A Baton Rouge, LA woman visiting Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro found an apparently flawless 2.09-carat white diamond the size of a tooth.
Rhonda Bankston reportedly says she found out about the park’s surface diamond prospecting on a show about finding cash and treasure. She was into her second day of prospecting by surface searching over a newly plowed field with friends when she spotted the gem.
The park is located on the eroded surface of the world’s eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit and visitors pay a fee to surface search there. Continue reading →
Two visionary hotel concepts, Zendai Hotel Yin – an ultra luxury, boutique-style “city retreat” and Zendai Art Hotel – a 5-star business hotel, will open in Shanghai’s latest architectural masterpiece, the ‘Himalayas Centre’ which is due to open in Pudong in spring 2010, in time for the Shanghai World Expo.
The Himalayas Centre is located opposite to Shanghai’s New International Expo Centre and just 15 minutes from the city’s main financial district in Pudong.
Behind the design of the mixed-use development, located opposite the New International Expo Centre, is Arata Isozaki, renowned for his work on the Barcelona Olympics Stadium and Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art
Designed by one of the world’s leading architects, Arata Isozaki who is renowned for his work on the Barcelona Olympics Stadium and the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art, the Himalayas Centre is being hailed by developers, the Zendai Group, as an “archisculptural icon for 21st century China”. The Himalayas Centre will incorporate the Daguan Theatre with multi-functional auditorium seating 1,600, the Himalayas Mall and Himalayas Creative Complex / Museum Zone, as well as the two luxury hotels.
KDDI au have just released a limited batch of branded Coach cell phones in Japan. According to a KDDI press release, the handsets were created to celebrate the introduction of the new Coach Madison Collectionand commemorate Coach’s longevity
The phone is not actually built from scratch. While the casing and display have been styled to reflect Coach sensibilities, the innards are from Sony Ericsson, whose re “Full Change” model was designed with the specific purpose of allowing this kind of customization to look and feel. (Unfortunatly we haven’t received any High-Res picture yet).
1,941 of the phones will be sold for 19,410 yen each at au shops throughout Japan (Coach was founded in 1941).
Dolce & Gabbana have started selling and marketing designer feeding set that includes a patterned bottle with a matching case. There are three prints, one a logo-based text design, one animal print and a plain bottle with one light blue logo.
Can you imagine your little baby with this funky accessory ^_^ ? Definitely a nice way to treat both mom and baby to some designer luxury. $70-$80
The Dalmore brand owner Whyte & Mackay announced the release of one of the world’s oldest Scotch whiskies at last month’s TFWA World Exhibition.
Called 50yo expression of The Dalmore, this liquor was distilled 140 years ago and lets you savour the real taste of the era gone by; an offer that perhaps cannot be surpassed by any other brand name.
Only 191 hand-blown Portuguese crystal decanters are being released, 50 of which will be made available to travel retailers. The rest will give add to the bars across the world with a limited-edition silver neck tag and will be individually numbered. To add to its appeal each bottle will come with a handwritten letter signed by Richard Paterson, the Dalmore’s creator.
The Dalmore Master Distiller Richard Paterson said: “I believe we are the only distillery which has the depth of stock to create such a long-loved and nurtured whisky as this.â€
He reckoned the product would excite all consumers, particularly in emerging markets, and added that rare and vintage whisky such as The Dalmore 50yo was now being seen as an investment.
The 52.8%abv 50yo whisky is described as “soft and elegant†with a “multitude of complex flavours that linger in the mouth”. Tasting of orange peel and liquorice initially, it reveals added touches such as crushed almonds and cinnamon.
Buzz is that The Dalmore 50yo has a retail price of 700 pounds ($1,030) per unit of alcohol, that means 5000 pounds ($7,200) is be charged for a full-sized 70cl bottle and up to 800 pounds ($1,150) a dram in on-trade outlets.
So go ahead and grab this limited edition whisky for a taste of history.
Looking at these amazing Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, Indonesia. Designed by Singapore based WOHA and built on 14.4 hectacres, the Alila Villas are a prime example of amazing sustainable architecture.
With Alila Villas Uluwatu, the architects wanted to create more than the usual stereotypical ideas of Bali, creating a design that worked with the dry Balinese Savannah vegetation and gently sloping site, not against it.
These modern contemporary Balinese villas use sustainable wood for construction (old timbre telegraph poles and wood railway sleepers) to replicate the typical dry Balinese Savannah vegetation.
Notable design features include the flat roofs, laid with batu chandi (local volcanic rock). This porous Javanese rock (a product of Mt Merapi’s eruptions) serves a threefold purpose: insulation; as a means of blending in with the local landscape; and for water absorption to support plant life.
Even the jigsaw-like exteriors of the pavilion serve more than an aesthetic purpose. The slats of these exteriors are made from a mixture of recycled wood and bronze, allowing for breeze to circulate yet maintaining privacy in partially shielding its occupants away from prying eyes.
The villas are perched on limestone cliffs with a stunning view over the Indian Ocean, large windows that extend into the natural open spaces. This green resort opens its doors to the public in 2009. Via Contemporist
A set of gold earphones have been placed on display in at Clive Ranger jewelry shop Bristol.
Designed by renowned Belgium based jeweler Casa Gi, the listening devices are made from 18 carat gold, encrusted with 118 of the highest quality diamonds and give a crystal clear sound.
Each earphone contains 59 diamonds that have been individually set in the gold, giving a sparking appearance. Continue reading →
Alfred Dunhill have commissioned Swiss inventor Roland Iten to create a unique belt highlighting Dunhill’s commitment to motor-sports.
The Alfred Dunhill Mechanical Belt Buckle by Roland Iten is the result of countless hours of research to create a belt buckle which is made with the same skills used in the creation of Swiss watches.
The Mechanical Belt is designed for ultra-precise adjustments of exactly 35mm – the “two thumb” measurement a tailor will traditionally build into a custom made suit for added comfort. Continue reading →
Continental Mobiles has unveiled the world’s first iPhone set in VS1 quality diamonds and emeralds, which is a fascinating stone that possesses a pure verdant green hue !
Blending seamlessly with the 3G iPhone’s sleek curves, the handcrafted case emanates a sensual allure that is almost impossible to resist.
The 8GB and the 16GB version of the emerald and diamond studded iPhone retail for £2999 ($4,400) and £3099 ($4,600) respectively.
Do you know Diabolik? Diabolik is an hero featured in Italian comics, created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani in 1962. And Diabolik is also the protagonist of an awesome special edition Fiat 500.
This particular 500, called Diabolika, is based on the Sport edition of the Italian mini car and is designed and prepared by Studiotorino and Mycrom in collaboration with publisher Astorina.
Studiotorino is a famous company that combines personal creativity, human and technological know-how in order to produce exclusive sport auto bodies which are destined to remain unique and unrepeatable like this Fiat 500.
The French fashion designer Catherine Malandrino has just dressed the Cointreau bottle – A beautiful work Lace of Swarovski crystals.
The exclusive edition of the liqueur is available only between October and November exclusively at Colette in Paris or online. Available in the US… September 09! (sorry…)
Bentley have released the Azure T, the high performance version of their Azure convertible.
The Bentley Azure T is powered by the standard Bentley 6¾ liter V8 engine which has been tuned to give it an output of five hundred horsepower, fifty more horsepower than the standard Azure.
Performance is significantly raised with a top speed of 179 mph (288 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds (0-100 km/h in 5.5 sec).
The Azure’s already striking form is now enhanced by 20-inch 5-spoke wheels and tyres, ‘Le Mans’ front wing vents, dark tint matrix grille and a sculpted, retractable Flying ‘B’ mascot. Continue reading →
Inspired by graffiti, nature, sculpture, lighting, music and souvenirs, designer Charles Kalpakian’s playful lamp ‘dog’ stores books on his back and lights up by pulling his tail several times, a dynamo stores energy and provides light.
For its fourth annual campaign to benefit UNICEF, Gucci has launched a special white version of its Tattoo Heart Collection.
All handbags in the range feature Gucci’s iconic heart and rose design, a colorful print which contrasts with the purses’ stark white backgrounds.
“I love the idea of a heart being tattooed onto the handbags,” explained Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini, who has been involved in Gucci’s annual charity line since 2005. “It’s a permanent mark that you can wear with pride that stays with you.
Louis Vuitton have launched two new patented diamond cuts based on their iconic monogram flowers – a rounded-cut flower diamond, and a pointed-cut flower diamond.
The cuts which are patented took over three years to develop. The LV diamonds have between 61 and 77 facets, and are set into various pieces of jewelry, including a necklace with 108 carats of diamonds retailing at $4 million.
Brooches, rings and necklaces featuring the monogram cut diamonds will also be available. The collection has been named “Les Ardentes”, which translate as “the blazing.”
Apparently not everyone is feeling the bite of the recession. A European mogul has commissioned luxury Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin to create a one-of-a-kind $6.5 million timepiece which will automatically become one of the most expensive watches in the world.
The design, which may take years to complete, will be many times more precious than Vacheron’s Tour de l’Ile timepiece (picture above) created for the company’s 250th anniversary in 2005. Only seven pieces were produced at $1.5 million each.
The features of this time exquisite time piece include a perpetual calendar and leap year, star chart, celestial annual calendar, tourbillon regulator, sunrise and sunset indication, perpetual time equation, phases and age of the moon, substantial power reserve, multiple time zones and day-night indication, among others.
« If owning a regular Vacheron Constantin watch is the equivalent of owning a Rolls-Royce, then having this watch will be like having a garage full of them »
Twenty years have passed since Giorgio Armani launched his first line of eyewear. In order to celebrate this event Armani Eyewear is releasing an updated and limited version of one of their original styles and placed it inside a palladium frame with green lenses. the Italian designer has meaningfully called them the Anniversary Exclusive Edition.
Each pair is engraved with its edition number of 0001 – 1000 on the inside by the temple and comes in a specially marked “Anniversary Editon” Neiman Marcus case. $1000
Istanbul is developing and turning very cosmopolitan at a fast rate. A proof of this is the Istanbul Sapphire which is a 261-meter skyscraper. It will be completed in late 2009 and will then be the tallest residential building in all of Europe.
The skyscraper has been under construction for three years and recently reached full height. There will be 174 private residences divided between 64 floors. The other features of this towering building include a shopping center, fitness center and spa, restaurants and includes vertical gardens and a viewing terrace.
The total cost of the project is currently $200 million and around 40 percent of the whole project has been sold.
Coach have released this library case with Assouline. The case is made by Coach whilst the books are supplied by Assouline. The case features forty books from Assouline’s Memoire collection of reference books on art, fashion, design and architecture.
The distinctive saddle-stitched white leather library case, lined with red suede, tastefully displays Assouline’s logo on a small metal plaque in front.
The case measures forty nine centimeters by eighteen centimeters and is available at Assouline stores worldwide. Price : $2500
Above Amsterdam’s new “Marketplace for Furnishings” floats a restaurant designed by London’s Virgile & Stone. The copper restaurant sits on top of concrete columns and is accessed by to two bridges on the second floor.
