Set in an alcove facing the bed was an ancient phallic symbol, carved from amber-coloured obsidian, a precious antique from a Hindu temple.

The furnishings were precious antiques, painstakingly selected from the finest works of the most skilled of the dynastic artisans.

Hao has a passionate interest in collecting precious antiques.

In a place full of precious antiques, this shows great generosity by the management.

"There are no precious antiques in the house," Mrs. Iksel said.

Most shops charge by the hour, usually $50 to $70, and it can cost as much to repair an item of purely sentimental value as a precious antique.

She has added flea market finds and precious antiques: on the new top floor, where they entertain, a dinner table was fashioned from a 16th-century French armoire door.

The little goddess bore a striking resemblance to-he almost dropped the precious antique in his hurry to put it down.

But as for Millie's precious antiques - you know how she absolutely wore herself to death going round picking them up at auctions.

It was flooded by three feet of water; a number of precious antiques were destroyed.