News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

• Emeralds – Cleopatra wore them, Elizabeth Taylor loved them, and the Ancient Egyptians believed they could render eternal life. One of the world’s finest collections of the envy-stirring gems — including one of the largest known raw emeralds — will be auctioned on April 25. [Read more from CNN]

• A once-neglected strip of Miami Beach whose landscape consisted of decaying structures and empty lots is getting a glamorous makeover. The $1 billion project includes opulent hotels, condos and a performing arts center. [Read more from AP/CNBC]

• Billionaires and crowned heads the world over agree: stamps are an indispensable part of a smart portfolio. Last week a new world record price was paid for a New Zealand stamp — a 1949 three-penny stamp commemorating the Royal Visit. [Read more from StuffNZ]

• A bankrupt French company’s massive stock of antiquarian manuscripts will be auctioned in Paris later this year. There are thousands of valuable examples, including Einstein’s calculations and the Marquis de Sade’s writings. [Read more from The Art Newspaper]

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