Story & photos by Dr. Michael LIm The Travelling GourmetTM
The irreverent Travelling Gourmet goes to Bonhams Spring Auction in the Regent Hotel and is…
MESMERIZED by Lot 1091. A step-cut diabolically HUGE Diamond & Diamond Ring by Van Kleep and Arpels, all 11.47 carats between trillion cut Diamond shoulders. It is set in a precious Platinum ring with more diamonds but only small ones. The light rays bounced off the precious stone and the gorgeous gem seemed to say to me, “You can have me…all of me…for only about USD800,000…” Alas, Lot 1091…I am not obsessed by material things.
I care more for priceless things like Freedom and Love. Freedom is priceless. The Universe is priceless. ,,Der Hase” by Albrecht Duerer in the Albertina Museum of Vienna is priceless. The Venus de Milo in the Louvre in ‘la ville lumiere’ is priceless. Between something that has a price, and something that is priceless, I CHOOSE the priceless. Not everyone and not everything has a price. There are people who cannot be bought at any price. Bear in mind, if you cannot be bought, you cannot be sold…The ,nouveau riche’ will never be able to understand this…denn sie sind ueberdumm und bloed, Ha! Ha! Die Gedanken sind frei!
A bottle of Whisky caught my eye, it was a Macallan Albert Watson 1946, one of only 36 bottles produced and aged in Sherry-Oak casks. Going for between USD32,000 to USD41,000…only.
And if you are in San Franciso in California in the good ol’ US of A in November 2013, you can bid for a rare 12 gauge A-1 Special Parker Brothers Boxlock Shotgun, exquisitely engraved. It is going for between USD60,000 to USD80,000. So very beautiful, it reminds me of a Spanish Senorita that I know…ay, yai yai, Caramba!!!
As I sipped my glass of Pinot Noir, a simple wine with a pale ruby colour and thankfully not over-oaked, I thought:
Money does not bring happiness, but it has been known to cause an occasional smile…:-)
Diamonds are NOT forever. True love is forever.
The Travelling Gourmet 