Size is not everything. At least when it comes to diamonds!
That was my lesson for the day.
Today we were invited to visit the Singapore Freeport. How does one explain such a facility? On its website it says 'Welcome to the ultimate safe for the world's finest collections.' It's a Fort Knox type structure where collectors, museums and auction houses store and trade very expensive diamonds, art pieces, wines, vintage cars and anything else that is of great value.
The infrastructure is absolutely amazing! Its like walking into a James Bond movie! The eco-building, which is located adjacent to Changi Airport, was designed by Swiss architects Benedicte Montant and Carmelo Stendardo of Atelier d'Architecture 3BM3. The exterior walls are green gardens and give not indication as to what is hidden inside, other than the very assuming fence at the entrance to the facility.
As you enter the Freeport and walk from one security chamber to another you enter the central nave of the building with the most amazing free-flowing sculpture I have ever seen! Designed by Ron Arad and titled Cage Sans Frontières, the installation is in the shape of a twisted loop made out of what I presume is a metal grid, that is inlayed with mirrors. The effect, coupled with the stunning lights from Johanna Grawunder, is totally amazing! As you walk around the structure, under supervision of course, the loop changes dimensions, the effect being augmented by the many mirrors incorporated into the art installation. It's a very fluid piece.
Check this link for photos of Ron Arad's amazing art installation ...
After having had absorbed the beauty of this piece, I realized that actually, not many people will get a chance to view it. Shame! You've basically entered a safety box where exclusivity and security are the name of the game. This is not for the masses!
As we were taken upstairs to see the diamonds that were being auctioned off, we had to walk through corridors of nondescript doors that made everything look very anonymous.
Now, we saw 11 diamonds in the privacy of a very secure room, and this is where I had my thinking all wrong. The biggest diamonds were not necessarily the most expensive. Who knew!
There were some very small brilliant diamonds that I could have easily swallowed if I had to :-) Of course when I presented this idea to the security staff in the room, they just laughed. If I did that, I was not going to be going anywhere!
To scan each individual diamond we had to pick them up with a white glove that we were given, and then could observe them under a very bright light and magnifying glass. Some were so small that I was afraid that they would fall onto the floor as I was trying to grab them with my gloves, in order to turn them around so that I could get a better view of all the angles!
Besides diamonds, we also saw two rooms of magnificent paintings, all part of Ikkan Art Gallery. The untitled abstract piece by Sam Francis just blew me away. When they opened the door and I set my gaze on the large 4.7m X 2.7m colorful blobs I felt an intense rush of emotions. It's a powerful piece … and very expensive!
Besides Sam Francis, he also had a Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and some others.
Of course, the thinking here is that as you come to store your jewelry or participate in a silent auction, you will also drop by the gallery and splash down another $5 million on a Matisse painting.
Today's experience was very unique, for there is no other such facility and of this scale anywhere else in the world. And obviously it's doing well for they are already beginning the expansion of this ultra secure facility where the ultra rich store and buy some totally amazing art.
Now … where the heck is that little diamond that I threw into my man purse while distracting the security staff, and that I now can't find …