An 84-year-old Cork woman conned by a jeweller in the auction of a valuable Cartier brooch in Switzerland described yesterday how she had experienced sleepless nights and terrible shock at being duped.

Swiss watchmakers are diving further into the unproven smartwatch market with Montblanc, Tag Heuer and Tissot seeking to attract younger shoppers.

An extraordinarily successful year for Aidan O’Brien was recognised at the Dorchester Hotel in London last night as four Ballydoyle charges were honoured at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards while the master handler received the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.

What is it really like on board the world’s biggest cruise ship? Hilary Fennell finds out as she boards Harmony of the Seas for its inaugural sailing.

With direct flights to Düsseldorf now available, Caroline Delaney popped over to sample life in this German riverside city.

 

Swiss watch exports have posted their biggest quarterly drop since 2009. 

Vimeo was never going to be another YouTube, with the streaming video site more focussed on creative sorts than viral video breakouts.

Cartier and Louis Vuitton — those global symbols of opulence — suddenly look like bargains in one of the world’s economic trouble spots: Brazil.

European stocks offer some of the world’s best investment opportunities even after outperforming other markets this year, in part because Greece’s festering crisis scared away buyers, said David Herro, one of the biggest US owners of shares in the region’s companies.

With price inflation and high fashion inextricably mixed — to the tune of 15% per annum, despite austerity — can the concept of ‘investment fashion’ really be justified? Or is it just a swindle for gullible buyers, asks Rose Mary Roche.

Russia’s financial crisis is slowly yet surely spilling into Europe.

DESPITE a tough few years Keanes Jewellers in Limerick are obviously looking to the future with a €500k investment in their Limerick store opening to the public on Friday, November 21.

A diamond solitaire to be auctioned next week for €65,000 to €75,000.

Kya deLongchamps takes a look at the extraordinary glass legacy of René Jules Laliques.

Kya deLongchamps says while smoking may be a bad habit, she has a sneaking regard for classic table-lighters.

Abu Dhabi has a lot more going for it than just giant shopping malls and attracts more visitors than India. Brian Canty checks out the Ferrari theme park and a desert safari.

THE fashion world welcomes fabulous eccentrics. Attention is vital for survival, so those who strike a dramatic, individual, colourful presence get media space and transform column inches into lucrative fashion roles.

A businesswoman who started a firm by using fire hose waste to create ladies handbags and belts was one of the speakers at a major entrepreneurial event.

GIVEN that these are recessionary times and staying in is the new going out, more people are entertaining at home.

Jeweller Harry Winston is selling its watches-to-necklaces division to Swatch Group in a $750m (€562m) cash deal that expands the Swiss watchmaker’s luxury offering and lets the Canadian group concentrate on its diamond mines.

They’re going to have to win their places at the final the hard way — but all you’ll have to do is don a tux and bid for them.

FORMER VOGUE Paris editrix Carine Roitfeld is having it all, all over again.

IMF director Christine Lagarde arrived at last month’s World Economic Forum on a mission.

When rumours reached Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of luxury goods group LVMH, that an Irish state-run agency could seize control of developer David Daly’s three shops on London’s Bond St, he quicklyapproached him about a deal.

BEING an outsider is never easy but with marginality comes the rarefied privilege of bucking trends or indeed, creating them.

AN auction of actress Elizabeth Taylor’s world-renowned jewels took in $116 million (€89.4m), more than double the record for a single collection and setting new marks for pearls, colourless diamonds and Indian jewels.

Paul McCartney is set to wed tomorrow.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR dazzled the world with her luminous beauty, lavish lifestyle — and an unquenchable passion for diamonds and jewels that was fuelled by the great loves of her life.

FASHION stylist Celia Holman Lee yesterday spoke of her distress at losing precious jewellery on a night out.

Pete Doherty is launching his own clothing collection.

The bride’s choice of ivory and white satin bridal gown did not disappoint, writes Rachel Marie Walsh

Kate Middleton was wearing a tiara today loaned to her by Prince William’s grandmother the Queen.

TREASURY Holdings’ Chinese offshoot has reached agreement to buy one of Shanghai’s leading shopping malls for just over €63 million.

Three robbers whose armed raid of a high-end jewellery store was foiled by the brave actions of the owner and passers-by will be sentenced early next year at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Pete Doherty has launched a luxury jewellery collection.

DETECTIVES in London seized a record haul of more than 50,000 counterfeit designer goods after smashing an international crime syndicate.

Russell Brand has been shopping for a diamond ring – sparking rumours he is going to propose to girlfriend Katy Perry.

A third man has been charged this evening over a botched attempted armed robbery of a jewellery shop on Dawson Street, in Dublin city centre last Friday.

Two men were remanded in custody today after they were charged over a botched attempted armed robbery of a jewellery shop on Dawson Street, in Dublin city centre on Friday last.

George Clooney has bought his girlfriend a diamond ring, it has emerged.

Jennifer Love Hewitt has sparked rumours she is to marry boyfriend Jamie Kennedy - after the couple were reportedly spotted shopping for engagement rings.

Bruce Willis is set to wed again after he and his girlfriend of eight months were spotted shopping for engagement rings.