Gemstone bath sells for record $1.7m in Dubai

Dubai has set a world record with the sale of a gemstone bathtub for a staggering AED6.4m ($1.74m). The Le Grand Queen bath, which is carved from a block of rare gemstone, was sold to an unnamed buyer during Dubai International Jewellery Week. “This is our first sale worldwide,” said Reka Peresa sales and marketing director at Caijou Group, the Austrian firm that created the bath. Peresa said ancient civilizations had believed the gemstone contained healing properties. “Ancient Chinese, Arab and Egyptian civilizations knew of this stone’s beauty and its healing ability, having stored over 100 million years of energy from the earth and universe,” she said.