Monthly Archives: June 2008

Ocean-to-Intracoastal lot – South Florida

700 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan Beach, Florida : A look at the positioning of this luxury real estate could inspire anyone to dream of their ideal waterfront lifestyle.

Offering quiet surroundings in the heart of Florida’s Gold Coast, the prestigious oceanfront enclave of Manalapan Beach lies in Palm Beach County, between the Town of Palm Beach and Boca Raton.

Distinguished by its remarkable size (five-and-a-half acres with approximately 500 feet of frontage), the property also offers the exceptional allure of both private beachfront and dockage capability for virtually any size yacht.

This slice of South Florida waterfront paradise is listed by Premier Estate Properties , Inc. (source luxuryportfolio) for $42,900,000. The property affords extraordinary investment potential, and could be subdivided into a total of 3 separate lots should development be of interest.

The world’s most expensive dice

An incredibly valuable Roman glass gaming die was sold in 2003 at auction by the famous Christie’s auction house for $17,925. Deep blue-green in color, the large twenty-sided die is incised with a distinct symbol on each of its faces.

It was the property of a Maryland fine arts professor and were acquired by his father in Egypt in the 1920s.

Several polyhedra in various materials with similar symbols are known from the Roman period but the funny thing is that historians have not yet established the game for which these dice were used !

Peugeot Electric Wine Opener

Leave it to the French to devise an elegant, ultrafast method for opening a single bottle of wine or an entire case ^_^

Peugeot’s cordless wine opener removes corks in a matter of seconds. Just position the compact, lightweight opener over the bottle and press a button: the precision corkscrew effortlessly extracts and releases the cork.

The stainless steel wine opener uncorks bottles in seconds with only a press of a button. It’s rechargeable, fits any size bottle, and works with natural and synthetic corks.

A nice gift for any wine connoisseur! It can be yours for $120 on Williams-Sonoma.

Most expensive Scotch – The Macallan 1926

In 2005 a South Korean businessman paid 70 million Korean won ($75,000) for a 1926 bottle from The Macallan’s “Fine and Rare” range. “The actual purchase took place at the liquor retail store, Interbang, in the upmarket Gangnam area of Seoul,” according to a statement from Macallan.

The bottle spent 60 years in wood barrel and was bottled in 1986.

Chinese seal sells for record price

A seal of the Chinese emperor Kangxi sold at auction in the southern French city Toulouse for 4.7 million Euros (USD 7.2 million), a world record price for such an object, the sale`s organisers said on Saturday.

It is a world record for a seal and a European record for a Chinese object. It was bought by an unnamed buyer or buyers from China bidding by telephone.

The three kilogram (six-and-a-half pound) beige soapstone seal was one of 130 personal seals used by the emperor Kangxi, who ruled between 1662 and 1722.
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Pagani Zonda Cinque

Pagani is renowned the world over for building some of the most incredible cars.

Currently the Italian specialist marque has the Zonda F in production as both a coupe and roadster but has been planning to build a race version called the Zonda R.

The Zonda R has not made it into production yet and remains a 1:8 scale model but design cues have been used to manufacture a road-legal version of it, which is called the Pagani Zonda Cinque.

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Onassis Jewelry Sale

A diamond necklace that used to belong to Christina Onassis, daughter of Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis, sold at auction on Wednesday for $7.1 million.

The necklace, with a 38-carat pear-shaped diamond, was the highlight of the Onassis jewelery auction at Christie’s in London. It is a reminder of the glamour associated with the Onassis family and a fitting example of the great jewelry and art the Onassis family was known for collecting

Christina Onassis was the only daughter of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, who went on to marry JF Kennedy’s widow Jacqueline.
She lived a life of luxury, but there was tragedy too, as she lost both her parents and a brother within the space of two years. Christina died in 1987 of a heart attack. She was just 37 years old.
Her jewelery collection was put on sale by her daughter Athina.

The auction also included the so-called Faberge Buddha which sold for $2.5 million : This was a jade-colored Buddha by Peter Carl Faberge, renowned for creating ornamental eggs for Russia’s imperial family.

Bejeweled Guitars by Amanda Dunbar

Amanda Dunbar has plastered some guitars with loads of colorful and shiny Swarovski crystals. Called “Precious Rebels,” the blinged-out works of playable art run from $15,000 to $75,000.

Designed to be more than beautiful sculptures or just basic musical tools, these titivated guitars are an innovative integration of technology, art, music to be played, displayed and enjoyed.

So far, the artist has created more than 30 guitars, such Some as “Capri Tiger” featuring a metallic blue-and-black tiger crystal design or “The Parisian”, an obscure black-and-white swirled number.
The Grammy Awards requested a special guitar created by the artist that will be used to commemorate their 50-year anniversary. Dunbar came up with a Gibson Black Beauty Les Paul with predominantly jet-black and black-diamond Swarovski crystals. The will be played by different celebrities at various events around the country!

The guitars are not for sale to the general public. However A major retailer is looking into carrying the line, and musicians and others in the music industry have also shown interest.

Moët Rosé Indulgence Coffret

Moet et Chandon’s Rose Imperial Champagne is the most sensual, flirty and extrovert expression of the Moet & Chandon style.

Unlocking the Moët Rosé Indulgence Coffret is to discover the spirit of an 18th century boudoir, a world of indulgence and richesse,

The shapely black lacquered bottle holds some of the most precious Rosé Imperial champagne known to man glimmers with tips of gold in a bed of soft flowy pink satin.

Each coffret contains not only a Jeroboam of Rosé Imperial champagne, but also the key to a unique and luxurious experience for its owner and up to four fabulous friends !

The Chanel Fly-fishing Rod

For many years now Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel have been producing some of the world’s most preposterous and overpriced sporting goods.

First there was the Chanel snowboard with trompe l’oeil “quilting”; then $2,5000 Chanel skis. More recently the fashion house has produced a Chanel’s $12,000 bike, a pink Chanel tennis racket complete with tennis balls and a Chanel boomerang.

And now, here is the luxurious fly-fishing rod from the latest Chanel sports collection, priced at just under $20,000. It seems to be a Karl Lagerfeld’s personal tribute to Coco Chanel and her love of the relaxing sport !

For a mere £9,170 the ponciest angler on the planet can kit himself out with a Chanel rod and a set of meticulously tied, monochrome Chanel flies, complete with the famous “double C” logo on the gossamer wings, presented in a rather fetching, quilted black leather box.

Google Co-Founder Books a Space Flight

Space Adventures, a Virginia company that arranges passage for wealthy explorers to ride on Russian Soyuz rockets to the International Space Station, They are now planning to buy a Soyuz flight all its own in 2011, with the option of buying more.

One of the people onboard the 2011 flight will be Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google. He made a $5 million investment in the company that will serve as a deposit on a future flight.

Space Adventures, the only company that sends tourists to space, has sent five of them so far. But its continued ability to provide these orbital experiences has been a subject of speculation recently.


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Dubai’s Rotating Wind Power Tower

Dubai has garnered much attention in recent years with a never-ending supply of architectural wonders being built, or proposed, at a head spinning pace. Mostly these towering structures are grand and tall, but some are also green

An ambitious project by David Fisher’s firm Dynamic Architecture looks set to be yet another new addition to Dubai’s skyline.

The building’s 59 floors will be capable of rotating about a central axis, their continuous motion allowing residents in the tower’s 200 apartments to choose a new view at the touch of a button.
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The Crocodile Pump – L’Wren Scott for CoutureLab

Lussorian informs us that L’Wren has teamed up with shoe designer to the stars, , to create a collection of timeless pumps!

This distinctive pump highlights the designer’s leg-lengthening style by adding a 100mm heel. The exceptional crocodile skin’s smooth finish in black is enhanced by Christian Louboutin’s red leather soles. A covered front buckle completes this elegant statement.

Priced at £2,346 ($4,700), these limited edition crocodile shoes are available on www.couturelab.com.

Bill Amberg Shuttle briefcase

Since the foundation of the brand in 1984, the name of Bill Amberg, the Notting Hill-based leather designer and specialist has become synonymous with effortless, authentic British style.

Known for the highest standards of craftsmanship and ingenious, intuitive design, he has created some of the industry’s most iconic pieces – and this exquisite ‘Shuttle’ briefcase for 20LTD .

Apart from its alligator exterior, its plush padded suede interior and its super-light single caste aluminium handle – each with 2 Swarovski crystals embedded in them, it has a unique ball plunger closing mechanism that took 18 months to finesse.
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Dom Perignon II champagne cooler

Gluxe informs us that a Brand new Dom Perignon II champagne cooler is available

If you’re on the go this summer and don’t want to shlep a full bucket of ice, keep the bottle of Dom chilled in this aluminum champagne cooler designed by Marc Newson, as elegant as the bubbles inside

Price: $1,000 – Available at Moss!
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The world’s largest swimming pool

Already drawing the crowds in the South American resort of San Alfonso del Mar in Chile, this artificial lagoon and swimming pool has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records as the the biggest and longest swimming pool in the world.

The pool is 1013 metres (3,324 feet) long and covers an area of 8 hectares (19.77 acres), had a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons (250,000 cubic meters ) of water. It is even navigable in small boats !

The idea to create this resort came as far back as 1997, when Chilean real estate developer and biochemist Fernando Fischmann, wanted to create a revolutionary resort. The motivating factor to create such an immense pool was the Pacific Ocean itself. The waters of the Pacific Ocean coast of Chile is cold, unclean and dangerous, so Mr Fischmann wanted to create a place for people to swim and enjoy water sports in a comfortable and safe environment. Rather than creating just another small swimming pool, he wanted something totally extraordinary.

The water is pumped in from the Pacific Ocean and treated before being pumped into the pool. The water temperature is kept at 26°C. It is 9°C warmer than the adjoining sea, allowing it to be used on cold days

It took five years to build, cost nearly £1billion and the annual maintenance bill will be £2million.

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Source : reuters

$2 Million Diamond Handbag

First unveiled in Tokyo during a fashion show in June 2007, the diamond-encrusted platinum handbag will go on display at jewellery shops around London to mark the inaugural London Jewellery Week which runs from 11-15 June, celebrating the work of established designers as well as new talent.

Valued at £1m ($2 million dollar) and created by Japanese designer Ginza Tanaka, the bag has been set with more than 2,182 diamonds totaling 208 carats.

The organisers of the event say the handbag will be available for sale.
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Sunglasses with illusion Louis Vuitton logo

Those sunglasses with illusion Louis Vuitton logo all over the lenses can now be had by Filipino fans of the brand as Louis Vuitton makes its eyewear collection available in the Philippines for the first time.

The Marc Jacobs-designed handcrafted eyewear has LV-philes drooling as it employs distinct design elements used in its iconic trunks and leathergoods—the S-lock, Monogram Flower and Coin de Malle hinges, for instance. The popular Monogram and Damier patterns are also used in its acetate frames.

LV’s patented Landscape Vision guarantees 100-percent protection from UV rays. All lenses go through the so-called polarization treatment that improves visual comfort: the sun glare from wet and flat surfaces is reduced and color contrast is increased.
The Spring-Summer 2008 collection has 39 styles for men and women, including the Illusion and Conspiration Pilote range that employ the Monogram logos on the lenses, retailing from $560 to $750. No worries, the logos don’t block your vision when you wear the eyeglasses.

This new addition to the LV merchandise for the local market is testament to the French luxury malletier’s confidence in the Philippines that, according to brand director Rhea de Vera-Aguirre, they’re in a constant search for a new store location in the northern part of the metropolis.