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You are looking at one expensive stone, a 6.04 carat diamond that is Fancy Vivid Blue color and has Internally Flawless clarity. The stone sold in a platinum ring where it is flanked by two white emerald-cut diamonds for a grand total of $7.98 million at the Sotheby's Hong Kong auction. For comparison purposes, a 7.01 round white diamond from Blue Nile with G color and and IF clarity is listed at $386,927. The price is a new record to price per carat, a whopping $1.32 million which beats the previous record for a diamond known as the "Hancock Red" that fetched just over $900,000 per carat in 1987. The extremely rare diamond was picked up by Moussaieff Jewelers, which has a collection of rare gemstones include the Moussaieff Red, a rare red diamond.
This isn't the actual plane the Spice Girls have leased for their upcoming world tour, but the real deal will likely look quite similar. Nicknamed Spice Force One, the Boeing 757 that will carry the reunited girl group around the globe will sport official Spice Girl reunion artwork on the fuselage and interior accommodations fit for both diva and child. In addition to a makeup parlor and a creche, the plane will be outfitted with a dining room, business center, state-of-the-art bathrooms, a media center and sleeping quarters.
Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell will all travel aboard the flying palace with their families, management, assistants and bodyguards. Also on board will be chefs, nannies and assorted VIP types. Dancers, staff and stage hands won't be roughing it either, making their way to the tour stops aboard two other jets - Spice Force Two and Three. All told, the Spice Girls will reportedly spend between £7million and £10million moving themselves and their entourage around the world for their highly-anticipated reunion tour, which kicks off December 2 in Vancouver.
Using her own original silk fabric designs, Stephanie Waddell has created a lovely line of handbags that speak to my own love of color and pattern. This simply styled bowler is gorgeous in a blue and brown Lotus print trimmed in Italian leather. With such a striking print, there is little need for flashy hardware and the small touches of matte gold are just right. Inside, the bag is lined in suede and features and interior zipper pocket. The bowler is available in three other elegant prints and sells for $368.
More expensive whiskey news. This time it is a relatively new bottle selling for the big bucks. A bottle of George Washington's Straight Rye whiskey, number five of a limited edition of 24 bottles, the first ever made at the distillery of one President and signed by former president George H.W. Bush went for $35,000 at a recent gala. The winning bidder was John R. Frank, Vice Chairman of Sidney Frank Importing Co., a company that imports spirits such as Tommy Bahama rum and Jagermeister. The proceeds benefit Historic Mount Vernon's educational programs. I wonder how much it would have fetched if the current President Bush signed it.
The latest aircraft from Piper is the Matrix, a cabin-class, six-seat aircraft which is based on the Malibu Mirage model but is an unpressurized aircraft which reduces the price but also limits the pilot's ability to fly above bad weather. The Matrix has a 350 horsepower piston engine and has a maximum cruise speed of 215 knots with a fuel range of more than 1,345 nautical miles at the aircraft's maximum operating altitude of 25,000 feet (where supplemental oxygen is necessary). Piper has announced that they have received over 100 domestic orders for 2008 production. The Matrix sells for $757,000.
At the Monaco Boat Show, Feadship showed off the design of the F-stream their 55-meter luxury yacht. The F-Stream seems to reflect where the yacht business is heading, away from the blockier ttri-deck model and into a slimmer, more streamlined design. The F-stream uses a hybrid propulsion system with two dieselelectric cycloidal propulsion-rudder systems that offer silent cruising and in passive mode – can also serve as rudders. The fully submerged axial water jets also help increase the speed of the yacht. On the F-stream the master stateroom is located aft on the bridge deck and has a private sun deck. The top deck has solar panels and a getaway area called the Snug, a cozy little nook in which to enjoy the view. The low open "beach" deck has two water recreation areas. The design reminds me a bit of the new design from Humphreys and also the Ferretti 630 with sleek looks that put the focus on the year of the yacht.
The last mansion designed by H.T. Lindeberg that I looked at as an estate of the day had a vintage charm similar to this one but has a more formal charm. The home, in Sands Point, New York, sits behind a gated entry and approached by a long private drive, Arden Hill has almost six acres which includes hedges, a fountain and a pool and pool house. Inside the spaces are grand with hand-painted wall coverings and beautiful moldings and arches. As with many houses dating back from the 1920s, some rooms have been brought up to today's blander standards. In particular, the kitchen has had a complete charmectomy. It's a very functional modern beige space but I do wonder about the before. At least the massive stone fireplace remains. This home is listed at $9.9 million.
The thing about collecting cars is that storage easily becomes an issue -- you can't leave a 1956 Mercedes-Benz sitting out on the street. But if you're regular garage is already full of other vehicles, what's to be done? Usually cars end up in storage garages or in public parking facilities, but obviously sitting an investment like that in a corner somewhere under a tarp collecting dust is hardly ideal.
Enter the Taj Garage (I can't help but smile at the name), and other companies like it springing up across the country. They will work with you to create a customized car-storage experience -- basically a beautiful, clean condo for your vehicle(s) to live in complete with bathroom, wet bar, 24 hour security, and maybe even a private rooftop club for socializing with your car-minded condo neighbors. Now it can't get much better than that.
Handcrafted using Renaissance-era methods, Buccellati jewelry is known for being intricately detailed. An up close look confirms these Magnolia Flower earrings are no exception. The 18-karat white gold petals are as delicately veined as you would find them in nature and the yellow gold flower centers are realistically interpreted with dimension and depth. Available in pierced or clip styles, the earrings measure 1¼" diameter and are available at Gump's for $9,000.
Simple is often better, and these days it's surprising that often simple is also more expensive. Take this rather plain looking City Hall Clock for example. From Arne Jacobsen it was designed back in 1955 for the Rødovre City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark. This is one of those situations where I'm sure you could find a more inexpensive look-alike in a department store, but if having an original with the designer's name means something to you then this clock will too. With clean black lines and small circles to designate numbers and minutes, this large but simple clock could make a surprisingly dramatic statement. 17.5" diameter, $441.
This interesting piece of art work is exactly what it looks like: a bunch of real license plates cut into the shapes of their corresponding state and put together to form a map of the United States -- Alaska and Hawaii included. It's not only an interesting piece of artwork to display but also a nice way to recycle old plates. Created by artist Aaron Foster, this Reclaimed License Plate Map is made by hand in California and mounted on a large cedar plank (with smaller separate boards for AK and HI). I think it would look great in a library or study. $3900
The SoHo Mews is a pair of buildings in New York City designed by architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates in SoHo's largest open buildable site. The design celebrates the square in 68 residences spread about between two buildings (an eight story and a nine story) linked by a private garden. Three are 59 two- and -three bedroom loft apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows, five townhouses with private street-level entrances and four penthouses, with wraparound terraces three of which feature spa hot tubs.
The building façade is stone, metal, and clear, frosted and fritted glass and the lofts have floor plans maximize the openness of the design. Droolworthy features include 10' ceiling heights, Gwathmey Siegel-designed Valcucine kitchens in striated elm wood, smoked matte glass and Jet Mist granite, and marble master baths with deep soaking tubs, separate showers and radiant heated floors.
The amenities list is equally lavish with a 24-hour professional concierge service by Luxury Attaché, fitness center and an onsite attended parking garage as well as partnerships with local attractions such as membership in the New Museum of Contemporary Art, shopping benefits at design emporium Moss and with the carpet artists of Fort Street Studio, vintner service from cantina CentoVini and private exhibition previews at the Deitch Projects gallery. The complex will also have a collection of original artwork in the communal spaces curated by the Art Production Fund.
The units range in size from 1,225-square feet to 3,900-square feet and range in price from $2.4 million to $11 million and should be ready for occupancy in late 2008.
Soft black suede trimmed in exotic watersnake, this is a bag you need to see in person to fully appreciate. It is soft and slouchy, but gets a bit of structure from the gold-tone frame that wraps around the edge. Slim strappy details on the bottom and top mimic the double 7" drop shoulder straps and rows of tonal top stitching outline the top edge. With gold tone accents all around, the bag features suede lining and two interior zipper pockets. $1975.
Designer Eero Saarinen believed there were too many "legs" on things in the average American home, and awhile back (in 1956) he created a collection to help remedy that situation. Out of that effort came the Saarinen Dining Table, which as you can see has but one pedestal for support. It goes well with it's Tulip chair relatives, and altogether they project a very simplistic, pure energy.
The Saarinen tables are available in a variety of colors and sizes, the dining table shown here goes for $1,342.
The front of the catalog of the auction of silver and Russian works of art from the estate of Charles and Yvette Bluhdorn at Sotheby's New York on October 13th shows just the tip of the amazing piece of silver seen here. This one piece, the Fitzgibbon Marine centerpiece is a George III silver centerpiece created by James Young, London, 1786. The piece sits on shell feet with four scaly dolphins entwined with scroll supports supporting an oval tureen centered on each side by a mask linked by swags of shells and pearls to two triton handles and topped with a reclining figure of Neptune with trident. Charles Bluhdorn was a noted industrialist, the chairman of Gulf and Western, which had holdings in Paramount Pictures, Madison Square Garden, and Simon & Schuster. He died in 1983 but was survived by his wife Yvette who died earlier this year. The silver centerpiece is estimated to sell for $800,000 to $1.2 million.
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