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Ultra Luxury

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Ultra Luxury
Some of the world's most coveted luxurious objects
Chopard Haute Joaillerie necklace. Photo: Handout
Jewellery

Dazzling jewellery for the festive season

Feast your eyes on sculptural gold, sparkling diamonds and light-catching coloured stones from houses like Chaumet and Cindy Chao.

Wealth: Alternative Investments

Vetting collectibles, such as whiskies and watches, is a serious business

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BNP Paribas Wealth Management
Jewellery

Chain reaction: 4 gold chain necklaces that will always be in style

Art

Solid gold toilet snapped up for US$12.1 million at New York auction

The fully functional 18-karat gold toilet was designed by provocative Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘America’, a fully functional solid gold toilet. Photo: Reuters
Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels CEO Catherine Rénier on craftsmanship and timelessness

As Van Cleef & Arpels adds new blooms to its collections, we speak to CEO Catherine Rénier on the brand’s success so far – and plans for the future.

Auctions

Hong Kong’s autumn high jewellery auctions: rare gems and record-breaking sales

The season climaxes this month at Christie’s, with strong demand at Sotheby’s for jewels by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari.

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s slumping commercial property market lures savvy tycoon-linked buyer

Investor connected to family of Cambodian tycoon Tony Tandijono snaps up floor in Ginza-style Central building at a 65 per cent discount.

The 12th floor at 18 On Lan Street has been sold for HK$34 million. Photo: Google
Jewellery

The rise of rough, uncut gemstones, feted for their raw beauty

De Beers’ Talisman collection and designers Massimo Izzo, Ruth Tomlinson and SunChin are all celebrating rough stones.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Tiffany & Co.’s Victoria Reynolds on 2025’s Blue Book high jewellery

The maison’s chief gemologist on how Jean Schlumberger inspired chief artistic officer Nathalie Verdeille’s latest collection.

Fashion

Gem-studded bags from Gucci and more promise sparkling nights out

At the Paris Haute Couture Week shows, luxury maisons gilded the lily by adding beautiful stones to statement accessories, bringing back the minaudière.

Mouawad’s 1001 Nights Diamond Purse. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong property

More affluent buyers to snap up luxury Hong Kong homes amid strong stock market

‘The pick up in transaction volumes is giving buyers confidence that market prices will go up,’ Habitat Property’s Victoria Allan says.

Luxury residences at the Mont Verra development in Beacon Hill. Photo: Kerry Properties
Style Edit

Style Edit: De Beers doubles down on natural diamonds

Lightbox, De Beers’ lab-grown jewellery brand, will close, as the Gemological Institute of America will no longer use 4Cs grading for artificial stones.

Food and Drinks

How a rare whisky’s box can bump its value, and the makers getting creative

Whisky makers like Macallan and Glenrothes are working with artists and architects on innovative packaging that’s proving a hit with buyers.

High Jewellery

Bigger is better: the simple truth behind the fascination with large stones

A 100-carat flawless diamond sold for US$22 million at Sotheby’s, while the Marie-Thérèse pink diamond and Estrela de Fura Mozambique ruby fetched US$14m at Christie’s and US$34.8m, respectively.

Bulgari global ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas wears the Magnus Emerald necklace and Emerald Reflection ring from the maison’s Polychroma collection, at the 2025 Met Gala. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Graff redefines luxury jewellery with the Infinity diamond

The 157.8-carat heart-shaped marvel – cut from a part of the legendary Lesedi la Rona – is destined to be the centrepiece of a dazzling tiara, currently being crafted by the maison’s skilled artisans.

A legend in the making: Graff’s record-breaking 157.8-carat Infinity diamond, alongside a design sketch of the magnificent tiara for which it is destined to become the centrepiece. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Boghossian’s vivid Lirya high jewellery collection

Presented first at TEFAF in New York, the collection has captivated visitors to Boghossian’s Geneva and London boutiques.

Timepieces

Making the case: the latest in watchmaking alloy excellence from Rolex et al

A. Lange & Söhne’s proprietary 18k gold alloy Honeygold is featured in the new Odysseus Chronograph, while Japanese jeweller Tasaki’s Sakuragold captures the hue of cherry blossoms.

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Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels’ iconic new floral collection unveiled at Dumfries House

Van Cleef & Arpels CEO Catherine Rénier on the inspirations behind the collection, which combines the ageless appeal of precious stones with floral motifs.

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Fleurs d’Hawaï collection features necklaces, rings and earrings embellished with stones such as peridots and amethysts. Photo: Van Cleef & Arpels
Chanel

Reaching for the stars: Chanel’s Frédéric Grangié on making jewellery to last generations

Grangié’s job is to realise the visions of creatives like Arnaud Chastaingt, director of the Chanel watchmaking creation studio, and Patrice Leguéreau, former director of the house’s jewellery creation studio.

Masterpieces

Into the blue: why brands from Dior to Chaumet are falling for tanzanite

Sourced exclusively from a small region of Tanzania, these deep blue stones aren’t just a savvy alternative to sapphire, but are inspiring designers to create unique high jewellery.

Masterpieces

How the ladylike pearl of old is getting a bold new look

Enormous pearls are taking centre stage on the runway, offering bold reinterpretations of the customary ‘string of pearls’ in contemporary fashion to redefine femininity and make striking statements.

A model wears an elongated pearl sautoir necklace on the Chanel runway for the autumn/winter 2025-26 collection. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Latest models of James Bond’s Omega Seamaster Diver 300M watch

The Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition was worn by Craig in No Time to Die, and that model’s bronze gold alloy is back, encasing the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806.

Omega has introduced new colours and materials to its Seamaster Diver 300M – James Bond’s favourite watch, as seen on Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Photo: Handout
Books and literature

To buy or not to buy? Sotheby’s puts Shakespeare’s folios under the hammer

For the first time since 1898, Shakespeare’s First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios will be auctioned in a single lot – by Sotheby’s London on May 23.

High Jewellery

All that glitters: 6 new jewellery launches to know this spring

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Lucky Spring collection, Repossi’s ear cuff, Pascale Monvoisin’s collection inspired by a cigarette lighter and Dickson Yewn’s square rings complete our round-up.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Graff Butterfly 50th anniversary collection

Half a century since the first Graff Butterfly fluttered into our collective consciousness, the new spring collection has just landed.

Launched in 1975, the iconic Graff Butterfly has fluttered among us for 50 years. The latest collection has at its heart this showstopping diamond and emerald necklace. Photo: Handout
High Jewellery

Architectural jewellery? Meet the artists taking insp from other forms

Today’s designers are flipping the script on greats like sculptor Alexander Calder and artists Man Ray, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, who all dabbled in jewellery design.

Madelle Hegeler shows off weirdly striking jewellery by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí in New York, in 1959. Photo: Getty Images
Food and Drinks

Take a hammer to a US$48,000 whisky? Scotch distiller’s smashing gimmick

Amid a dip in the rare whisky market, The Glenrothes has made its exclusive The 51 single malt ‘effectively impossible to resell’.

Architecture and design

How luxury brands are creating residences as stunning as their fashion

Haute fashion maisons bring the luxe design ethos to every inch of these exclusive homes, from interiors to state-of-the-art gyms and pools.

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