the last Great Mughal Emperor of Persia, Aurangzeb, until it was stolen from his heirs during the 'sack of Delhi' in 1739. 

Darya-i-Nur "Sea of Light"

For information on McTear's dedicated sales that are occurring at the end of this month have a look on our website.

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