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This crisp white clutch looks very buttoned up and business-like. Made from soft kidskin leather and sporting three different pocket styles, the stark hue is dressed up with gold-tone zippers and a shiny frame. The hinged opening secures with a push-lock closure and the interior is lined in more white leather and a single slide pocket. It is also available in a warm golden brown and sells for $830.
These days the rules of speakers are simple, they have to sound great and have really cool looks. The Duevel Planets are omni-directional speakers topped by a pair of chrome "planets," one over the woofer, the other over the tweeter. The company that sells them, Urban Fidelity, is on a mission to get people not to buy plastic speakers. The speakers can also be used as part of a home theater system. They have received a variety of good reviews including a rave from Sonic Flare. They come in silver, red or black for $1295 or blue, green, or gunmetal for $1395.
Lovers of fine jewelry may want to make a pilgrimage to Houston between Nov. 16, 2007 to Feb. 17, 2008 to catch the exhibit of Verdura jewels at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Verdura jewels dating from the 1930s with original design sketches will be on public display in Verdura: The Life and Work of a Master Jeweler in The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault. Duke Fulco di Verdura (1898–1978) a Sicilian Duke, began his career with the one and only Coco Chanel. She hired him as a textile designer and he went on to become the head designer for her private and boutique jewelry collection. His designs were worn by iconic women of taste including Joan Crawford; Princess Diana; Doris Duke; Katharine Hepburn; Nan Kempner and Greta Garbo. Still not convinced you should go yet? Take a browse through the gallery of the Verdura pieces that will be on display below.
Gallery: Verdura Exhibit At The Houston Museum of Natural Science
From a renovated apple barn in Massachusetts, glass artist Ed Branson creates distinctive masterpieces of color and shape. He strives to "freeze the movement of glass in a natural, beautiful form" and he has succeeded with these vases. Combining graceful fluidity with brightly hued organic shapes, his Cloaked Vases capture and hold the eye. Available in a variety of rich colors, these stunning pieces would add a dramatic touch of modernism to any room. Prices begin at $650 for a small vase.
Some of the wackiest houses I encounter are built in the desert. Something about no neighbors close by and plenty of room to roam lets the imagination take flight. Case in point, Casa Mariposa, the Butterfly House, in Fountain Hills, Arizona is a 18,595-square foot main home with four bedrooms, a 70 x 40-foot great room, two elevators, a library, study, billiard room and two garages with room for 10 to 15 cars and a maintenance pit. The home is on 3.4 acres and has a grotto, pool-sized waterfall and nearly as much outdoor square footage in the pavers as the house itself. The butterfly theme is reflected in the marble floor, the doors and even some of the windows. This estate is listed at $9 million.
Given his fiery reputation you might expect chef Gordon Ramsay's cookware, dishes and stemware to have a more individual look. But his collection with Royal Doulton is restaurant ready: simple white plates (except for an aubergine charger) and user-friendly stemware that is classic and meant to let the food take the spotlight. The 10-piece stainless steel cookware set has an aluminum core and sells for $499.99. A dinner plate is $19.99 and the glasses start at $39.99 per pair.
If the iPhone isn't on your holiday list maybe the new Motorola RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition will catch your eye. The phone has 18K gold-plated accents with a black metal finish, a soft-touch back with a snakeskin look and details such as pin stripes, an engraved diamond-cut pattern on the sideband and a linear etching on the navigation wheel. The phone includes the Opera mobile browser, a 2.0 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom that also provides up to 2 hours of video capture and playback, 2Gb of storage for up to 1,000 songs, and a large external screen so you can manage music and read texts without opening the flip. it also comes with a matching black Motorola H680 Bluetooth headset with 18k gold-plated accents.
The word flawless is often overused but the 84.37 carat diamond that Sotheby's will auction off on November 14th in Geneva has earned the distinction. THe stone, a brilliant-cut, D-color, Flawless stone is the largest brilliant-cut diamond of top quality (the highest possible GIA rating) to ever appear at auction. The stone's perfection makes it one for the history books and it has a price to match, it is estimated to sell for $12 to $16 million. The owner gets naming rights over the stone.
Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree!Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.
Emirates Airlines flies some of the most deep-pocketed people in the world. Not many airlines could hold auctions where customers bid to purchase high-end watches and jewelry. Last year, Montblanc and Emirates teamed up to auction off a watch (an auction that raised $250,000 for the Emirates airline Foundation) this year they have upped the ante with a million-dollar diamond necklace and earrings set. From now until 31st March 2008, customers on board all Emirates flights can register their interest in buying the Ruban d'amour diamond necklace and matching earrings. The jewelry includes the star-shaped Montblanc diamond and can be crafted with a choice of precious stones: the Ruban d'amour Neige is diamonds set in white gold; the Ruban d'amour Blanc et noir features black nephrite jade; pink sapphires complement the Ruban d'amour Rose; while Tahitian and Australian pearls adorn the Ruban d'amour Crème.
The winner will be chosen in April. The winner and a a companion, will be flown First Class on Emirates to Montblanc's jewelry workshop in Paris to watch the craftsmen finish the set. $150,000 of the sale proceeds will be donated to UNICEF in support of its educational projects for children in the Middle East.
I can see myself carrying this go-with-anything black and white leather tote on a regular basis. At 18" x 16.5" x 1", it's large enough to hold everything I need and has plenty of room for additional shopping finds. It has wide, comfortable straps and the interior cell and zip pockets will prevent the awkward 'tote-dig'. A little antiqued brass studded detail and a logo luggage tag finish off the look of this simple and practical bag. $1,600.
Jonathan Adler has apparently got quite a thing for the sculptures of C. Jeré, and so he's collaborated with the C. Jeré studio to reissue some of the most popular designs of old. Previously I posted on the Raindrops sculpture, and now one of my other favorites: Sunburst. Like the Raindrop, this sculpture is also made of antiqued brass. It's a bright addition to any space and captures the essence of the sun in a unique and very vibrant way. This sculpture needs a large space, though, or I'm sure it will easily overpower the room. $1,100
I don't generally write about jewelry theft but when a Harry Winston boutique gets robbed you have to pay attention. Last weekend, thieves took approximately €20 million in jewels from the Harry Winston store. It is one of the largest jewel thefts ever. The masked and armed men entered the store on Saturday morning and got the employees to open the safe. They took off with a bag of gems that included a €3.2 million diamond-studded bracelet and a large diamond worth €2 million. The police believe the robbers are professionals and they hope to try and catch the thieves when they try to resell the merchandise. The thieves will have to move fast, the investigators are distributing information about the specific stolen pieces around the world.
Oiva Toikka's beautiful art-glass birds have been prized by collectors for many years. Crafted at Finland's iittala studio, each mouth-blown piece is a one-of-a-kind work of art. This pheasant is one of the most colorful from the 2007 collection, standing tall and proud with a subtly patterned body offset with glowing green and a touch of red. It is also one of the largest Toikka birds, measuring 15" L x 9-3/4" H. From a limited edition of just 2,000, this signed and hand-numbered Festive Pheasant sells for $985.
Ah Beacon Hill, arguably Boston's most charming neighborhood, a hilly little enclave of brick townhouses and cobblestone streets. Today's home is a five-story townhome with a long history (it was constructed in 1827). It is located on the sunny side of Chestnut Street (trust me, in the winter months this is vitally important). It was renovated in 2000. Because it is an older Beacon Hill townhome it's narrow but the ceilings are high and it does have an elevator. The three-bedroom home has a guest suite, a study with a terrace that gives you a rooftop view over the surrounding homes and your own brick courtyard. It is listed at $5.4 million.
From a renovated apple barn in Massachusetts, glass artist Ed Branson creates distinctive masterpieces of color and shape. He strives to "freeze the movement of glass in a natural, beautiful form" and he has succeeded with these vases. Combining graceful fluidity with brightly hued organic shapes, his Cloaked Vases capture and hold the eye. Available in a variety of rich colors, these stunning pieces would add a dramatic touch of modernism to any room. Prices begin at $650 for a small vase.
Some of the wackiest houses I encounter are built in the desert. Something about no neighbors close by and plenty of room to roam lets the imagination take flight. Case in point, Casa Mariposa, the Butterfly House, in Fountain Hills, Arizona is a 18,595-square foot main home with four bedrooms, a 70 x 40-foot great room, two elevators, a library, study, billiard room and two garages with room for 10 to 15 cars and a maintenance pit. The home is on 3.4 acres and has a grotto, pool-sized waterfall and nearly as much outdoor square footage in the pavers as the house itself. The butterfly theme is reflected in the marble floor, the doors and even some of the windows. This estate is listed at $9 million.
Given his fiery reputation you might expect chef Gordon Ramsay's cookware, dishes and stemware to have a more individual look. But his collection with Royal Doulton is restaurant ready: simple white plates (except for an aubergine charger) and user-friendly stemware that is classic and meant to let the food take the spotlight. The 10-piece stainless steel cookware set has an aluminum core and sells for $499.99. A dinner plate is $19.99 and the glasses start at $39.99 per pair. 
Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree! Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.
Emirates Airlines flies some of the most deep-pocketed people in the world. Not many airlines could hold auctions where customers bid to purchase high-end watches and jewelry. Last year, Montblanc and Emirates teamed up to auction off a watch (an auction that raised $250,000 for the Emirates airline Foundation) this year they have upped the ante with a million-dollar diamond necklace and earrings set. From now until 31st March 2008, customers on board all Emirates flights can register their interest in buying the Ruban d'amour diamond necklace and matching earrings. The jewelry includes the star-shaped Montblanc diamond and can be crafted with a choice of precious stones: the Ruban d'amour Neige is diamonds set in white gold; the Ruban d'amour Blanc et noir features black nephrite jade; pink sapphires complement the Ruban d'amour Rose; while Tahitian and Australian pearls adorn the Ruban d'amour Crème.
