Sothebys the world famous auctioneers associated with luxury lifestyle and auctions of some of the very best and finest collections in the world and luxury, started out in 1744 when the founder held his first ever sale, a collection of books. Samuel Baker would not recognize the Sothebys of today as it has grown in scope and scale. During the last century Sothebys have grown from auctioning books to covering virtually all areas of fine art, diamonds and luxury decorative items to auctioning some of the very best wines and champagne in the world. Sothebys is now not only known as one of the oldest auctioneers of fine art they are today also one of the largest.

One of the most stunning and surprising of auctions was held by the side of Lake Geneva in 1987. This was the setting for the lifestyle auction of the Duchess of Windsors jewels. The auction consisted of bids from New York via satellite along with bids from numerous celebrities and phone buyers. The bidding was intense and rose five times more than Sothebys ever expected.

Sothebys have continued to expand in London and New York and has gone through renovations which included opening new premises at Olympia. The state of the art features and the latest in technology have ensured that the comprehensive level of the very best in client services is one of the very best.

In 2000 Sothebys became the first ever international auction house to base auctions live over the internet. The internet site has been the place where some of the most dramatic and very best auctions have been held. This included the auction of the first printing of the Declaration of Independence. Today Sothebys website remains online and is one of the most vital sources for information and news on Sothebys auctions.

Sothebys auction house also provides private sales for those clients who wish to buy and sell privately and for whom privacy is of the utmost importance. This is one of the most discreet ways of achieving success if immediacy is paramount. Over the past three years private sales have increased, this part of Sothebys allows individuals to raise funds according to their personal needs whether this is from the point of view of privacy or financial issues, private sales are an excellent option. This level of luxury service provides specialists to hand to working alongside and support clients and collectors around the world.

Sothebys diamonds are just one of the many departments the auction house has branched out into. Patti Wong has been the driving force behind Sothebys luxury diamonds since the beginning. Ms. Wong has an excellent eye for luxury, lifestyle and picks stones that give inspiration to the designs of James de Givenchy. Mr. Givenchy creates some of the very best settings and unites luxury diamonds with the settings.

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