Riding on Sotheby’s record $1 billion luxury sales in 2021, the auction house celebrates the opening of 2022 with RE(LUX) – A Luxury Sale Series that juxtaposes modernity with tradition, showcasing the season’s best luxury items through a fresh lens.
The sale series in February presents a curated assemblage of jewellery (in addition to watches, wine and spirits, handbags and sneakers) to be offered across multiple sales channels including live and online auctions, as well as Sotheby’s Buy Now marketplace, catering to the growing trend of cross-collecting in these categories by today’s collectors.
This remixed format is a testament to the new definition of luxury and the evolving role played by auction houses in the sector. RE(LUX) will preview in Shanghai for the first time on 11–13 January before a full exhibition in Hong Kong between 11-17 February.
Highlights include a one-of-a kind Diamond, Emerald and Sapphire Dragonfly Brooch from Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry Collection, an exceptional set of jadeite cabochons as well as trending gems such as Alexandrite and Paraíba Tourmaline which are surging in popularity as the ‘new sparkle’ for eveningwear.
While white diamonds remain a firm favourite amongst jewellery collectors, Paraíba tourmalines are growing in demand due to its distinctive ‘neon-like blue’ colour, which under any light conditions remain a striking gemstone for adornment. Alexandrite is another gemstone that is growing in popularity, named after Czar Alexander II, this colour-changing gem is also known as an “emerald by day, ruby by night” as it changes colour to a green hue under day light and to a reddish purple under incandescent light.