NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s New York announced Luxury Week, a bi-annual auction series devoted to the finest in Jewelry, Watches, Wine and 20th Century Design. Over the course of four days, beginning June 12 and concluding June 15, Christie’s will host five distinctive sales devoted to these refined collecting categories, which promise to draw bidders from around the world. Over 1,000 items in total will be offered, with a combined week-long total expected to realize in excess of $23 million.

NEW YORK IMPORTANT JEWELS Viewing: June 9-11 - Auction: June 12 at 2pm
Luxury Week begins on Tuesday, June 12 with Important Jewels, a selection of over 180 exquisite items, including investment-quality diamonds, rare gemstones, and period jewels. Among the highlights of the upcoming June sale is an array of large top-quality diamonds, including more than a dozen colorless stones rated as D, E or F – the finest color quality possible. The largest in the group is a stunning 22.46 carat rectangular-cut E-color diamond ring by David Webb (estimate: $1.2-1.8 million). The sale also features a selection of signed jewels from vintage and modern periods, including an Art Deco diamond bracelet by Cartier circa 1930 (estimate: $200,000-300,000) and a selection of designs by Van Cleef & Arpels, Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Marina B. from the estate of Lucille E. Davison, a prominent New England philanthropist. The total sale is expected to achieve in excess of $10 million.

IMPORTANT WATCHES Viewing: June 9-12 - Auction: June 13 at 10am & 2pm
Luxury Week continues June 13 with a highly anticipated auction of Important Watches – the premier spring auction event in New York for collectors of rare vintage and modern timepieces. Comprised of nearly 300 timepieces, the sale features a vast selection of investment-quality Patek Philippe wristwatches, prized the world over for their exceptional craftsmanship and lasting value. The star lots of the sale include a rare Patek Philippe reference 2523, an 18k gold world-time wristwatch with two crowns manufactured in 1963 (estimate: $700,000-$1,200,000) and a vintage Patek Philippe reference 1436, an 18k pink gold split-seconds chronograph watch manufactured in 1950 (estimate: $300,000-$550,000). Additional sale highlights include vintage and modern timepieces from such notable makers as Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Phillipe, including pocket watches, dress watches and sports watches for men, jeweled wristwatches for women, and elegant antique desk clocks.

IMPORTANT 20TH CENTURY DECORATIVE ART & DESIGN Viewing: June 9-13 - Auction: June 14 at 10am
On June 14 and 15, Christie’s shifts the focus to luxury for the home, with a finely curated offering of the best in modern design. The star lot of Important 20th Century Decorative Art & Design on June 14 is a ground-breaking work by the celebrated artist Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988). The Dretzin Table (estimate: $800,000-$1,200,000), is arguably the most important work by the artist to ever be offered in a public sale. The table was commissioned in 1948 by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel C. Dretzin as their summer home in Chappaqua, New York, was being redesigned by the architect Samuel Katz, who introduced the couple to Noguchi. For their sleek new home, featured in House & Garden in February 1950, the Dretzins commissioned three pieces from Noguchi, a dining table, a related hanging light, and the exquisite marble low table to be offered in the sale. As much a sculptural work of art as a functional object, the Dretzin table evokes the artist’s “Totem” sculptures of 1945 to 1948, as well as the contours of a serene Japanese landscape.

A SAN FRANCISCO ICONOCLAST: HENRY AFRICA’S COLLECTION OF MAGNIFICENT TIFFANY LAMPS Viewing: June 9-13 - Auction: June 14 at 10am
Christie’s is delighted to offer A San Francisco Iconoclast: Henry Africa’s Magnificent Tiffany Collection, comprising seven beautifully crafted leaded glass lamps from circa 1910, valued at a combined total of $2 million. As the originator of the “fern bar” concept, Norman Jay Hobday became an area celebrity when he opened “Henry Africa’s” at the corners of Polk and Broadway in San Francisco (later relocated to Van Ness and Vallejo). The décor of a “fern bar” was defined by its hanging fern planters, warm lighting and comfortable antique furnishings, which transformed the bar scene into a haven for the growing ranks of young urban professionals at the dawn of the 1970s. Hobday officially took the name of Henry Africa’s as his own, and over the next five decades he opened several equally eclectic dining and drinking establishments, including Eddie Rickenbacker’s in San Francisco’s financial district. Africa decorated Rickenbacker’s with several of his beloved collections, including vintage motorcycles, model trains, Venetian glass chandeliers and his superb Tiffany lamps.

FINE AND RARE WINES Auction: June 15 at 10am
As a fitting finale to spring Luxury Week, Christie’s will present a pristine selection of fine and rare wines on June 15. With over 450 lots, the sale is a closely curated assemblage of superlative wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône, Italy, and the New World. Culled from important private collections with a well-documented history of storage at the highest standards, many of the wines offered are still packed in their original wooden cases. Among the many blue-chip collectible wines to be offered are banded cases of 2003 Château Margaux (estimate: $6,000-8,000), Latour (estimate: $8,000-12,000), and Lafite (estimate: $10,000-15,000). In keeping with increasing international demand, the sale also features a strong line-up of top Burgundy, including the ever-popular 1990 La Tâche (estimate: $9,000-12,000 for 3 bottles) and a case of 1999 Domaine Leroy Latricières-Chambertin (estimate: $7,500-$10,000).

Earlier in the sale, devotees of summer drinking wines will find ample collecting opportunities for white Burgundy from multiple vintages and vineyards and Chardonnay from California cult favorite Kistler. Fine and rare spirits are represented in the sale by three unique offerings: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whiskey in the 200th Anniversary Limited-Edition bottling (estimate: $1,800-2,400), 40-year-old Bowmore (estimate: $4,000-$5,000), and the legendary Hardy Perfection Cognac, always a favorite with bidders (estimate: $3,000-$4,000).