‘Jewelers for Japan’ Auction Raises $20,000

Ajaline.com raised more than $20,000 to benefit relief efforts in Japan through their “Jewelers for Japan” auction on Charity Buzz from April 5 to April 19. A total of 19 jewelry houses donated jewelry for the auction.

Ajaline, founded by Meeling Wong and Jim Conte, is a members-only flash-sales site devoted to luxury fine jewelry and watches.

Proceeds raised from “Jewelers for Japan” will benefit Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund, supporting four specific organizations:

* Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief – a network of approximately 3,000 volunteers focusing on food, water, blankets and other goods from a distribution center in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture;

* JEN – an international humanitarian and relief development organization providing emergency relief supplies to the fishing village of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, among the hardest hit by the tsunami;

* ETIC – a Japanese organization consisting of young social and business entrepreneurs committed to providing emergency relief goods to the elderly, disabled, and those with special medical needs; and

* Japan NPO Center – a center, partnering with the Civil Society Initiative Fund, working to identify and support local community-based non-profit organizations and volunteer organizations involved in relief and sustainable recovery work throughout the affected regions with small grants

Jewelry brands who participated in the auction were H.Stern, Mikimoto, Kimberly McDonald, Jill Platner, Coomi, House of Waris, Buccellati, Paolo Costagli, Robert Lee Morris, Robin Rotenier, Lagos, Monica Rich Kosann, Charriol, Delatori, Gurhan, Yossi Harari, Sally Sohn, Emily & Ashley and Diamond in the Rough.

Japan Society is an American nonprofit organization supported by individuals, foundations and corporations that brings the people of Japan and the United States closer together through mutual understanding, appreciation and cooperation.

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Lily Safra’s Jewels for Hope Raises $38 Million for Charity, Sets 2 Records

The highly anticipated auction of “Jewels For Hope: The Collection of Mrs. Lily Safra,” held Monday at Christie's Geneva raised $37.9 million with 100 percent sold by lot and by value, far exceeding its pre-sale estimate. 

The top lot of the sale was a 32.08 carats cushion-shaped Burmese ruby and diamond ring, known as “The Hope Ruby”by Chaumet (pictured above), which sold for $6.7 million, well above its $5 million high estimate. It is a world record price for any ruby sold at auction. 

Tourmaline and diamond flower brooch by JAR sold for more than $1.2 million.

A group of 18 jewels by JAR, the largest ever seen on the market from a single-owner collection, sold 100 percent by lot and by value, totaling more than $11.4 million—the most valuable private-owner collection of JAR jewels ever sold at auction.

“Mrs. Safra received a standing ovation as she walked into the saleroom at the end of the sale to thank every buyer and bidder who contributed to this evening’s great success,” said Rahul Kadakia, head of Christie's Geneva and New York Jewellery Departments.

It was announced prior to the sale that the full proceeds from the auction would benefit 20 charitable institutions. As a result of the sale’s success, The Lily Safra Foundation decided to add 12 additional organizations as beneficiaries.

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who participated in this evening’s success,” Safra said. “I am overjoyed, knowing that so many people in need around the world will benefit.”

The 32 organizations that will benefit from the sale are as follows:

* Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
* ALEH: Caring for Israel‟s Disabled
* Alfredo J. Monteverde School, Natal, Brazil
* A Window to Tomorrow – A Computer for Every Child, Israel
* Children Action, Geneva, Switzerland
* Claude Pompidou Institute for Alzheimer‟s Disease, Nice, France
* Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
* Edmond and Lily Safra Children‟s Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel
* Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland
* Elton John AIDS Foundation (worldwide)
* Fight AIDS Monaco
* Henry Street Settlement, New York
* Hope and Homes for Children, Romania
* Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
* Imperial College, London: Edmond J. Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology & Edmond J. Safra Chair in Radiochemistry
* Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris
* Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
* Jordan River Village Camp for seriously ill children
* Keren Shemesh, Israel
* King‟s College, London: Edmond and Lily Safra Parkinson‟s Research Fellowships
* Le ballet de l‟Opéra national de Paris
* Les Restaurants du Coeur, France
* Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson‟s Research, USA
* Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
* New York University, Parkinson and Movement Disorders Center
* Royal Opera House, London
* UNICEF, USA
* Université Joseph Fourier, Institut des Neurosciences, Bâtiment Edmond J. Safra & Institut Clinatec, Centre de Recherche Edmond J. Safra, Grenoble, France
* University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, Canada: Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson‟s Disease (Dr. Anthony Lang & Dr. Andres Lozano)
* Water Treatment Program, Amélia Rodrigues (Bahia), Brazil
* Yad Vashem International School, Israel
* Yahad-In Unum, France

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Hublot Raises $1 Million At Charity Boxing Auction

Champion boxers participate in WBC fundraiser. AFP PHOTO/Sandy Huffaker/Hublot

Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot created 12 unique timepieces dedicated and signed by 12 legendary boxers in support of the inauguration of the World Boxing Council Charities. The 12 watches were then auctioned off Saturday during the gala dinner at the at the Bellagio hotel raising $1 million for the fund.

The boxing champions who participated in the auction included Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, Jeff Fenech, Larry Holmes, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Azumah Nelson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya and George Foreman. 

Boxing legend Thomas "Hitman" Hearns is seen with the Hublot King Power timepiece. AFP PHOTO/David McNew/Hublot/Handout

The all-day event included a press conference with Hublot CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe, and the 12 legendary boxers. Each champion spoke about the partnership between Hublot and the WBC and presented their individual Hublot King Power WBC timepiece.

More than 300 persons then attended the evening gala where top boxing announcer, Michael Buffer, led the live auction on a staged ring with international auctioneers, Bonhams. The 12 winning bidders received their watch from each fighter.

All of the funds raised will support the charitable initiative of the WBC, including the retired boxer’s pension and emergency fund in over 40 countries around the world.

The World Boxing Council is the world's largest sports sanctioning body with operations in 164 countries and 10 federations. It is the owner of the “Green Belt,” the highest form of recognition a champion boxer can receive.

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Gemfields Emerald Auction in Zambia Raises $31.5 Million

Gemfields spokesperson Mila Kunis.

Maybe holding emerald auctions in Zambia isn’t such a bad idea. The ongoing tug of war between the Zambian government and colored gemstone mining and marketing company, Gemfields, over where to sell Zambian emeralds hasn’t dampened demand.

Gemfields’ most recent auction of higher quality rough emerald and beryl from the Kagem mine in Zambia resulted in revenues of $31.5 million, the second highest total to date for the company. The average price per carat reached $54, the highest unit value achieved at any auction and a 26 percent increase over the previous highest value achieved in July 2011. In addition, a 54-carat rough gem, offered as a single lot, set a new per carat record for prices achieved at a Gemfields auction.

A total of 40 companies were invited to the auction held July 15 - 19 in the Zambian capital city of Lusaka and 37 attended, with 36 attendees placing at least one bid, Gemfields said in a statement Tuesday. A total of 583,448 carats of emerald extracted from Kagem was placed on offer, with all lots being sold. The auction format is how Gemfields chooses to sell its Kagem emeralds, which account for nearly all of the company’s revenue.

The auction was held in Lusaka at the request of the Zambian Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development. The government first issued the directive in April, which appeared to be a surprise to Gemfields. Particularly since the two entities are business partners, with Zambia owns a 25 percent stake in the Kagem mine with Gemfields owning the remaining 25 percent.

The government in a statement said the directive is designed to promote transparency and accountability in the marketing of emeralds, stimulate local demand for emeralds, create more opportunities for small-scale miners to have access to colored gemstone markets, and increase tourism.

“Zambian gemstones have for a long time been sold on foreign markets, a situation that has contributed to capital flight and denied Zambians of the much needed benefits from the resource,” Yamfwa Mukanga, Zambia mining minister, said in the original statement.

This is the second auction of Kagem emeralds held in Lusaka. It was originally scheduled to be held in Singapore June 10-14, but was postponed and rescheduled to Lusaka due to government pressure.

Gemfields insists that it needs to sell Kagem emeralds at places that will likely get the most interest and the best price in order to compete with other emerald hubs, such as Colombia and Brazil. With the most recent sale showing such strong results the government seems to have the upper hand in this argument.

In a statement, Ian Harebottle, CEO of Gemfields, credited “favorable market conditions and particularly strong demand from our customers” for the strong results. “All indications show that demand for colored gemstones, and especially emeralds, will continue to increase at a steady pace over the coming year.”

Gemfields said its 13 auctions held since July 2009 have generated $207.3 million in aggregate revenues.

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Only Watch Charity Timepiece Auction Raises $6.85 Million

The fifth edition of the biennial Only Watch auction held September 28 at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco raised a record of more than 5 million euros (more than $6.85 million), with all proceeds benefiting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

You can view all the watches from the auction by following this link.

The auction, part of the Monaco Yacht Show, attracted competitive bidding from China, Belgium, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the United States, Monaco and many other parts of the world, according to the statement from Antiquorum Auctioneers, one of the event organizers. The other organizers were Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and the 33 watch brands who created one-of-a-kind timepieces for the event. Also up for bid was a selection of 14 vintage champagne bottles from Lanson. 

Participating watch brands were: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Christophe Claret, Corum, Cyrus, deLaCour, De Bethune, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Julien Coudray, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc,  Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Armin Strom, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith.

The auction was preceded with a worldwide preview that made stops in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, Geneva and finally at the world renowned Monaco Yacht  Show.

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