GOLD WASHROOM

chairman of Hang Fung Gold Technology Group, poses in a golden bathtub in an exhibition hall decorated with two tonnes of gold next to his jewelry shop in Hong Kong

GOLD FACIAL

A model demonstrates the use of Umo Inc.’s 24-carat gold leaf “Gold Facial Treatment” at the Beautyworld Japan 2007 trade fair in Tokyo May 7, 2007.

GOLD LAPTOP

Want to get a MacBook Pro laptop? What about this 24-carat gold MacBook Pro. The case of the MacBook Pro is 24-carat Gold, including the keyboard, with the Apple logo filled with diamonds.
like Apple's Macbook Pro laptop so much that I already begin considering to go buy one, but sure I will not go to buy Computer Choppers 24kt Gold-Plated and Diamond Studded Macbook Pro because this stunning laptop is far beyond my purchase capacity.

iPhone in Gold

This will be heading the up and coming ‘Elite choice’ collection designed by Goldstriker’s very own Stuart Hughes. Setting aside the fact the front bezel & rear logo being struck with 24ct gold , the exclusivity is in the bespoke colouring of the full rear inc the bottom section antenna piece uniquely adourned in no ordinary finish but original exact colour match of the most luxurious cars. The Black Night edition iphone custom full rear is from the Bentley diamond black metallic range. This handset is an absolute stunner available in 16gb 1.1.4 version fully unlocked to work on any network in the U.K and worldwide. Also we are working on 2 new finishes one of which is 24ct gold iphone Solar Star, finished in Lamborghini Gallardo hot ballon white and the other being 24ct gold iphone Goldeneye, finished in Jaguar winter gold.
Goldstriker will be selling this phone at the price of £749.95

GOLD SHOE

he Marc Jacobs shoe collection for this spring is full of overflowing fantasy, luxury and style. This time I have felt in love with this spectacular stilettos in gold-yellow and purple.

GOLD M.P 3

Super Talent Technology today announced the PICO-C Gold, a 24-carat gold plated, water resistant USB drive that weighs less than a nickel (~4.7 grams), is smaller than an SD card, and can store over 2,000 MP3 songs. The 8GB Pico-C Gold drive, part number STU8GPCG, is available from NewBiiz and NewEgg today for under $40. If you are bad about losing things don't even think about getting one of these!
Super Talent uses chip-on-board (COB) technology to squeeze 8GB of Flash into an impressively small 31.3mm x 12.4mm x 3.4mm gold plated steel case. The Pico-C Gold is shock resistant, water resistant, and has up to 200X (30MB/sec) transfer speeds. The Pico-C Gold includes a sturdy gold chain, and looks more like a fashion accessory than a high performance Flash drive.

GOLD USB

These are probably the weirdest USB drives ever. The size of the device changes depending on the amount of data it holds. So when it’s about to blow up you can be pretty sure it’s full. When swithched off the flashbag remains pumped up, so you can estimate how much more data it can store without plugin it into your computer.

GOLD B.M..X CYCLE

We love two wheelers and we love shiny gold things but DAYUM- this 24ct gold Hutch Star is craze! Especially in these times. If you happen to have $12,378 saved up for a bike, mosie on over to this site to get your very own.

Whoever gets one of these better get the AVID Microchip Identification System for animals put somewhere up in that mug along with a LoJack system, The Club and about 20 Kryptonite bike locks for it, otherwise we’ll be seeing it in the next Cash4Gold commercial.

Citizen Citizen Gold Pills = 24 Karat Turds

Citizen Citizen Gold Pills are probably the best example of our cultures obsession with luxury and consumption and just one of the weird things they have in their collection. These 24 karat Gold leaf pills are meant to be swallowed, are 20mm in length and will as they put it " turn your inner most parts into chambers of wealth". You know your a high roller when even your turds have gold in them. Buy these Citizen Citizen Gold Pills for a cool $425. OK maybe not so cool. Citizen Citizen.

GOLD IPOD$19000

'll never understand why people insist on making things out of gold and selling them for outrageous prices, but German company Xexoo is doing just that, offering an iPod Shuffle made out of 18 carat gold for just over $19,000 (14,000 EUR). There's also a version with diamonds coming out soon, and each unit will be delivered in a wooden piano style box along with 24/7 support no matter where you are on the planet. And apparently this Xexoo company does this thing on a regular basis, as you can check out a variety of other gold iPod and iPod accessories on their website. But seriously, if you're willing to pay $19,000 for an iPod Shuffle I'm not even sure we're the same species.

American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin 1 oz

1 oz. Gold American Eagle (random dates)

Uncirculated

Several years available

22 karat gold.

When you buy American Eagle Gold Bullion coins you buy gold bullion coins of which the weight, gold content and purity are guaranteed by law by the United States government.
By law, the gold must come from sources in America, with an additional alloy of silver and copper to produce a more wear-resistant coin of 91.67% gold (22 karat), 3% silver, and 5.33% copper.
The American Gold Eagle is an official gold bullion coin of the United States. Authorized under the Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, it was first released by the United States Mint in 1986.
The coins are offered in 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations, these coins are guaranteed by the U.S. government to contain the stated amount of actual gold weight in troy ounces.
Each of the four sizes contains 91.67% gold (22 karat), 3% silver, and 5.33% copper.
This add is for circulated coins from diverse years. If you are looking for new, mint condition, uncirculated coins, please visit Mint American Gold Eagle Bullion 2009 1 oz. That's the page dedicated exclusively to the 2009 Uncirculated and Mint American Eagle.

GOLD TRADE

The total gold trade through Dubai reached a record $29 billion in 2008, an increase of 53 percent year-over-year, according to the Dubai World Statistics Department.

For the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2008, a total of 674 tons of gold was imported into Dubai, up 21 percent year-over-year, according to the data released Monday. During the same period, gold exports from Dubai increased 29 percent to 371 tons.

More than 100 countries served as gold import partners into Dubai in 2008, led by the United Kingdom and India. During the same period, Dubai exported gold to a record 64 nations, with India and Switzerland topping the list of export partners.

“Gold prices surged to an all-time record high during the first quarter of 2008 leading to a significant inflow of gold scrap into Dubai for refining,” said David Rutledge, chief executive officer of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. “The subsequent slowdown in prices during the last quarter of the year led to a major increase in bullion imports into Dubai, showing that the emirate has become a market for all seasons.”

The total value of the gold traded through Dubai in the second half of 2008 reached $15.99 billion, up 57 percent year-over-year, according to the data. For the first six months in 2008, the gold traded through Dubai totaled 22 percent to $13.07 billion.

“The positive figures for 2008, demonstrate the emirate’s increasingly important role as a center for the regional and global gold trade,” Rutledge said. “Despite expected extremely challenging international financial conditions this year, Dubai remains well positioned to sustain its performance.”

GOLD IN DUBAI

While gold jewelry sales in Dubai and other parts of the Middle East sputtered in 2008 due to rising gold prices, in 2009 the Middle East, and in particular the Gulf region, is on its way to becoming a hotspot of gold investments. Gold investment in the region grew by 38% in 2008. Saudi Arabia saw the biggest increase, with a 300 percent increase in investment demand. The Middle East has been a large consumer of gold, but today's falling real estate prices and stock markets are heating up this "natural" tendency of the Middle East to revert to the real physical money that is still fresh in their collective memory.

Dubai The City of Gold. The center of the Middle East gold industry.Dubai "The City of Gold", has long been known as the center of the gold trade in the Middle East. It is home to the DGCX, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchage, that deals in gold futures contracts in 1 kilogram units. According to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the value of the gold trade in Dubai reached US$29 billion in 2008, a 53% increase over the previous year. This upward trend is expected to continue.

In anticipation of this upswing in gold investment, investment in the precious metals industry has been building. An Italian corporation Elettronica SPA and Khalid Ahmed Al Mansoor recently announced plans to build a refinery for both gold and silver, to produce bullion bars and grains of precious metals. It will be the largest dual refinery in the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates gold coin Visions of DubaiIn addition to the new gold and silver refinery, the World Gold Council is planning to launch a new ETF (exchange traded fund) based in Dubai, aimed at Middle Eastern investors. The gold ETF would follow Islamic laws, which prohibit certain financial activities such as receiving interest on investments, making it vastly marketable across the entire region. This ETF has been planned for some time, but the recent financial storm has mage the WGC speed up its preparations so that the ETF will be online soon enough to meet the coming demand in the Middle Eastern precious metals market.

While Dubai itself produces no gold, it is in the process of becoming the main manufacturing and refining center of the region.

GOLD IN KA'ABA

The kiswa is a specially adorned black silk cloth embroidered with gold and silver threads to create calligraphy using verses from the Quran. It costs nearly Dh20 million.
Makkah: Shaikh Saleh Bin Abdul Rahman Al Hussain, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, will hand over the new cover or kiswa of the holy ka'aba to Abdul Aziz Al Shaibi, senior keeper of the ka'aba on Saturday.

Marking this year's Haj season, the hand over ceremony will be held at the kiswa factory, located in the Makkah suburb of Ommul Joud.
The ka'aba is draped in a new kiswa - a specially adorned black silk cloth covering the entire structure - every year during the Haj.
The kiswa is made up of three parts: a sitaar (curtain) of the ka'aba door, an inner lining curtain inside the ka'aba and a hizam (the belt).
The kiswa consists of 47 pieces of cloth and each piece is 14 metres long and 101 cm wide. The Kiswa is wrapped around the ka'aba and fixed to the ground with copper rings.
The kiswa is made of approximately 670kg of pure white silk, which is later dyed black, and around 150kg of gold and silver
The holiest shrine in Islam will be adorned with the new cover on Arafat Day, Dhul Hijjah 9, marking the climax of Haj.
This will be preceded by the customary washing of the ka'aba. The Makkah Governor leads the ka'aba washing ceremony twice a year, once before Ramadan and once during the Haj.
The interior of the ka'aba will be washed with zamzam and rose water.
The kiswa hand-over ceremony will be attended by Mohammad Al Khozaim, Vice-President of the Presidency, Ziyad Bin Muhyaddin Khoja, general supervisor of the kiswa factory, and the Haram Mosque's keepers.
An official kiswa factory was established during the reign of King Abdul Aziz. Before that period, the kiswa used to be brought by caravans of Haj pilgrims from countries like Egypt, Sudan, Morocco or Syria.
The kiswa costs more than 20 million Saudi riyals (Dh19.60 million) and is considered one of the most exquisite works of Islamic art. Expert artisans embroider the cloth with gold and silver threads to create calligraphy using verses from the Quran.
Skilled craftsmen use a combination of the latest technology, ancient looms and artistic calligraphy to produce a work of exotic beauty.

WWE GOLD BELT

The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. Currently, it is the highest ranked championship on the Raw brand.
The World Heavyweight Championship was introduced in 2002 with Triple H becoming the inaugural champion on September 2. It was created after Brock Lesnar won the WWE Undisputed Championship and was signed by SmackDown General Manager, Stephanie McMahon, to appear and defend the title only on the SmackDown brand, which left the Raw brand without a world title. As a result, Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff, disputed the title's "Undisputed" status and introduced the World Heavyweight Championship, commissioning it to be the main world title of the Raw brand. The new title was represented by the Big Gold Belt, an iconic championship belt that had previously represented the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and later the WCW Championship. Eric Bischoff awarded the new title to Triple H due to him previously being Brock Lesnar's next scheduled opponent for the WWE Undisputed Championship, also citing the fact that he was the last champion to use the Big Gold Belt as part of his previous Undisputed Championship reign. In March 2003, the Big Gold Belt was replaced with a similar design featuring the WWE logo at the top of the center plate.
The World Heavyweight Championship remained on the Raw brand until June 6, 2005 as a result of the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. The WWE Champion, John Cena, was drafted to the Raw brand with the WWE Championship, which left the two main world titles in WWE on that brand. This prompted SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long, to attempt to introduce a third world title called the "SmackDown Championship". However this was deemed unnecessary when the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, was drafted to the SmackDown brand with the World Heavyweight Championship on June 30, 2005. The title remained on the SmackDown brand until June 30, 2008, when Money in the Bank contract holder, CM Punk, who was a Raw superstar, cashed in his contract, and defeated the champion, Edge, who was a SmackDown superstar. As a result, the title was reinstated to the Raw brand.

FIFA GOLD

What happens when the world’s most recognized brand creates a marketing campaign with the world’s most popular sport? You get a mega FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company which spans 50 countries and 70 days.
In order to build anticipation and hype for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, FIFA will tour the championship trophy across every nation on the African continent beginning on September 24, 2009 in Cairo, Egypt. Considering ancient Egypt’s affection for gold in the afterlife, it is only seems fitting that the solid gold trophy should begin it’s tour in the land of the pharaohs.
FIFA World Cup Trohpy
The FIFA World Cup Trophy was first presented to West Germany for winning the 1974 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for the Jules Rimet Trophy which was awarded for perpetuity to Brazil as the first 3-time FIFA champion. The trophy is 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) tall and is made of 11 lb (5 kg) of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a 5.1 inch (13 cm) base.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour draws on the huge success of the first global Trophy Tour which was held in 2006, visiting 31 cities in 29 countries and covering 63,734 miles (102,570 kms). Tickets to see the trophy are free through various Coca-Cola promotions.
According to the press release, Coke has had a formal association with FIFA since 1974 and an official sponsorship of FIFA World Cup that begin in 1978. Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup since 1950 and is a long-time supporter of football at all levels, from grassroots to the FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy, which is made of solid 18-carat gold with a malachite base, is awarded every four years to the winner of the FIFA World Cup football tournament. The design, by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, illustrates two athletes victoriously holding up the world. The one-of-a-king trophy is 14.5 inches in height, and weights 13.61 pounds.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy made its first appearance in 1974, replacing the original Jules Rimet Trophy which was awarded from 1930 to 1970. The back side of the base is engraved with the year and country of the World Cup winning team. Italy holds the current World Cup title, after defeating France during the 2006 tournament.

OSCAR GOLD

Indians living in the US have asked the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to introduce a new award category of "Best Bollywood Film" for films made in India.
Rajan Zed, a leader of the Indian American community, said in a statement that India had the largest film industry in the world and thus it deserved at least one category in Oscars where its movies could compete among themselves. This gesture would bring more credibility to Oscars also in the international arena, as it was long overdue.
He further said that cinema in India, based in Mumbai and various regional centres, reportedly produced much more films and drew much larger audience globally than Hollywood (which released only 610 movies in 2008).
It was, therefore, unfair for such an influential cinema not to have its own category at Oscars. Foreign Language Film Award at Oscars, where only one picture was accepted from each country, did not do justice to such a large industry, Zed added.
Academy, launched in 1927 and dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures, has over 6,000 artists and professionals as honorary members, including actors like Jack Nicholson, directors like Steven Spielberg, executives like Steve Jobs, musicians like Elton John and writers like Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, et al.
Located in Beverly Hills, California, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host the 82nd Academy Awards on 7 March 2010

GOLD SHOWPIECE

Folks who have a fetish for gold will preserve this gold toy (showpiece) for sure! Time and again we have kept you informed about the ingenious form that gold acquires. Supposed to be the largest gold sculpture cast in U.S. history, this exceptional Celebration Mickey is up for sale. Weighing 100 pounds, the piece was designed by Disney artist Marc Delle and sculpted in 2001 by the Great Western Mint in Orem, Utah as a commemorative item celebrating Walt Disney's 100th birthday. The statue is 24-inches high, 15-inches wide and 9-inches deep, weighs over 100 lbs., and is valued at $4 million.

The statue bears the Disney Corporate trademark on the side of Mickey's right foot and comes with a guarantee from Disneyland Resort that it will remain a unique piece. Mickey is dressed in his trademark button shorts, gloves and oversized shoes and his nose on sculpture is worth over $65,000. So all you Disney fans rush to grab (at least a look) of this 24-carat gold statue of Disney's most recognizable character, Mickey Mouse.

GOLD SKELETON

"Pirates! Off the port side."

"Walk the plank ye dogs!"

Growing up in New England, every kid heard tales of all the famous pirates. Blackbeard, Captain Hook, Long John Silver, and all the buccaneers. My father was a fan of Edward Rowe Snow and his pirate books kept me spellbound if not scared. If you are also a lover of pirates and tales, you may just be in luck with piece of 14k gold pirate jewelry or our famous pirate sword dagger earrings.
It is said that Blackbeard had 14 wives, wore candles in his beard and drank gunpowder in his rum. The thought of answering to 14 of them is the only one that scares me...
Today, the most feared act of piracy is running out of cheeseburgers in paradise! We'll be looking to see who is flying the Jolly Roger for sunset cocktails. See you in Margaritaville... or the Blackbeard Festival in Hampton or in the Gasparilla Pirate Parade!

GOLD IN MASJID BHOG SADIQABAD

Pakistan has numerous mosques which are envy of the world because of their architecture as well as detailed decoration. This is our second post in the series of highlighting such grand mosque architecture in Pakistan. Our first post of this series was about masjid Mahabat Khan in Peshawar.

Today’s post is about the fomous Bhong Mosque located in a town called Bhong. Bhong mosque is famous for its architecture as well as the decoration done here. The extensive calligraphy done of verses from Quran here makes it one of a kind place in Pakistan. There are pictures of Islam’s holiest places framed in real gold.

The roof of the complex glitters with the extensive mirror work done on it. It is said that every square meter of this mosque has some decoration or design made on it. This mosque is a living catalog of decorative techniques for public buildings either invented or practised in both Pakistan and India. The architecture of the mosque and decorative patterns are mostly local. One major exception is a gateway which takes its design from a similar gateway in Baghdad.

GOLD CAR

Finally, our fellow Canadian auto enthusiasts got something that draws my attention. Browsing at autoblog.com, I found this recent post that talk about a weird Canadian-made vehicle that was unveiled at the 2007 Montreal International Auto Show. The weird car (or motorcycle.. or whatever type of vehicle you call it) was named T-Rex, (although ironically it doesn’t feature an aggressive and intimidating look as its dinosaur counterpart) was already out in the market since 1996 and the Canadian automaker revamped the vehicle for the 2007 model year.

The T-Rex will roar on the streets featuring new lights, new instrument gauges, and covered engine along with optional equipments including carbon-fiber body-kits, wind deflector, and larger outboard storage bins.

Check out the detailed specs of the T-Rex. You can also try to look for Extang RT Cover online for replacement.

Body: Reinforced fiberglass plastic-sandwich construction, carbon fiber windscreens and headrests.

Cockpit: Side-by-side 2-person seating, adjustable backs, adjustable foot-pedal box, 3-point retractable safety belts.

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 90in(2286mm); Width: 78in.(1981mm); Length: 138in.(3500mm); Height: 42in.(1067mm); Dry Weight: 900lbs (410kg).

Chassis: Multi-tubular steel chassis frame. Engine: 1164cc Inline 4 cylinder, DOHC, with Ram-Air. Transmission: Sequential 6-Speed close ratio gear box, purpose designed reverse gear, rear wheel torque damper. Front suspension: Unequal opposed triangular arms, adjustable dampers with coil overs, sway bar. Rear suspension: Swinging arm, dual adjustable dampers with coil overs. Steering: Rack and pinion (2.75 turns lock-to-lock), leather steering wheel.

Brakes;
Front discs: Cross-drilled discs, 11in.(280mm) diameter, 4-piston aluminum calipers. Rear discs: Cross-drilled disc, 10in.(254mm) diameter, 2-piston aluminum caliper. Wheels and Tires : Aluminum 16"x7" front, 17"x10" rear, 205/45/ZR16 front tires, 285/40/ZR17 rear tire.

Black diamonds come from space

Two teams of U.S. researchers have found that carbonados — or black diamonds-com from outer space. Helped with funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF), they discovered nitrogen and hydrogen in these porous black diamonds found only in Brazil and the Central African Republic. And these elements are not found in conventional diamonds extracted from mines from volcanic rocks. They think these carbonados were part of asteroids which landed on Earth about 3 billion years ago.
This research was done by jozsef Garai and stephen Haggerty of Florida International University, along with Case Western Reserve University researchers Sandeep Rekhi and Mark Chance. For this project, they used the infrared synchrotron radiation at Brookhaven National Laboratory and a technology named Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy or FTIR (Link to wikipedia)
So even the NSF agreed that these diamonds come from far beyond the Earth. Here is an explanation.
"Conventional diamonds are mined from explosive volcanic rocks [kimberlites] that transport them from depths in excess of 100 kilometers to the Earth's surface in a very short amount of time," said Sonia Esperanca, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research. "This process preserves the unique crystal structure that makes diamonds the hardest natural material known."
Below is a picture of "a typical black and highly porous polycrystalline carbonado-diamond (5.3 cts) from Lencois, State of Bahia, Brazil" (Credit: Jozsef Garai). Here is a link to a larger vesrion and to a smaller one — but in color. Anyway, even in color, these black porous diamonds don't look that pretty.
A typical black carbonado-diamond
For more information, this research work has been published by theAstrophysical Journal Letters under the title "Infrared Absorption Investigations Confirm the Extraterrestrial Origin of Carbonado Diamonds" (Volume 653, Number 2, Part 2, December 20, 2006). Here is a link to the abstract which further explains how the scientists reached their conclusions.
The FTIR spectra of carbonado diamond mostly depict the presence of single nitrogen impurities and hydrogen. The lack of identifiable nitrogen aggregates in the infrared spectra, the presence of features related to hydrocarbon stretch bonds, and the resemblance of the spectra to CVD and presolar diamonds indicate that carbonado diamonds formed in a hydrogen-rich interstellar environment.
This is consistent with carbonado diamond being sintered and porous, with extremely reduced metals, metal alloys, carbides, and nitrides, light carbon isotopes, surfaces with glassy melt-like patinas, deformation lamellae, and a complete absence of primary, terrestrial mineral inclusions. The 2.6-3.8 billion year old fragmented body was of asteroidal proportions.
Asteroidal proportions? The NSF says that "black diamonds were once the size of asteroids, a kilometer or more in diameter when they first landed on Earth."
Now you can dream about the size of such a diamond or read the full research paper(PDFformat, 4 pages, 447 KB), which also availablein plain HTML format.And even if you find such a diamond, please don't ask a jeweler to create a ring for your partner: they're not that pretty!

MOST EXPENSIVE DIAMOND RING

Looking to propose in the near future? Congratulations! Are you planning on spending more on the engagement ring than you spent on your house? Probably not, but here is a list of some of the worlds most expensive engagement rings for your viewing pleasure.

houseoftaylor_ovaldiamondThis platinum-set diamond ring is from the Elizabeth Collection of House of Taylor Jewelry, a Los Angeles-based international jewelry company whose principal shareholders include movie legend Elizabeth Taylor. The 5.98-carat oval-cut diamond in its center is “internally flawless” and surrounded by 3.96 carats of round brilliant diamonds in a floral design. Of course, star power doesn’t come cheap. This ring will cost you a cool $1.3 million.
(House of Taylor Jewelry)



debeers_yellow-diamondThis yellow diamond is not so mellow. Baseball star Johnny Damon and actors Charlie Sheen and Eddie Murphy have all paired their marriage proposals with yellow diamond rings. This De Beers 5.11-carat radiant cut ring, set in platinum, costs $400,000.
(De Beers)ht_rosssimonsyellow6carat



For the thrifty millionaire looking for yellow-diamond chic, this 6.10-carat fancy yellow diamond ring from Ross-Simons may do the trick. The ring costs a mere $99,995 and features a rectangular diamond flanked by two trapezoidal 1.35-carat diamonds as well as 0.35-carat surrounding diamonds.
(Ross-Simons)



debeers_secret-kiss-of-the-rosesSoccer star David Beckham kicked a goal into the heart of wife and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham with an appropriately posh pink diamond ring. Are you thinking pink, too? Check out this Secret Kiss of the Rose Ring from De Beers. The piece features 4.15-carat rose-cut white diamonds and a 0.8-carat pink diamond, set in platinum. Just try not to turn pink from the price: $525,000.
(De Beers)



tiffanyovaldiamondcushionWhether you prefer round extravagance or a more angular glamour, Tiffany has you covered. On the left is the famed jeweler’s oval diamond micromelee split shank ring. The 14.79-carat creation retails at $1.465 million. On the right, you’ll find Tiffany’s 12.03-carat cushion diamond ring, which sells for $800,000. Both rings are set in platinum.
(Carlton Davis)



debeers_asscher-ringThe original Asscher Cut diamond was first developed in 1902, but the design hasn’t languished in the annals of history. Famous Asscher fans include Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, who reportedly wore a 4-carat Asscher Cut stone on her ring finger while married to actor Ryan Phillipe. But why settle for 4 carats? This 10.19-carat Asscher engagement ring from De Beers is set in platinum and sells for $520,000.
(De Beers)



debeers_905ct-round-brilliant-ring



The rock atop this De Beers platinum ring gets a D — as in D-color, the most desireable grade on the diamond color scale. With its round and flawless stone, this De Beers piece weighs just a little more than 9 carats, but if you buy it your wallet might weigh considerably less. The ring’s price is set at $1.83 million.

(De Beers)



houseoftaylor_rubyDiamonds may be the conventional choice for most engagement ring buyers, but since when do millionaires heed convention? Grunge star Kurt Cobain gave fellow rocker Courtney Love a 5-carat diamond-and-ruby engagement ring. Unfortunately for Love, the ring was stolen on Valentine’s Day in 1995. Hopefully, prospective buyers of this three-stone oval ruby-and-diamond ring from House of Taylor will have better luck — and some insurance. The piece, which features 12.48-carat Burmese rubies, sells for $63,600.
(House of Taylor Jewelry)



houseoftaylor_sapphire1Blue bloods prefer blue sapphire — or at least Prince Charles did when he proposed to Lady Diana Spencer with an 18-carat oval sapphire ring. The blue bauble didn’t mean lasting love for those royals, but don’t count blue sapphire out just yet. Check out this three-stone sapphire-and-diamond ring from House of Taylor. The piece features 8.28 carats of Ceylon sapphires and more than 2 carats of diamonds for a price of $49,500.
(House of Taylor Jewelry)



houseoftaylor_emerald1If this ring doesn’t make you green with envy I’m not sure what will. This House of Taylor three-stone emerald-and-diamond ring features 6.84 carats of Columbian emeralds and more than 2 carats of diamonds, all set in 18-carat white gold. It sells for $93,600.
(House of Taylor Jewelry)



rosssimons_cushioncutdiamondAnd now for a bit of a breather — pricewise, anyway. This platinum ring from Ross-Simons features a cushion-cut center diamond surrounded by a 0.96-carat framework of diamonds, all for a price of just $27,995. Ross-Simons markets the ring as a piece that “drips with decadence and delight.” We’ll let you decide.
(Ross-Simons)



cartier_pearFamed jeweler Cartier is eager to spread the word about its new New York City bridal salon, but the company is more discreet when it comes to its sparkling wares. When the jeweler was asked about its most expensive engagement ring, it sent pictures of this pear-cut diamond ring set in platinum. But Cartier clammed up when asked about the price. The ring is available in carat weights ranging from 1 to more than 63 and its price, a spokeswoman for the jeweler said, is divulged only to customers making serious inquiries.
(Cartier)

DIAMOND PRICE

This data set is a sampling of 617 round shape diamonds collected from retail website in December 2007. The data includes the following variables for each diamond: Price, Carats, Clarity, Color, Cut, ClarityCode, ColorCode, CutCode.
I used this data to do a regression model for estimating the value of a round shaped diamond based on its weight, clarity, color, and cut. The model I came up with was: log(price) = 7.784 + 2.032*log(carats) +0.113*clarityCode + 0.102*colorCode + 0.030*cutCode This model has an adjusted R-squared of .96. The remaining variance is possibly explained by some additional factors not included in the dataset, such as symmetry, polish, and fluorescence. I tried using dummy variables for each of the codes, but was surprised how little this increased the model's explanatory power. It's a log-model, so the errors are larger in absolute dollars when estimating more valuable dollars, but the percentage size of the errors is fairly consistent. (about 1 year ago)

DIAMOND COLOURS

When selecting a diamond, one of the major factors to consider is the stone's color because it is probably the first thing people notice. The finest and most expensive diamonds are absolutely colorless. Diamonds are graded on a color scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which ranges from D (colorless) to Z. Each letter after D indicates increasing amounts of yellowish/browning tint to the stone. The differences from one grade to the next can be very subtle. Diamonds graded D or E are becoming increasingly rare and command a significant premium.

One of the major factors in the popularity of the Lannyte Simulated Diamond is its color. On the GIA scale, The Lannyte Simulated Diamond would rate as a D or E color, equivalent to the finest and rarest diamonds. For those seeking an off-white color (not colorless) we produce a Cape color, which falls into the G, H or I range.

DIAMOND CAR

London, Feb 23: All car fans who are a big bling enthusiasts can now have their interests encrusted in one thing only, at least in a small version, for toy makers Hot Wheels has unveiled the world’s most expensive diamond coated toy car.

The car was made public to commemorate the production of its four-billionth "vehicle", at the 105th American International Toy Fair in New York, which is also the most expensive model the company ever made.

Valued at a whopping 140,000 dollars- a figure that would normally buy six family cars - the model is cast in 18-karat white gold and covered in blue, white and black diamonds.

The car also has rubies set into its taillights and even the car's case comes with 40 white diamonds.

The car has been designed by celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills.

"Since its introduction, Hot Wheels has revolutionized boys' toys and inspired automotive trends,” the Telegraph quoted Tim Kilpin, general manager and senior vice president, Boys and Entertainment, Mattel Brands, as saying.

"The historic activities we have planned are a fitting tribute to the brand's heritage and will allow us, and our fans, to celebrate this milestone year in true Hot Wheels style,” he added. (ANI)

Famous Diamonds

It has been said that whoever owned the Koh-I-Noor ruled the world, a suitable statement for this, the most famous of all diamonds and a veritable household name in many parts of the world. Legend has suggested that the stone may date from before the time of Christ; theory indicates the possibility of its appearance in the early years of the 1300s; history proves its existence for the past two and a half centuries.
The 45.52 carat steel blue Hope Diamond was found in India back in remote times as a rough crystal weighing 112 carats. It first came to light when Jean Baptiste Tavernier, the noted French traveler of the 17th century, was approached in India by a slave who had a very secretive manner about him.
It turned out that he had in his possession an intriguing steel blue stone which at first look seemed to be a large sapphire, but the well-experienced Tavernier soon realized it was a diamond – the largest deep blue diamond in the world.
The Star of Africa, a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats, aka the Cullinan I. It measures 58.9 × 45.4 × 27.7 mm, and has 76 facets (counting the culet and the table). It is called the Cullinan I because it's the largest of the 9 large stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond, and the Cullinan II is the Star of Africamassive 317.40-carat cushion shaped diamond in the center-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. The Crown also features the Black Prince's Ruby, as well as St. Edward's Sapphire, and the Stuart Sapphire. All the stones in the crown seem to have a history. The Star of Africa holds the place of 2nd largest cut diamond in the world and is on display with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
The William Goldberg Diamond Corporation, famous for outstanding stones like the Premier Rose and the Guinea Star, cut this gem from a 13.90-carat rough. They transformed the piece into a spectacular red diamond weighing 5.11 carats. The GIA states, "It is the largest Fancy Red, natural color diamond that we have graded as of the date the report was issued." The stone is a triangular brilliant, sometimes refered to as a trillion or a trilliantcut. It was cut sometime in the mid-1990s, so its history is still Moussaief Red Diamondrelativelyuneventful. Sometime around 2001 or 2002 the stone was purchased by Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd. The firm, while it has no website as of yet, is renowned for multi-million dollar pieces of jewelry and has locations in the United States as well as abroad.
It was expected that some 12-million people would visit the De Beers Millennium Jewels Exhibition at the Millennium Dome in London. There they were on view in a specially designed exhibit for the entire year of 2000. It is worth it to pause a moment and reflect on the rarity of blue diamonds. Pre-20th century accounts of great bluediamondsHeart of Eternity reinforce the trade's historical links with India, the only known early source of diamonds. These accounts tell of diamonds such as Tavernier Blue (now known as the Hope Diamond; 45.52 carats) and the 30.82-carat Blue Heart, which today are valued for their history and mystique as much as for their rare color. These diamonds are famous because of their incredible rarity - only red diamonds are rarer - and the De Beers collection of blues is something that will never be seen again.
The Heart of Eternity paid a visit to the Smithsonian Museum in the summer of 2003, being part of an exhibit titled The Splendour of Diamonds. The exhibit Splendour of Diamondslasted from June 27th to September 15th and featured a number of other unusual colored diamonds, namely the Allnatt, the Millennium Star, the Pumpkin Diamond, the Moussaieff Red (formerly known as the Red Shield), the Ocean Dream, and the Steinmetz Pink.

VIP Gold

VIP Gold, the jewel in our company’s crown, is the upscale, executive class division of Big Apple Car. Each VIP Gold chauffeur has a minimum of ten years of experience in the ground transportation industry. VIP Gold chauffeurs go that extra mile for every passenger; clients will never open their own door, load their own luggage, wait outside an airport or sign a voucher. Chauffeurs are dispatched to their appointments a minimum of one hour in advance, thus assuring unparalleled "on-time" performance. VIP Gold’s friendly and efficient customer service representatives are selected from the most experienced professionals in our family of companies. You will always reach them and never be greeted by an automated call attendant— even during the busiest times.

The VIP Gold fleet is comprised of well-appointed, late model Mercedes S-Class Sedans, Lincoln L Series Town Cars, Lexus RX 400h hybrids and BMW 7 Series sedans—all black-on-black. Stretch limousines, SUVs, vans, motor coaches and buses are also available.

In addition, all vehicles are GPS-equipped to ensure the most direct routes are taken to a traveler’s destination. Best of all, while the services offered by VIP Gold are high luxury, our prices are moderate. VIP Gold rates are midway between black car rates and the rates of other upscale service providers.

GOLD COINS

The United States Rare Coin and Bullion Reserve Vault Facilities has announced the final release of 5,000 U.S. Gov't Issued Gold Coins that were previously held at The West Point Depository/U.S. Mint. For a only a limited time you have what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase $5 American Eagle Gold Coins at our cost. This extremely limited offer is subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time.

Call today. With banks failing, the spiraling U.S. dollar losing more and more of its value, an out of control national debt threatening to damage the U.S. economy, and rising geopolitical concerns causing instability around the world, there may never be a more important time to own Gold. Due to extremely high Gold demand, availability of these special at-cost Gold Coins may vary based on current vault inventory. Don’t miss your chance to purchase legal tender, U.S. Gov’t Issued Gold Coins that are completely free of dealer markup. Sr. Gold Specialists are standing by to take your call at 1-800-550-9118.

U.S. Gov’t Issued American Eagle Gold Proof Coins undergo a minting process that involves Gold blanks being struck multiple times by special dies at the U.S. Mint. This specialized process produces a finished Gold Coin whose images appear to float above the coin’s mirror-like background. Since 1986, the Mint has created these extraordinary Gold Proof Coins specifically for collectors and in very limited numbers

GOLD MARKETS

Newmont announced on Wednesday that they were going to acquire Canadian Gold Miner Miramar for $1.53 billion dollars. Miramar’s primary asset is a massive gold area in the Hope Bay area of Canada’s Nanavut territory where the total resource size may be in excess of 10 million ounces. At $1.53 billion dollars, Newmont is roughly paying $153/oz for each ounce of gold.
Expect more consolidation between gold majors looking to add significant deposits due to declining mine production and mid-tier gold companies looking to consolidate and become the next major.
Among the investment banks, UBS raised their target gold average to $760/oz in 2008, up from $650/oz and $700/oz up from $550/oz. and Citigroup just raised their average gold price for 2009 to $800/oz and $820/oz in 2010. The 2008 estimate of $750/oz remained unchanged. I see gold up 20% in 2008 and maybe another 10% in 2009.
A lot depends on the US elections but the trend is up. The Gold Price should retest the old high sometime in the 2nd quarter of next year with new highs made late in the year. 2009 should bring a test of the $1,000 level. After that the sky is the limit.
The gold longs have been holding strong in the face of some serious selling which looks to be drying up. This may signal the end of Central Banks ability to keep down the gold price. The key here will be capitulation by the jewelry buyers. Stores in India have been switching to costume gold jewelry and China is encouraging silver and palladium.
The central banks may just decide to step aside as they realize that as the US destroys its currency and they are forced to defend their own it makes no sense to sell gold into the market.
Last week I read an interesting article which bears mentioning for the long-term price of gold. Indian Union State Minister for Mines T. Subbarami Reddy told a seminar in India that the Indian Central Government has decided to stop the importing of gold and diamonds within the next 10 years and that the government plans on emphasizing the exploration of diamond and gold in the nation’s five gold and diamond states.
While this does not affect the price of gold today it is a significant piece of news that bears watching for the long-term.

gold watch

This time it is an automatic watch with the VBL347 retrograde movement and calendar and moon phase complication.

Encased in a medium sized 42mm body from brushed and polished 18K rose gold, this elegant timepiece features an exquisite, multiple-texture dial and a fresh-looking retrograde moonphase indicator.

Just as you can see on the photos (and in the recent “Iron Man” blockbuster), the other two retrograde dials at 9 and 3 o’clock show the day of the week and the date respectively.

Only 300 pieces of the Bvlgari Diagono Retrograde Moonphase rose gold watch will go on sale.

Bvlgari Diagono Retrograde Moonphase rose gold watch specification:

Price range: N/A
Movement: Automatic, Bvlgari caliber BVL347 with 46 jewels
Complications: Date, day of the week, moon phase, retrograde
Power reserve: 44 hours
Case material: 18K rose gold
Case diameter: 42mm
Case height: N/A
Dial: Black, decorated with Perlage and Traits Tirés treatment
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Brown alligator strap with an 18K rose gold buckle
Crystal: Sapphire

Price range: N/A
Movement: Automatic, Bvlgari caliber BVL347 with 46 jewels
Complications: Date, day of the week, moon phase, retrograde
Power reserve: 44 hours
Case material: 18K rose gold
Case diameter: 42mm
Case height: N/A
Dial: Black, decorated with Perlage and Traits Tirés treatment
Water resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Brown alligator strap with an 18K rose gold buckle
Crystal: Sapphire

Gold is a pleasure

Gold is a pleasure to own and possess, as many people have discovered throughout the ages and around the world. Gold is a very stubborn element when it comes to reacting to or combining with other elements. Keeping this in mind helps to explain many things about gold. There are very few true gold ores, besides native gold, because it forms a major part of only a few rare minerals, it is found as little more than a trace in a few others or it is alloyed to a small extent with other metals such as silver. Gold is almost indestructible and has been used and then reused for centuries to the extent that all gold of known existence is almost equal to all the gold that has ever been mined. Gold is a great medium metal for jewelry, as it never tarnishes. Native gold wires emerging from massive white quartz

can make for a visually stunning specimen.

A few of the minerals that bear gold in their respective formulas are in a subclass of sulfides called the tellurides. The element gold seems to have an affinity for tellurium and this is one of the only elements that gold can bond with easily. In fact only a few rare tellurides are found without gold. A few of the tellurides are nagyagite, calaverite, sylvanite and krennerite. These are all minor ores of gold and their contributions to the supply of gold pales next to native gold's own contribution. Occasionally these minerals are associated with native gold.

There are a number of minerals that are aptly named "Fool's Gold" because only a fool could believe they are gold! Actually, it is easy for people who see shiny golden colored flakes sparkling at them from some rock they just picked up to believe that they have struck pay-dirt. Gold's ductility, sectility, density and softness are usually sufficient to distinguish it from the much cheaper imposters. The most famous "fool's gold" is the very common sulfide, pyrite. Chalcopyrite, marcasite and just about any golden colored sulfide has been also proven to be worthy the "fool's gold" moniker. Weathered flakes of biotite which can sport a bright yellow color and a nice flash of light when viewed just right have also been mistaken for gold.

Gold specimens are sometimes artistically stunning and a good investment as well. After all, it is gold, which never seems to lose its value. Good natural specimens are more expensive than their actual weight value. This is to be expected as good gold crystals are somewhat scarce (most are disolved, crushed, or melted down as part of the mining process) and the only justification for preserving a specimen is the expectation that it will bring a higher price in its natural state.

GOLD

"My good pal Kevin over at Moviefone just sent over a link to a blog that's posting what they claim is a list of this year's Academy Award winners -- saying, 'We don't know who leaked this, but thanks a bunch! Enjoy folks.' Of course there's a very good chance it's a fake, but as Kevin noted in our AIM conversation: 'I mean, it looks right... the fact that Best Supporting Actress is outta nowhere somehow lends it credibility.' He's referring to Amy Adams, who this site says is the winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

"But she's not the only surprise in the lot -- both screenplay awards seem a bit fishy, with Best Adapted going to The Reader and Original Screenplay going to In Bruges. Don't get me wrong, I think In Bruges is fantastic -- but will it win the Oscar? Doubt it."