Fine Jewelry: The Jeffrey Daniels designs for the Gem Platinum collection of fine jewelry is a diverse array of original pieces that combine gems with platinum with a flair generally associated with beauty that is found naturally more often than manmade. Each piece of the collection is as original as a snowflake and crafted to prevail timelessly through current fashions, trends, and styles.
Fine Jewelry: Can a real luxury lifestyle woman ever know enough makers of original handcrafted jewelry of otherworldly quality? Bochic is a source of fine jewelry for women by designers Miriam Salat and David Joseph. The designing duo’s collection of handcrafted earrings, rings, and bracelets are found on the ears, fingers, and wrists of sophisticated and chic women globally.
The impetus of the various handcrafted pieces draw inspiration heavily from both nature and various exotic destinations. There also is more than a dash of natural creativity ebbing and flowing with abundance from within both of these creative outlets.
Fine Jewelry: Is C.Greene the newest “it” designer in jewelry circles? A bevy of Hollywood A-list celebrities have been spotted lately on red carpets and at soirees wearing pieces from the C.Greene collection of fine jewelry.
Check out the gorgeous C.Greene Spring/Summer 2010 collection here!
Eva Mendes, Reese Witherspoon, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox, and Demi Moore are but a few of the femme vitals on the scene being seen wearing the floral-inspired designs that are handcrafted in 18k gold with precious and semi-precious stones.
The origin of Christine Greene’s eponymous collection line stems from her passion for island life, nature, and flowers, as she spent most of her childhood in French Polynesia and Micronesia.
Officially launched in 2006, Ms. Greene’s fine jewelry collection is blossoming and heading toward full bloom. The official Web site is still up-and-coming, but the line is available now at BrokenEnglish.com
Engagement Rings: Martin Flyer, one of the nations leading fine jewelry manufactures, announced the launch of TheEngagementClub.com, an online community built for people getting engaged, or considering it.
The site offers multiple forums for the public to share information based on actual life stories. Featured areas include:
Proposal Videos – Real engagement videos are posted for visitors to view and vote on – most romantic, best proposal, proposals gone wrong, etc – all with a chance to win a weekend getaway for two.
Education, Tips, and Information – Suggestions on best places to propose, asking for a parent’s blessings, finding her ring size, choosing and buying a wedding ring.
Luxury Watches: Favorite luxury brand Gucci has just introduced its G Gucci Watch, just in time for the Timeless Campaign.
The G Gucci collection for Spring/Summer includes a range of watches on a stainless steel bracelet with a jewelry clasp. Other features of the watch include a stainless steel case, brown sun-brushed dial, quartz movement, sapphire crystal and water resistance.
The Gucci Timeless Campaign is set to feature classic photographs of celebrities from fashion and/or film wearing their own vintage Gucci pieces.
To get in on the icon trend yourself; Gucci offers the Icon necklace, in 18k white gold and diamonds. The 16 diamonds on the pendant total 0.17 carats and surround a tiny heart hole on an adjustable chain, which can be either 16.5” or 18”.
Ice Uncovered: Fashion can be exhausting. You get excited about the newest 'it' bag or shoe design and as soon as you make an investment, it's already passé. While some trends are worth taking on, sometimes you just want a sure thing. Like, for instance, diamonds.
You probably already know the basics about diamonds: They're sparkly, they're expensive, they're the rock of choice for engagement rings, and bottom line, they're beautiful. But do you really know why diamonds carry a hefty price tag and why they have been beloved for generations? Let's explore a little bit of the diamond's back-story to truly understand its value.
Cufflinks: It's good to be the Prince of Wales. You can convert your car to run on wine, which is just what Prince Charles did with his 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante, a 21st birthday present from his mum, Queen Elizabeth II. But whenever you mess around with cars, there are sure to be a few seemingly useless parts leftover.
Which is where London-based TMB Art metal comes in. The makers of "provenance" items fashioned from actual bits of automotive, aeronautic, locomotive and maritime icons have taken the original aluminum engine pistons from the luxury vehicle and transformed them into 200 pairs of cufflinks in two designs, as reported by Duncan Quinn.
The cufflinks are made of 18k gold, one fashioned to look like an exact, miniature sculpture of the DB6 Volante, the other replicates the car's iconic wheel spinners. Each set comes with a certificate of authenticity and is priced at £995 or about $1,600, with all profits going to the royal's youth charity, The Prince's Trust.
One man's trash really is another's treasure, now isn't it?
Luxury Watches: Long-gone are the days of tiny, bracelet-like watches for women. Today's woman enjoys wearing a timepiece that is visible and fashionable. Colourful straps and endless designs allow women to choose a perfect match for their personal style. With the advent of battery-operated, quartz movements, one positive aspect of past ladies' watches was lost. That is their carefully assembled and finely decorated mechanisms. With a surge of mechanical watches for women happening in the past five years, the horological art has returned to many woman's models.
The Frédérique Constant Maxime Manufacture Lady captures the essence of mechanical watchmaking in a classic, feminine package and contemporary size.
Luxury Leisure: It wouldn't be farfetched to conclude that the owners of the 250 mph supercar Bugatti Veyron can afford a writing instrument with a price tag to match their vehicle. In fact, marketers have taken advantage of this by promoting a range of highly expensive accessories for the car.
Several watches priced at around $100,000 have been designed exclusively for the Veyron. Now, there is a simple pen that retails for $15,000 and will be produced in a limited run of 499 units. The bespoke Bugatti Type A pen is designed and manufactured by Italy's Ferrari da Varese (not related to the rival supercar company from Maranello). It is constructed from aluminum and plated in nickel, then sterling silver, then palladium and finally platinum. It also has a rhodium-coated 18kt gold tip, a sapphire glass window and a black embossed Bugatti logo.
Jewelry and Watches: The designer of the internationally recognized wristwatch with a Braille face, Haptica, David Chavez will be a featured designer at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s “National Design Triennial: Why Design Now? exhibition. The exhibit opens May 14 and runs through January 9, 2011.
The Why Design Now? exhibition explores works of designers who address human and environmental issues with their creations. Categories range from architecture to product design to fashion to graphics to new media and to landscape design as a sampling of the wide berth of featured designers. GE sponsors the show.
“The invitation to participate in the 2010 National Design Triennial came as a welcomed milestone as well as an opportunity to bring attention to a consumer market that is often overlooked,” said Mr.Chavez. For me, the aesthetic value of this Braille watch was just as important as its functionality.”
Luxury Watches: By integrating natural frequency technology into luxury timepieces, Philip Stein has become a leader in mind-body wellness.
Philip Stein's timepiece collection includes a variety of looks all designed not only to look great, but also help you feel great. The specially crafted watches help balance the body's energy, known as Chi. In addition, wearers of the dual-time zone watches report better sleep, less stress and an improved sense of well-being.
New interchangeable straps allow customers to create a "strap wardrobe." An array of straps in different textures and colors, available at varying price points fits the faces of the Signature collection. Straps include a limited edition hand painted crocodile skin, five collections of textured and embossed straps, and an exotic Teju Lizard - a first for Philip Stein.
Engagement Rings: While it may take little effort, getting dressed each morning tells those around us a little bit about our personal style. Whether you are a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl or someone who prefers skirts and stilettos, the pieces of our wardrobe add up to a statement of how we present ourselves to the world.
The little details can often be just as important. When choosing a piece of jewelry as important as a diamond engagement ring, it's all about making sure that the stone and setting reflect something about you. (Forget about price tags for a minute, this is all about style!) Need more proof that these tiny treasures can say a lot about a woman? Let's take a look back in history to see what some of the 20th Century's most notable women wore on their left hand.
Never Ending Story: Marilyn Monroe
Known as the original ‘material girl' after singing the classic "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Marilyn Monroe rarely ever came off as understated. That's why you may be surprised to know that after she eloped with Joe DiMaggio, he presented her with a modest platinum eternity band set with thirty-six small baguette diamonds.
JustLuxe is a luxury Web publication providing objective analysis and information to affluent consumers to assist with their decision making, decisions such as charting a yacht, purchasing a jet membership card, booking a luxury hotel, traveling to a specific destination, or buying real estate. Our writers conduct interviews with industry executives and leaders in their fields, analyze product offerings and review the Web sites of leading companies to ensure our readers have up-to-date data to make informed decisions. Consumers can find purveyors of fine luxury goods, services and travel solutions throughout the pages of JustLuxe via content or with our advertising partners. See our Best of Luxury High end Brands and partners.
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