International business appeared almost impervious to the huge political tensions in Korea and the Gulf, as global shares soared and the rich got richer, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

A blue diamond set a record price for any jewel in auction when it went under the hammer for $58m (€52m) in a Christie’s sale in Geneva.

LT Meade penned over 300 books in a long career, writes Des O’Sullivan.

 

The Sunrise Ruby, a “pigeon’s blood” hued stone in a ring mounted by Cartier at Sotheby’s, Geneva on May 12 ($12-18 million)

From Michael Jackson to the Beatles, Martin Nolan has handled the world’s biggest celebrity auctions. Not bad for a man from Athlone who began his American dream working as a hotel bell man when he won a lottery visa to the states.

ENGLAND: When David Yarrow was sent to the heart of Africa to photograph lions in the wild, he spiced up the job with the help of some aftershave.

Part of the wine collection of former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is to be sold at auction.

Prosecutors say it was the suspect’s “dream theft” – to simply snatch an expensive Stradivarius violin from an unsuspecting musician.

Kya deLongchamps overcomes her loathing of dolls to admit the collector value of even relatively modern models.

A blockbuster auction of Contemporary art in New York — including a record $58.4m (€45.1m) for a Jackson Pollock drip painting — fetched nearly half a billion dollars — the biggest haul ever at an art auction.

CAR boot sales are stepping it out again as the weather stutters into spring, but not every one of them seems worth the car or foot miles. Many sales do disappoint and are consistently overwhelmed by inexplicable dross from the back of someone’s garage, children’s battered toys, bulging boxes of pulp fiction, scratched CDs by the thousands, and cheap new goods. However, regular attendance is key, and for €2-€5 for a wander and a fist full of chips, well worth an hour on a Sunday morning. Sales are by their nature transitory and each one is unique as private sellers doing a clear out and traders on the move come and go week by week.

Daniel Maclise, R.A., The Wrestling Scene in 'As You Like It' signed and dated 'D MACLISE 1854'. Image courtesy Christie's.

This Regency Carlton House Desk made 85,000 at Mealy's-Christie's sale in Mount Congreve.

It’s been labelled the sale of the century and judging by the level of interest, tomorrow’s auction won’t disappoint.

All roads lead to Mount Congreve this weekend.

A table centrepiece at £343,250, a soup bowl at £159,000 and a mirror at £313,250 brought the tally for contents at Mt Congreve to £3.4m (€4.25m) at Christie’s in London.

Fireside is the title of this work by Mark O’Neill at Dolan’s art auction in Galway next Tuesday (May 22).

Mining giant Rio Tinto said it has unearthed a “remarkable” 12.76-carat pink diamond in Australia, the largest of the rare and precious stones ever found in the resources-rich nation, which could be worth up to US$12m (€9m).

Galway Fisherfolk by Augustus John from the Elizabeth Taylor art collection made £5,625 at Christie’s in London on Wednesday.

Ben Stiller is getting some of the biggest names in contemporary art to help Haitian children affected by last year’s earthquake.

GIANT shoes inspired by the ones worn by Marilyn Monroe in the clip from The Seven Year Itch when she famously stood on an air vent go under the hammer later this week.

BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown might not like them, Simon Cowell might even hate them but X Factor duo John and Edward won’t care as they belt their way through the Ghostbusters theme tune on tonight’s show.

LES PAUL, the guitarist and inventor who changed the course of music with the electric guitar and multitrack recording and had a string of hits, many with wife Mary Ford, died yesterday. He was 94.

A RARE crystal jug mistakenly valued at £100 (€130) in January, has sold for more than £3 million (€3.8m) at auction.

A FRANCIS BACON masterpiece broke the Dublin artist’s record at auction when it sold for $86.3 million (€54m) in New York, Sotheby’s said yesterday.

A Francis Bacon masterpiece broke the artist’s record at auction when it sold for £43m (€53.9m) in New York, Sotheby’s said today.

A Claude Monet painting of a railway bridge over the river Seine sold for more than €26m at auction and set a new record for the artist, auction house Christie’s said today.

Stunning works by some of Ireland’s most celebrated artists are on display in Dublin just weeks before going under the hammer.

A PENSIONER who fooled the art world for years by selling fake antiques his son had “knocked up” in his garden shed avoided a jail sentence yesterday.

SENTENCING has been adjourned for a pensioner who fooled the art world for years by selling “antiques” his son had “knocked up” in his garden shed.

The auction of a 12th-century silver dish at a British auction house has been cancelled because of concerns that the precious object was looted and smuggled out of Bulgaria, the country’s culture minister said today.

ACTRESS Ellen Barkin has auctioned off the jewels given to her by billionaire ex-husband Ron Perelman for more than $20 million.

A RARE portrait of one of Picasso’s mistresses has become the second most expensive artwork sold at auction in the world, after going under the hammer for $95.2 million (€75m) in New York.

A VAN GOGH master-piece has gone under the hammer for over €31 million in New York.

A vast collection of Marlon Brando’s most prized and personal possessions, from bongo drums to his annotated Godfather script, goes on public display in New York tomorrow.

A guitar played by George Harrison and John Lennon during Beatles recording sessions sold for more than a quarter of a million pounds at auction.

Elton John, the British pop star, who usually makes his living tickling the ivories, netted $900,000 Thursday night by auctioning off a collection of photographs taken by some of the world’s most famous photographers.

A collection of photographs belonging to rock star Elton John will go under the hammer today.

The widely-anticipated sale of a rare copy of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet was not to be today, when it failed to reach the asking price at auction.

THE first letter written by James Joyce as he offered his debut work for publication sold for almost €50,000 at auction yesterday.

RICHARD HARRIS landed his widow with a €500,000 parking bill for a car he put in a garage and forgot about.

A seascape by Turner which auctioneers had predicted could have become the most expensive work yet by the British artist today failed to find a buyer.

Industrial scenes by artist L S Lowry collected by best-selling author Frederick Forsyth raised a total of more than £1.7m at auction today.