Going Once, Going Twice…?

Going Once, Going Twice…?

Post the spectacular exhibition of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels, Kipp can’t help but wonder if there is an increasing appetite for auctions here in the UAE?

October 24, 2011 4:23 by p.deleon

I never really considered myself as someone who liked jewels. The saying “diamonds are a girl’s best friend’—made absolutely no sense to me. Which is why, when I heard about Christie’s latest exhibition/auction at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers, I was just a little more excited than I was when I figured out how to work a ball point pen for the first time.

Yet, having a few friends who actually are the ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ type, I agreed to go the exhibition: if not for anything other than the historic value of the jewels ( I knew the collection was home to a necklace that once belonged to the father of Shah Jahan of Taj Mahal fame).

Running a comb through my hair, I was barely decent when I walked through the elegant hallways leading up to the exhibition. On entering, after feeling immediately under dressed and quite un-classy, it dawned upon me of just how big of a deal auctions are becoming here in the UAE.

The entire hall was packed and getting a glimpse of the precious jewels themselves was quite a task requiring a lot of maneuvering and patience. Lucky for me, my lack of height, proved to be something of a rare advantage and I was able to steal a couple of longing glances at the glittering masterpieces through the crook of the towering spectators’ arms.

Now the exhibition is part of a three month world tour; after Dubai the jewellery collection will be taken to Geneva, Paris and Hong Kong, and then finally New York.
Christie’s New York will be the place the jewels will be auctioned off. Of course, though the real bidding wars will occur quite far from these shores, I spotted plenty of prying paws trying on some of the private collection which is open to bids.

All this got me wondering, how many of our Kipp readers frequent Christie’s auctions or other kinds? And just how popular are auctions (not just for number plates) becoming here in the GCC?