Bloomberg‘s Le-min Lim follows up on the trend of Asian buying at the auction houses with these fact-lets from Christie’s:

• Mainland China residents bought the most-expensive items at Christie’s New York jewelry auction in October
• more than doubled their purchases of Chinese art last year at sales in London and New York
• Nine of the 10 priciest items at the second part of a Paris auction of Yves Saint Laurent’s effects in November were bought by Asians
• The past two years have seen the Chinese outbid Americans and Europeans for top-end Asian antiques and gems at art sales in Hong Kong

“The trend is crystal clear,” said [Andrew] Foster, who’s also Christie’s chief operating officer. Asia’s “wealth is migrating to art and lifestyle purchases, and not only in Hong Kong.”

New York, London Art Sales Lure Chinese Money, Christie’s Says (Bloomberg)