Jewelry

The M31 luxury watch by Wiegand is certainly attractive, and will set you back around $475.  We think it would look great dangling out the window of one of our luxury rental cars. 

I like the sleek and understated elegance, and the chrome and red color scheme.  Picture this luxury watch with a flashy red Ferrari rental as a backdrop; even James Bond would take a second glance.  Ahh how we love all that is luxury.  So what is so special about this particular wristwatch?  Here are some of its eh, specs:

With fashion season smoldering, the chatter has turned its attention to the rapidly approaching “World’s Greatest Catwalk”, set to strut its sultry stuff on August 14th.  This luxury event will start at 3pm, culminating Copenhagen’s Fashion Week for summer of 2010.  So what makes this fashion show unique?

Soccer is a much-loved sport around the world, with hoards of devoted fans.  So are diamonds.  Enter Shimansky jewelry house, which has designed a $2.5 million dollar soccer ball, adorned with diamonds, to celebrate South Africa hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

So is this the world’s most expensive soccer ball?  I think so (please add links and comment if I am wrong!).  The bejeweled soccer ball took approximately 3 months to design, and is still in the process of being festooned with 6,620 white diamonds and 2,640 black diamonds for a grand total of 3,500 carats of genuine South African diamonds. 

Unless you are completely out of the loop, you are already aware of the fuss Apple’s latest invention, the iPad, has been generating.  Well, if you are bored with it, or feel that you need to drop more money on your iPad, know that Stuart Hughes of Goldstriker International has solved that problem for you by creating a diamond-encrusted 22k gold shell for Apple iPads.

Cupcakes and diamonds and gold, oh my!  The things that can be done with food never cease to shock me.  If you are so inclined, and have an impressive enough bank account, you can sink your sweet tooth into cupcakes that range from $750-$150,000.  Yes friends, cupcakes.

First up is the Decadence d’Or, by pastry chef Long Nguyen.  This is truly a decadent pastry, available at Las Vegas’s Palazzo Resort for the price of $750.  Why the hefty price you ask?  This is no ordinary baked sweet, it is made with edible gold flakes, Palmira Single Estate chocolate, gold-vanilla caviar, and a Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cognac bottled around 1900.  I searched for a photo of someone clamping down on one with gold teeth, but no such luck.  It is so exquisitely presented, I imagine it would be difficult to bring yourself to eat it!

Disclaimer:  this information may make you feel broke.  2009 was a challenging year for the economy, yet some lucky folks were not exactly feeling the strain.  So if you have ever wondered how the other half lives, check out 5 of the most expensive, rare and outlandish items auctioned off in 2009:

Where there is luxury, there are clones.  Attempts to mimic authentic luxury brands can be obvious, and at times fairly stealth.  It is important to not only be familiar with your favorite brands, but to remember that anytime someone offers you a deal that seems too good to believe, you probably shouldn’t.  Here are ten helpful ways to spot a phony Rolex, in the event you are suckered into an exchange on the street:

For some it is the finer things in life, Italian leather, exotic cars and high-end accessories.  Take for example the Panerai Ferrari  This bejeweled masterpiece showcases the bliss the classic Ferrari emblem provides, especially when one can simply glance at their wrist to enjoy it.

A  luxury clothing retail store worth shopping on Lincoln Road is Alchemist. Alchemist is one of the select few retail store with high-end designer labels worth looking at. The store is chic and, thankfully, in touch with New York fashion. Alchemist features Givenchy, Alexander Wang, Jil Sander, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Dior Homme, Herve Leger, The Row, Luis Morais, Chloe, Libertine and others. The store is a one-stop shop for women and men's gear, footwear and accessories. Currently, Alchemist has the Delfina Delettrez jewelry collection, pretty priceless considering the rest of her collection sits in the Louvre.

The store has a chilled-out, airy feel, complete with couch and flat screen t.v's in the fitting rooms. You will get what you pay for, which in this case is a good thing. From vintage 80s Chanel jewelry to sexy swimwear, Alchemist is on point. Alchemist is a rare find on Lincoln Road, where it's possible to spend a fortune on garbage. A good portion of clothing stores on Lincoln carry knock-offs, Ed Hardy bejeweled crap and dated fashion, it's pretty pathetic. If you don't have an eye for fashion then be very careful on Lincoln or just go to Alchemist. The science of Alchemy is to convert base metals into gold, Alchemist is just fashion gold.

Donald Trump claims “now” is the time to buy property, if only it were that easy.  Many who still have the money to buy “now” can’t find financing. If financing isn’t stopping you, consider yourself lucky and look to South Beach. Right now in South Beach properties are being sold for way less than asking price.  Take, for instance, luxury building Murano at Portofino, located at 1000 S Pointe Drive in the South Beach area of Miami Beach. Where a penthouse unit with an asking price of $12,000,000 just sold for $7,600,000. The spacious three bedrooms, five and a half bath unit is just one example of what’s going on in South Beach, there are lots more just like this. The question is, when will the real estate market finally hit bottom? The question is tough to answer but it seems like buyers are moving towards the beach. Activity is gradually picking up, more inquiries, and more viewings, will sooner or later translate into more sales.

Global recession or not rare things still make profits, at least, via auctions. Petra is a Jersey-based mining company that has discovered a rare blue diamond. Due to falling prices in the rough diamond industry, Petra has chosen Sotheby’s to auction-off the diamond. The 7-carat blue diamond was cut from a 26.6-carat rough stone and is expected to bring in $8.5 million. The blue diamond will be a main attraction in Sotheby’s “Magnificent Jewels” auction in Geneva on May 12.  Before being auctioned off, the diamond will be on display in major cities, like Paris, London, Hong Kong and New York. If you’re all about jewels but can’t afford $8.5 million plus, you can look at the Petra Blue Diamond in a city near you.

Fine jewelry and silverware company Tiffany & Co. has made something for every tennis player and the diamond tennis bracelet. Rather Tiffany's is offering an 1837 Tennis Ball Can. Designed to hold four tennis balls and keep them at optimal tennis-playing-temperature. The tennis ball can is sterling silver and has the famous Tiffany's insignia, plus numbers 925 and 1837, stamped on the lid. Tiffany & Co. is always looking for that next ordinary item to glamourize and wrap up in a little blue box. The Tiffany's Tennis Ball Can is $1,500. The message that the Tiffany's tennis can conveys is that you're serious about the game, and probably have too much time and money on your hands. We are sure we will see more then just a few sterling silver tennis ball cans in the Hamptons this summer.

High-end luxury brands may be safer then most but they are still hurting. Take Bulgari for example, the world's third-largest jeweler has reported a fourth-quarter revenue that fell by 10%. The Italian jewelry company had a $409 million sales drop from last year and difficult times are ahead. Bulgari is seeing flat sales in the States and Japan but has no plans to cut prices.

Both Cartier and Tiffany have reported lower sales figures in the last quarter, its inevitable in this economy. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day is coming up and is traditionally a better time for jewelry companies. Here's to hoping anyway. Research from the National Retail Federation suggests that consumers will spend slightly less on jewelry this Valentine's Day. Last year 16.6 percent of consumers purchased jewelry for the holiday and this year it is predicted that only 16 percent will be buying jewelry for Valentine's Day. Bulgari is beautiful so save it! Go out and buy Bulgari or Cartier for V-Day, spur the economy. And don't forget that a diamond lasts forever.

   

Everybody seems to have an iPhone these days, so get an after-market iPhone to set yourself apart from the crowd. Mr. Peter Aloisson, the renowned phone customizer is at it again with his take on the iPhone. The diamond iPhone just released is touted as the World's most expensive, period.  Forget swarovski crystals with hints of gold. We are talking big league and bold, brilliant cut diamonds cover every spec of the diamond iPhone. The home button, called the "King's button" is a 6.6 carat diamond. The diamonds are set in white, yellow and rose gold. Figure the girl gets the diamond ring and every king deserves his diamond iPhone.The diamond iPhone is about $2.45 million and that's how you set yourself apart. Leave  those other iPhone users behind and, well, speechless.

Roll out the red carpet for Clive Christian No. 1 which is most likely the World's most expensive perfume. The perfume retails for a little more then $150,000. For that price we really hopr you smell better than just roses. At the end of the day, we all know that you're paying for the actual bottle and, more importantly, exclusivity. There are only ten Clive Christian No. 1 bottles on Earth. Made of Baccarat Crystal and topped off with the crown granted by Queen Victoria in 1872. Plus, the Baccarat perfume bottle is set with a five carat brilliant cut white diamond in a solid gold band. If there were dirt in the bottle we wouldn't care, just something shiny to look at if you have the cash.  If you are curious though, 500ml of Clive Christian No. 1 perfume is in the bottle, not dirt. Sir Elton John had Clive Christian perfume spritzed around the garden for his White Tie and Tiara ball and Katie Holmes wore Clive Christian at her wedding to famo Tom Cruise. That should give you a better sense of scent and clue you in, that it's probably better to look at the bottle than actually wear the perfume. If you're still in search of your scent, Chanel No. 5 is a safe classic fragrance for most women. Your safest bet, though, is just to shower regularly with a lavish body wash. If you insist on perfume try not to use the entire bottle all at once, that is so tacky.  Too much perfume is gross, it makes everyone around you nauseous especially when in enclosed spaces like elevators and airplanes.