Corrupt Hong Kong billionaire spends £50MILLION on two diamonds for his seven-year-old daughter… and names them after her

• Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau purchased both the diamonds at auction
• He spent £50million over two days at the Christie's and Sotheby's sales
• Both diamonds were then renamed after his daughter, 7, and gifted to her
• The pink diamond, graded the elite 'vivid fancy' was bought for £18million
• One day later, he smashed records by purchasing a rare blue diamond
• The massive £32million rock became the most expensive jewel ever sold

If diamonds are a girl's best friend then Josephine Lau is a very popular young lady.  

Her Hong Kong businessman father has just splashed out £50million on two recording-breaking diamonds - and gifted both of them to his little princess.

Joseph Lau's office confirmed this week that the real estate investor - worth an estimated £6.5billion - went on the extraordinary spending spree over two days at back-to-back jewellery auctions in Geneva.

It also confirmed that the two eye-popping diamonds were both presents for his seven-year-old daughter and that he renamed them 'The Sweet Josephine' and 'The Blue Moon of Josephine' in her honor. 

But perhaps even more fortunate for Josephine is that her father remains a free man after being convicted of corruption in a Macau court last year and sentenced to more than five years - a punishment he has swerved by avoiding travel to the former Portuguese colony.

Ranked by Forbes as the 114th richest man in the world, Joseph Lau is famous for his big spending and has splashed out to the tune of £50million on lucky seven-year-old daughter Josephine (both pictured in 2012)

Diamonds are Josephine's best friends: Daddy and daughter smile for the camera three years ago. No doubt Josephine will be smiling even more now that she's got the best bling in the playground

Joseph Lau (pictured), a billionaire Hong Kong real estate investor, spent £50million on the two record-breaking diamonds this week at back-to-back auctions in Geneva

Josephine (pictured left and right) appears to be a big fan of child singing sensation Connie Talbot. Connie, from the West Midlands, rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the final of the first series of Britain's Got Talent show. The pair are seen here during Connie's World Asia Tour in 2014

The large blue diamond (pictured) became the most expensive piece of jewellery ever sold after Lau bought it for £32million and promptly renamed it 'The Blue Moon of Josephine' after his seven-year-old daughter

The previous day, Lau had purchased this rare pink diamond for £18million. It too was a gift to his daughter which he renamed 'The Sweet Josephine' in her honor

Josephine is his daughter with girlfriend and former aid Chan Hoi-wan, according to local media. 

Ranked by Forbes as the world's 114th richest man, Lau, 64, also has two children with long-time partner Yvonne Lui.

And it's not the first time Josephine has been on the receiving end of her father's generosity. At a Sotheby's Geneva auction In 2009, Lau bought another blue diamond, paying a then-record £13million for the 7.03 carat which he promptly named 'Star of Josephine'.

He bought the first diamond, a rare pink stone weighing 16.08-carats and graded vivid fancy pink, for a record price of £18m after a bidding war at a Christie's auction.

It was the largest and most expensive diamond classed in the elite 'fancy vivid' category to ever go to auction.

The following day his team then crossed town to rival auctioneers Sotheby's with their sights on the 12.03-carat 'Blue Moon' diamond - possibly the largest known blue fancy vivid diamond ever found.

Discovered in South Africa last year, Lau smashed world records for the gemstone by paying £32million after a tense 30-bid auction lasting eight minutes.

Described by experts as 'internally flawless', it is the most expensive diamond of any colour and most expensive jewel ever sold.

The Blue Moon - so-called in reference to its rarity, playing off the expression 'once in a blue moon' - topped the previous record of $46.2 million set five years ago by the Graff Pink, Sotheby's said.

The diamond also set a new record of more than $4 million per carat, capping the daylong high-end jewelry sale that reaped roughly $140 million. 

Joseph Lau is pictured here in 2014 leaving a restaurant with girlfriend and mother of Josephine,  Chan Hoi-wan. Lau is a property developer who was convicted in 2014 at a Macau court on corruption charges and sentenced to more than five years. He has remained free by avoiding travel to the former Portuguese colony

Number One Fan: Josephine's dreams come true during Connie Talbot's 2014 tour as she sang with and posed alongside her idol. Part of the young British singing sensation's tour was hosted at the Windsor shopping mall in Hong Kong, owned by Josephine's father Joseph

The 12.03 carat gemstone, dubbed The Blue Moon Diamond, was bought after a tense eight-minute showdown in Geneva, with a total of 30 bids

It was given the highest possible grading, Fancy Vivid Blue, after being declared internally flawless by the Gemological Institute of America 

The 64-year old is a self-made millionaire who built up an astonishing property empire as the owner of Chinese Estates. 

Ranked as the 6th richest person in Hong Kong, he is famous for his lavish spending.

He is among one of the first people to own a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for private use, is said to have a red wine collection of comprising 10,000 bottles and regularly pays eye-watering amounts of money for rare pieces of art.

Lau and his girlfriend Chan Hoi-wan are pictured here leaving a restaurant in Hong Kong last year

Lau bought the first diamond, a rare pink stone (pictured) weighing 16.08-carats and graded vivid fancy pink, for a record price of £18m after a bidding war at a Christie's auction

The diamond is believed to be the most expensive pink diamond of the elite 'vivid fancy' category ever sold

David Bennett, the auctioneer, said: 'Tonight we set a new world record, a new auction record for any diamond, any jewel, any gemstone, with the sale of the Blue Moon Diamond.

'For me, the blue moon was always the blue diamond of my career. I have never seen a more beautiful stone. The shape, the color, the purity - it's a magical stone.'

The polished blue gem was cut from a 29.6-carat diamond discovered last year in South Africa's Cullinan mine, which also yielded the 530-carat Star of Africa blue diamond that is part of the British crown jewels, and the Smithsonian Institution's 'Blue Heart' discovered in 1908.

Then a 29.62-carat rough diamond, it was bought by New York-based Cora International which spent six months cutting and polishing the Blue Moon. 

Sotheby's says experts took five months for an 'intense study' of the original Blue Moon diamond, and a master cutter took another three months to craft, cut and polish the stone.

The auction house said in a video that the Cullinan mine was the 'only reliable source in the world for blue diamonds,' and only a tiny percentage of those found in it contain even a trace of blue.

Permata 'Blue Moon' catat rekod dunia dilelong RM208j

Permata 'Blue Moon' catat rekod dunia dilelong RM208j PERMATA berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. - Foto Reuters 

GENEVA: Permata berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. Firma lelongan Sotheby berkata, permata yang disifatkan pakar sebagai 'tiada cacat celanya dan mengusik jiwa' itu dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul persendirian dari Hong Kong, yang terus memberikan nama baharunya sebagai "The Blue Moon of Josephine".
Rekod lelongan terbaharu itu dicatat sehari selepas satu lagi firma lelongan pesaing, Christie menjual permata merah jambu 16.08 karat, batu permata terbesar seumpamanya ditampilkan dalam mana-mana lelongan dengan harga AS$28.5 juta (RM122.55 juta). Pengurus Bahagian Permata Antarabangsa Sotheby, David Bennett, berkata penjualan Blue Moon" memecah beberapa rekod sekali gus menjadikan penghasilan batu permata itu paling termahal dengan keunikan warna dan memperoleh harga tertinggi di mana-mana lelongan permata setakat ini.
 Permata yang ditatahkan di sebuah cincin itu menewaskan pemegang rekod dunia iaitu permata "Graff Pink" 24.78 karat, yang juga dilelong oleh Sotheby dengan harga AS$46.2 juta pada November 2010. Blue Moon ditemui di Afrika Selatan, Januari tahun lalu dan ia adalah batu biru terbesar yang direka bentuk dengan rekaan yang dikategorikan sebagai "fancy vivid".
Pakar batu permata berkata, permata berwarna semakin digemari dan mendapat perhatian pembeli barangan mewah, terutama permata biru dan merah jambu sepanjang lelongan permata yang diadakan di Geneva, minggu ini. - AFP

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/96276

Permata 'Blue Moon' catat rekod dunia dilelong RM208j PERMATA berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. - Foto Reuters GENEVA: Permata berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. Firma lelongan Sotheby berkata, permata yang disifatkan pakar sebagai 'tiada cacat celanya dan mengusik jiwa' itu dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul persendirian dari Hong Kong, yang terus memberikan nama baharunya sebagai "The Blue Moon of Josephine". Rekod lelongan terbaharu itu dicatat sehari selepas satu lagi firma lelongan pesaing, Christie menjual permata merah jambu 16.08 karat, batu permata terbesar seumpamanya ditampilkan dalam mana-mana lelongan dengan harga AS$28.5 juta (RM122.55 juta). Pengurus Bahagian Permata Antarabangsa Sotheby, David Bennett, berkata penjualan Blue Moon" memecah beberapa rekod sekali gus menjadikan penghasilan batu permata itu paling termahal dengan keunikan warna dan memperoleh harga tertinggi di mana-mana lelongan permata setakat ini. Permata yang ditatahkan di sebuah cincin itu menewaskan pemegang rekod dunia iaitu permata "Graff Pink" 24.78 karat, yang juga dilelong oleh Sotheby dengan harga AS$46.2 juta pada November 2010. Blue Moon ditemui di Afrika Selatan, Januari tahun lalu dan ia adalah batu biru terbesar yang direka bentuk dengan rekaan yang dikategorikan sebagai "fancy vivid". Pakar batu permata berkata, permata berwarna semakin digemari dan mendapat perhatian pembeli barangan mewah, terutama permata biru dan merah jambu sepanjang lelongan permata yang diadakan di Geneva, minggu ini. - AFP

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/96276

PERMATA berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. - Foto Reuters GENEVA: Permata berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. Firma lelongan Sotheby berkata, permata yang disifatkan pakar sebagai 'tiada cacat celanya dan mengusik jiwa' itu dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul persendirian dari Hong Kong, yang terus memberikan nama baharunya sebagai "The Blue Moon of Josephine". Rekod lelongan terbaharu itu dicatat sehari selepas satu lagi firma lelongan pesaing, Christie menjual permata merah jambu 16.08 karat, batu permata terbesar seumpamanya ditampilkan dalam mana-mana lelongan dengan harga AS$28.5 juta (RM122.55 juta). Pengurus Bahagian Permata Antarabangsa Sotheby, David Bennett, berkata penjualan Blue Moon" memecah beberapa rekod sekali gus menjadikan penghasilan batu permata itu paling termahal dengan keunikan warna dan memperoleh harga tertinggi di mana-mana lelongan permata setakat ini. Permata yang ditatahkan di sebuah cincin itu menewaskan pemegang rekod dunia iaitu permata "Graff Pink" 24.78 karat, yang juga dilelong oleh Sotheby dengan harga AS$46.2 juta pada November 2010. Blue Moon ditemui di Afrika Selatan, Januari tahun lalu dan ia adalah batu biru terbesar yang direka bentuk dengan rekaan yang dikategorikan sebagai "fancy vivid". Pakar batu permata berkata, permata berwarna semakin digemari dan mendapat perhatian pembeli barangan mewah, terutama permata biru dan merah jambu sepanjang lelongan permata yang diadakan di Geneva, minggu ini. - AFP

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/96276

PERMATA berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. - Foto Reuters GENEVA: Permata berbentuk luar biasa 12.03 karat dikenali "Blue Moon" mencatat rekod harga tertinggi dunia AS$48.4 juta (RM208.12 juta) dalam satu lelongan di Geneva hari ini. Firma lelongan Sotheby berkata, permata yang disifatkan pakar sebagai 'tiada cacat celanya dan mengusik jiwa' itu dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul persendirian dari Hong Kong, yang terus memberikan nama baharunya sebagai "The Blue Moon of Josephine". Rekod lelongan terbaharu itu dicatat sehari selepas satu lagi firma lelongan pesaing, Christie menjual permata merah jambu 16.08 karat, batu permata terbesar seumpamanya ditampilkan dalam mana-mana lelongan dengan harga AS$28.5 juta (RM122.55 juta). Pengurus Bahagian Permata Antarabangsa Sotheby, David Bennett, berkata penjualan Blue Moon" memecah beberapa rekod sekali gus menjadikan penghasilan batu permata itu paling termahal dengan keunikan warna dan memperoleh harga tertinggi di mana-mana lelongan permata setakat ini. Permata yang ditatahkan di sebuah cincin itu menewaskan pemegang rekod dunia iaitu permata "Graff Pink" 24.78 karat, yang juga dilelong oleh Sotheby dengan harga AS$46.2 juta pada November 2010. Blue Moon ditemui di Afrika Selatan, Januari tahun lalu dan ia adalah batu biru terbesar yang direka bentuk dengan rekaan yang dikategorikan sebagai "fancy vivid". Pakar batu permata berkata, permata berwarna semakin digemari dan mendapat perhatian pembeli barangan mewah, terutama permata biru dan merah jambu sepanjang lelongan permata yang diadakan di Geneva, minggu ini. - AFP

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/96276

America's most expensive home: Massive Florida estate

Inspired by the Palace of Versailles is now being sold for a whopping $159 million after the owner increased the price tag

• Le Palais Royal is modeled after the famed Palace of Versailles in France and is roughly 60,500 square feet 
• The mansion, located in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, is now being sold for a whopping $159 million after the owner first listed it in 2014 for $139 million before taking it off the market
• It features six waterfalls, 11 bedrooms, a $2 million marble staircase and $3 million worth of gold leaf  

Modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, this roughly 60,500-square-foot Florida mansion is America's most expensive home.

Le Palais Royal first went on sale in September 2014 for $139 million and was taken off the market about a year later, according to listing agent Mayi de la Vega of One Sotheby’s International Realty.

Located in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, Le Palais Royal, the homeowner has boosted the price for the property and is now asking for a whopping $159 million. 

The massive estate includes six waterfalls, one of them 25 feet tall, and a marble staircase that cost about $2 million to build. 

Massive: Le Palais Royal is modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France and is roughly 60,500 square feet. Above is a rendering of what the property is expected to look like once it is completed 

Lush: It first went on sale in September 2014 for $139 million and was taken off the market about a year later 

Expensive: Located in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, Le Palais Royal is now being sold for a whopping $159 million. Above is a rendering of the exterior of the property

Pricey: The massive estate includes six waterfalls, one of them 25 feet tall, and a marble staircase that cost about $2 million to build

The main house has 11 bedrooms, and the master suite includes a heated plunge pool on the balcony. 

More than $3 million worth of gold leaf can be found throughout the elegant abode that also has an 18-seat IMAX home theater. 

It also features a 30-car subterranean garage, a wine cellar with room for about 3,000 bottles and a 1,300-gallon built in aquarium. 

Joseph Leone, the project manager who has overseen its construction, told The Wall Street Journal that the owner decided to take the main house off the market until it was closer to completion.

The homeowner also wanted it to include an adjacent one and a half acre lot, because the property needed more land and entertaining space than it previously had.  

The luxurious waterfront estate, which sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, also has will feature two guesthouses and a subterranean entertainment complex. In total, the property is about four and a half acres large.

Golden: More than $3 million worth of gold leaf can be found throughout the abode on fixtures such as the waterfall pictured above

Rich: The luxurious waterfront estate, which sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, is perfect for hosting a large amount of family and friends

Lavish: The main house on the property is nearly complete after taking about seven years to design and construct

Fancy: The main house has 11 bedrooms, and the master suite includes a heated plunge pool on the balcony

The two guesthouses that the owner is building on the smaller lot will measure about 3,000 square feet each and they will share a pool. 

The entertainment complex will be built beneath the area and will include an ice-skating rink, a nightclub, a bowling alley and a go-kart race track. 

Outside of the enjoyable home, a 4,500-square-foot infinity pool has a swim-up bar and water slide. Also outside, a glass-bottomed hot tub is suspended above the deluxe pool. 

An outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven, a putting green and two boat docks on the Intracoastal Waterway can also be found on the upscale property.

Elegance: The elegant abode, which also has an 18-seat IMAX home theater, sits on about four and a half acres of property

Details: The owner of the property decided to take the main house off the market until it was closer to completion. Above one of the home's luxurious kitchens is pictured

Swanky: Natural light can be found pouring in throughout the mansion, as pictured above in one of its bathrooms 

Custom: The expensive abode is designed with custom plaster moldings, as pictured in one of many rooms in the house above

Leone told the Journal that the construction on this second phase of the property will be finished in about two years. He also shared that the total cost of building the lush estate is well over $100 million. 

Robert Pereira, the founder of Middlesex Corporation, a Massachusetts-based construction company that also has office in Florida, is the property owner. 

He initially planned to live in the massive home, but has decided against it for unknown reasons, the Journal reported. 

The huge estate has been under design and construction for about seven years. Leone told the Journal that the goal was to create 'something completely different than what's been done in America.'

Pleasant: Outside of the enjoyable home, a 4,500-square-foot infinity pool has a swim-up bar and water slide that family and friends can enjoy in the warm weather Florida is known for

The two guesthouses that the owner is building on the smaller lot will measure about 3,000 square feet each and they will share a pool

The entertainment complex will be built beneath the guesthouses and will include an ice-skating rink, a nightclub, a bowling alley and a go-kart race track, as pictured in the rendering above

Contemporary art photographer creates stunning cloudscapes

 

• Photographer Seb Janiak, from Paris, takes extremely high resolution shots of clouds before mixing them together
• Each features the central glow of the sun with the light beaming off hundreds and hundreds of layers of clouds
• The final composite product usually requires Mr Janiak to use between 50 and 200 separate images

A contemporary art photographer has created a series of stunning cloudscapes by painstakingly combining hundreds of images.

Art photographer Seb Janiak, from Paris, takes extremely high resolution shots of clouds before mixing them together to make works that appear almost celestial.

Each features the central glow of the sun, the light beaming off layer upon layer of clouds - sometimes requiring Mr Janiak to use between 50 and 200 separate images.

Due to the size of the images he works with - and the delicate nature of mixing so many elements - each work can take Mr Janiak, from Paris, France, around two months to complete.

Contemporary art photographer Seb Janiak, from Paris, takes extremely high resolution shots of clouds before mixing them together to make works that appear almost celestial (Pictured: The Kingdom, Loi Spectrale Du Rayonnement 2011)

Each composite features the central glow of the sun, the light beaming off layer upon layer of clouds - sometimes requiring Mr Janiak to use between 50 and 200 separate images (Pictured: Moon Above Clouds, 2008)

Due to the size of the images he works with - and the delicate nature of mixing so many elements - each work can take Mr Janiak, from Paris, France, around two months to complete (pictured: Stellar Lights, 2008)

The final composite images are so large that they can measure almost 10ft wide, with giant file sizes ranging between eight and 14 gigabytes.

Before creating his work, the artist first sketches out the design on a piece of paper. He then begins picking out shots of clouds that would suit the images he has in mind, digitally cutting each one before layering the image.

He said: 'Because of the high resolution of the original files it takes time - it can take a month to choose the clouds, edit and cut each, and another month to create.'

To date, Mr Janiak has created 31 images as part of this series - named 'The Kingdom' - and though it was finalised in 2015 he may consider adding more in the future.

After creating each masterpiece, Mr Janiak keeps his work out of the public eye for a number of months or sometimes years.

His work from 2015 will be unveiled next year as part of a new exhibit.

The final composite images are so large that they can measure almost 10ft wide, with giant file sizes ranging between eight and 14 gigabytes (pictured: C.G Jung 2013)

Before creating his work, the artist first sketches out the design on a piece of paper. He then begins picking out shots of clouds that would suit the images he has in mind, digitally cutting each one before layering the image (Pictured: The Kingdom City Under 2010)

Mr Janiak said: 'Because of the high resolution of the original files it takes time - it can take a month to choose the clouds, edit and cut each, and another month to create' (pictured: Veil Of Isis 2014)

In order to obtain cloud images for the series, the artist travels to tropical locations such as the Bahamas, Miami, Indian Ocean islands like Mauritius and Thailand where he photographs interesting cloud formations.

The idea for the project came to Mr Janiak in 2008, when he witnessed a storm in the Bahamas.

Frustrated he couldn't photograph the storm as he saw it, Mr Janiak decided to shoot each cloud individually, piecing them together at a later date.

A year later, in 2009, the artist also lost his fiancé in an accident, which made Mr Janiak start exploring the delicate subject of what goes on after death - something reflected in the series.

He added: 'If you don't believe in soul, God, or if you believe it all started from matter, you will see beautiful clouds and a nice art piece.

'If you are spiritual and believe the invisible world is bigger than our visible world, meaning if you believe there is something behind the matter's veils, you will interpret the photo differently.

'It will talk to you deeper, I hope.'

To date, Mr Janiak has created 31 images as part of this series - named 'The Kingdom' - and though it was finalised in 2015 he may consider adding more in the future (pictured: Above 2010)

After creating each masterpiece, Mr Janiak keeps his work out of the public eye for a number of months or sometimes years. His work from 2015 will be unveiled next year as part of a new exhibit (pictured: Peace End 2015)

In order to obtain cloud images for the series, the artist travels to tropical locations such as the Bahamas, Miami, Indian Ocean islands like Mauritius and Thailand where he photographs interesting cloud formations (pictured: Duality, 2014)

The idea for the project came to Mr Janiak in 2008, when he witnessed a storm in the Bahamas and cuold not capture it as he wanted to

Frustrated he couldn't photograph the storm as he saw it, Mr Janiak decided to shoot each cloud individually, piecing them together at a later date (pictured: Overture, 2009)

The artist also lost his fiancé in an accident, which made him start exploring the delicate subject of what goes on after death (pictured: Son of Heaven 2015)

Mr Janiak said: 'If you don't believe in soul, God, or if you believe it all started from matter, you will see beautiful clouds and a nice art piece. 'If you are spiritual and believe the invisible world is bigger than our visible world, meaning if you believe there is something behind the matter's veils, you will interpret the photo differently' (pictured: Dyauh 2009)

Rezeki ada di mana sahaja...janji usaha!!!