Two prized local melons fetched a record price of 2.5 million yen for the pair during the season’s first auction at a wholesale market on Tuesday.

“I had expected Yubari melons would fetch a high price, but I didn’t expect the figure to be this high,” said a startled broker at the Sapporo City Central Wholesale Markets in Sapporo’s Chuo-ku.

The pair of melons, which weigh 3.9 kilograms in total, fetched the record price of 2.5 million yen after 100 melons were put up for auction on Tuesday.

Francois Curiel, Chairman of Christie’s for Europe holds a gem-set Bowenite Magot by Faberge, also know a the “Onassis Buddha” during a preview at Christie’s auction house in Geneva May 9, 2008.

The finely carved figure, with articulated hands, head and ruby tongue, was bought by Aristotle Onassis in the early 1960’s and kept on the “Christina” yacht.

It may fetch $ 500,000-$700,000 during an auction sale in London on 11 June. Via Daylife

Update - Price realized: £1,273,250 ($2,487,929)

A Claude Monet painting of a bridge with two trains passing over the Seine while pleasure boats float below was auctioned Tuesday for more than $41 million, breaking the auction record for the French impressionist artist.

“Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil” was sold at Christie’s impressionist and modern art sale for $41,481,000, said Rik Pike, a spokesman for the auction house.

The previous record for a Monet painting was $36.5 million for his 1904 “Nympheas,” which was sold last year.

Featured above is a 206.82 carat sapphire pendant encrusted with diamonds to be auctioned at Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva, London.

Designed by jeweller Cartier in 1951, the pendant formely was a part of collection of Britain’s Wallis, Duchess of Windsor.

It is anticipated to fetch $1.1-1.5 million (Euros 6,97,000-9,50,000) on 15 May.

A model poses with a tiara bearing a 101.27-carat shield-shaped diamond during a preview by the Christie’s auction house in Hong Kong on April 22, 2008.

The tiara has an estimated value of 6-7.5 million USD) and will be auctioned at the company’s spring sale of jewels on May 28. Via AFP / USAtoday.

An elite painting by 20th Century French artist Fernand Leger is all set to undergo a hammer for $45 million at New York based Sotheby’s impressionist sale scheduled for 7 May. “Etude pour La Femme en Bleu” (1912-13) is a brew of arithmetical shapes hued in blue and white with intonations of pale yellow, red and black. The canvas dates back to the family compilation of German collector Hermann Lange, who purchased it from Galerie Neumann-Nierendorf in Berlin in 1920s.

If this painting happened to fall near the expected sale i.e. $35-$45 million, then it would top the lot of the evening sale that would in total count to be $284 million. Leger’s earlier record was set in 2003 when his 1914 painting fetched him $22.4 million at Christie’s International in New York.