Diamonds and Rubies studded Notebook. Only $350,000

Here comes a $350,000 notebook "inlaid with solid palladium white gold plates in which thousands of brilliant cut diamonds (read 'diamond dust') have been set. The quality is V.V.S. top-Wesselton and the total weight is 80.00 Crt. A unique square cut ruby has been set in both Tulip logos." The company is Tulip E-Go (or was that two-lips?).



They have got some decent hardware to back it up too. The notebook is based on the new AMD Turion CPU, the successor to the Athlon 64. Too bad the round shape of the case limits the (rectangular) screen to only 12.1''. And for $350K at least they'd have RAID-0 drives!

The lineup is absolutely geared at women consumers. The round lines with the integrated handle are supposed to match a purse. The color schemes are also meant to evoke purses. The diamond and gold version is probably just the Dolce & Gabanna version of these laptops, meant to be shown and worn only once on a runway, with the actual consumer lines being much less expensive.



The point here is why do all laptops have to look like bricks? The current market of the straight-lined laptop may just be a market that is still so bedazzled by the technology, that it so far doesn't need to be bedazzled by the looks. Sort of like the era of the Ford Model-T, where "you could have it any color, as long as it was black". But this era will inevitably end, and people are going to get bored by the same old thing.



These boutique laptops like the Tulips and to a lesser extent like the Acer Ferraris, are probably the first in a changing guard. (The picture is of Acer Ferrari 4000, which is not yet released. Its a Turion 64 cpu with a shell made of carbon fibre.) The computers from Alienware and Voodoo have carved out a niche for themselves aswell.

Now only if Tulip could add a vanity mirror!

Keywords:  Diamond,  Notebook,  Tulip,  Acer Ferrari

Sunday Humor - Part 3

A woman tries the door of an up market jeweller's at 6.30 p.m. one Christmas Eve. Finding it locked but there still being a few lights on, she knocks. Only the owner is still there. After weighing her up as a rich looking prospect, he decides to let her in. "I'm sorry to bother you so late", says the woman, " but as I walked past I had an idea. I've already bought my husband a new Lexus, and a BMW for my son, but I thought a gold chain might make a nice little stocking filler. Do you have any 18 ct. gold Albert chains?" "I think we may have one left, madam," said the jeweller, rubbing his hands at the thought of an extra juicy sale as he went to get it from the safe. "This is a lovely one which we have specially made for our most discerning clients. It weighs 200 grams, and I can let you have it for only £30 per gram, so it's a bargain at only £6,000!"
"Mmm," says the customer, "I would prefer an old one as I believe they were better"
"Quite right too, madam, if I may say so, but naturally you realise that the old ones command a hefty premium price?"
"Oh, of course," replies the customer, "but the price isn't an important factor."
"I'll go and check what else we may have", says the jeweller, thinking quickly, and not wanting to miss a sale whose potential seems to be getting better all the time. He takes the chain with him into the workshop, kicks it round the floor a few times, beats it with a hammer, removes the fastener with its tell-tale hallmark and date letter, rubs some old polishing rouge into it before shaking it round the filter of the polishing machine. By now it is unrecognisable. He finds a slightly different fastener, and takes that and the chain out to his patiently waiting customer.
"Wonderful news, madam, this must be your lucky day. Not only have I found a very rare antique Albert chain that we must have been fortunate to acquire in the last few days, but it turns out to be in excellent condition for its age, and I have managed to find a fastener. It looks very dirty and neglected, but if you don't mind waiting while I clean it up, you will see what a wonderful example it is of the ancient chain-maker's art."
"How wonderful", says the lady, "of course I don't mind waiting, I'll be counting the money, I presume you don't mind accepting cash."
"Not at all madam, I'll be as quick as I can. Help yourself to some of our sherry and mince pies, while you're waiting".
Fifteen minutes later, he returns, glowing triumphantly. "My word, this is fortunate. Underneath all that dirt, this has turned out to be a very fine example in excellent condition. Despite that, I can still let you have it for a very reasonable £40 per gram".
"Splendid", says the lady, "how much does that come to?"
"Let's see, 205 grams at £40, that's exactly £8,200".
"Excellent", says the lady, "I'll take both!"
--------------------------
Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Humor - Part 1
Sunday Humor - Part 2

Keywords:  Sunday,  Humor,  Humour,  Joke,  Fun,  Funny

Cannes: All the more dosage of Rocks and Stars

So the latest trend in Cannes is for very fine and feminine jewellery.

Here is the Mexican beauty and jury member, Salma Hayek, arriving at the Festival Palace. See whats she wearing.. Rainbows of fancy coloured diamonds. And to add to the oohs & aahs, those 12-carat diamond earrings fell out and bounced on to the red carpet. Am sure it must have been a moment of panic for Salma Hayek.



And look at Joely Richardson as she arrives for the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR) party. Hard to figure out whats more mesmerizing.. her sexy eyes or the stunning diamond necklace? You tell me.



Now check out the pair of 21-carat drop earrings that Catherine Deneuve was wearing. If thats not enough, she was wearing also 74-carat cuff bracelet. Wow!



And some of the most impressive "show-stopping" jewels are still to come. Catherine Deneuve will wear a sapphire and diamond necklace and matching earrings to the fest's climax Saturday. Lets see if we can get a good picture of hers.

Related Posts:
- Cannes: Scarlett Johansson's Dazzling Choice
- Cannes: A big movie bash or a jewelry bash?

Keywords:  Salma Hayek,  ,  Catherine Deneuve,  Cannes

Cannes: Scarlett Johansson's Dazzling Choice

Some people follow Cannes for the films, others for the stars, but just like WaterDuckling, I follow Cannes for the rocks.

Just check out this Lost In Translation (& Match Point) girl. When 20-year-old Scarlett Johansson stepped on to the red carpet, crowds of paparazzi fought to get the best view of the Girl With a Pearl Earring.



But this time, Scarlett Johansson shunned the pure but "unshowy" conch pearl and instead went with a pair of earrings with rubies and seven-carat, 18th-century Indian diamonds. Phew!! Care to put a pricetag on these earrings?

Related Posts:
- Cannes: All the more dosage of Rocks and Stars
- Cannes: A big movie bash or a jewelry bash?

Keywords:  Earrings,  Scarlett Johansson,  Pearl Earrings,  Cannes

Toasty Thursday

Diamonds.. She will pretty much have to.......



Alright, just kidding! :) Just to cheer you up this Thursday.

But hey, diamonds might just become so common that they'll be pretty much worthless! Thats possible if you take into account the recent major breakthrough in producing diamonds in labs. A 10 carat, half inch thick single crystal diamond was made, at a rapid growth rate like 100 micrometeres per hr, by the chemical vapor deposition process at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory. The goal: A 300 carat beast in whatever shape they want.

Oh well, these are still nowhere in comparison to the largest diamond ever.

Keywords:  Humor,  Fun,  Diamond,  Funny

Sunday Humor - Part 2

Lost Diamond Ring

A cop saw a young blonde woman down on her knees under a streetlight. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Replied the woman, "I dropped my diamond ring and I'm looking for it."

Asked the cop "did you drop it right here?"

"No," responded the blonde, "I dropped it about a block away, but the light's better here."
------------------

Marriage Material

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry.
-Rita Rudner
------------------

Have a good weekend! :)

Sunday Humor - Part 1

Keywords:  Fun,  Joke,  Humor,  Funny

Renee Zellweger misses out on engagement ring

So time to get over with Jennifer Garner's engagement ring scoop aswell as Aguilera's nail-polish matching engagment ring. Its time for NO engagement ring. Renee Zellweger missed out on engagement ring. "Her wedding to Kenny Chesney was planned over such a short span of time, the actress didn't even get an engagement ring." A spokeswoman said: "It wasn't important."

Both just have simple wedding bands. I would say thats sweet.

"I am so incredibly happy," Kenny said. "I may well be the luckiest man alive." No doubt about that.. He saved atleast a couple of hundred thousand dollars. :)

More about the wedding.. The private ceremony took place at Kenny's estate in St. John's in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Zellweger wore white & Kenny wore a big, black cowboy hat. They certainly looked happy but the picture got me thinking.. If a man won't take his hat off for his bride, will he ever take if off? A horrible faux pas. What say?



Oh & Mirror reported that Zellweger wants to start a family. Quizzed on the issue, the Bridget Jones star, 36, said: "Children? Sure."

Keywords: Kenny Chesney, Renee Zellweger, Engagement Ring, Wedding

Laura Bush's new 'do and new bling

Laura Bush, the First Lady has got a complete makeover. She got a new hairdo from Nuri Yurt of Toka Salon, reports Washington Post. While her shimmering new jewelry which amazed everyone at the Saturday night surprise speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner; was done by the jewelry designer Ann Hand. 'Her crystal necklace and matching earrings were the handiwork of Georgetown jewelry designer Ann Hand, who created the set from different sizes of Swarovski crystals. She calls the necklace the Waterfall. And the price? "To tell you the truth, I can't remember," Hand said yesterday.'

The First Lady's glowing looks are also a result of her daily dose of yoga and exercies.

Hey, I think our First Lady surely deserves a second look!!!

Keywords:  Laura Bush,  bush,  jewelry

$11.43 billion Mother's Day

It starts with the counting game: Ten fingers. Ten toes. One little face that will change how a mom looks at the world - and how she views this day in May meant just for her.

You know how special Mom is, and how special she makes you feel whenever you see her. Mom for sure is priceless, but it seems her gifts are not. Here are a few stats from the Forbes article about Mother's Day:

-- There are 82.5 million mothers to be exact, according to the U.S. Census.
-- Mother's Day is the third-largest spending holiday of the year, behind the winter holidays and Valentine's Day. (Father's Day comes 5th)
-- Mother's Day is the busiest Sunday on the Verizon phone network.
-- Shoppers will shell out $11.43 billion to tell mom they love her this Mother's Day.

As for the jewelry, here are few stats:
-- The NRF expects consumers to spend $1.71 billion on jewelry this Mother's Day.
-- Earrings are at the top of moms' wish list followed closely by fashion rings, bracelets and necklaces.
-- 38% of respondents said they'd most like to receive diamonds while only 8% want sapphires, birthstones or plain metal jewelry.

Edited: Jewelry sales increased 79 percent over last year, with diamond sales up 101%, the study found.

Related Posts:
- Mother's Day coming. Have you made the reservations?
- Growth in diamond jewelry market

Keywords:  Mother's Day,  jewelry,  Mom,  Shoppers

Sunday Humor

A Christmas gift

A guy bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas.

After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles."

"She did," he replied. "But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?"
------------------

Diamond Ring

A businessman boarded a plane to find, sitting next to him, an elegant woman wearing the largest, most stunning diamond ring he had ever seen. He asked her about it.

"This is the Klopman diamond," she said. "It is beautiful, but there is a terrible curse that goes with it."

"What's the curse?" the man asked.

"Mr. Klopman."
------------------

Have a good weekend! :)

Keywords:  Jokes,  Christmas,  Ring,  Joke

Now one more reason to visit South Africa

So its not only for the wildlife or the gorgeous beaches that you have to take a holiday to South Africa, but also for the Shimansky Collection, Cape's first diamond museum. The Shimansky Collection offers visitors a speciality tour and the chance to walk through the history and impressive science behind this captivating stone. "In their on-site workshop, visitors can also witness the art of diamond cutting and polishing, as well as jewellery design and manufacturing." Pretty interesting stuff, eh?

And if you get a chance, heres one more diamond museum: Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Israel. They currently have an exhibit of traditional diamond jewelry from Jaipur, India. "Pendants, rings, bracelets and decorative containers with diamonds cut and set in the Rajasthan tradition comprise the collection. The pieces have intricate designs in gold, enamel, diamond and precious stones and reflect the Mogul influence on jewelry design in India in the 17th century." Beautiful.

Keywords:  Diamonds,  Museum,  South Africa,  Israel,  travel

Guess who is wearing this right hand ring?

Thats our J.Lo as she arrives at New Line Cinema's Premiere of "Monster In Law" at the Mann National Theatre on April 29, 2005 in Westwood, California.

So what say of her right hand ring & that diamond bracelet? Not as brilliant as that 6.1 carat pink diamond that she got from Ben Affleck, is it?

Related Posts:
- J.Lo’s $6 Million Milestone
- Ben there, done that for Ben Affleck

Keywords:  Jennifer Lopez,  Ring,  Ben Affleck

Mumba's diamond web

And while we are at dresses, here is one that has gone down in the record books as being the most expensive dress to be made so far. Its the $13 million diamond studded dress that singer Samantha Mumba wore at the Spider-Man II London premiere last summer.
(Edited: This actually might not be the most expensive one afterall. Check this out aswell.)



Its designed by Scott Henshall, interwoven with web-cut diamonds from Chatila and jewellery from Chatila at the Odeon Leicester Square in London.

Not surprisingly, extra security guards had to be drafted in to make sure none of its 3,000 gems went missing. "I've got tons of bodyguards looking out for me just in case any bits fall off," confessed Sam.

Keywords:  Samantha Mumba,  Diamond

Glittering glamour

Clothes have not escaped the gilded touch. Donatella Versace, of course, has always had a thing for gold. “Why don’t you. . .wear a gold python gold leather trench over your gym clothes,” she suggests in the March edition of Harper’s Bazaar. Well.. I love this Matte Gold Sequined Silk/Cashmere Bolero over summer camis.


hmmm.. setting a few diamonds might have been better though. What say?

Keywords:  Donatella Versace,  Gold

Ben there, done that for Ben Affleck

The Boston Herald reports the engagement ring Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Garner was purchased with the Harry Winston credit he had from returning the 6.1 carat pink diamond he'd given his last fiancee, Jennifer Lopez. The new engagement ring is "a 4.5-carat diamond bridal bling that reportedly cost $500,000, significantly less than the pink J. Lo rock."


Garner's garnet grief
(just heard.. Jennifer Garner is rumoured to be pregnant)

Remember, it's the thought that counts Jen. Right?

Oh! and don't forget to read what Diamond Diva has to add to this.

Related Posts:
- J.Lo’s $6 Million Milestone
- Guess who is wearing this right hand ring?

Keywords:  Ben Affleck,  Jennifer Garner,  Engagement Ring

Aguilera's engagement ring altered to match her nail paint

Pop singer Christina Aguilera's fianci Jordan Bratman had to make last minute alterations to her engagement ring, after he realised that it would not match with the nail paint that she was wearing. hmmm... and btw the price tag on this engagement ring is 'only' $114,000 dollar.



"I'd asked Stephen (the designer) to create a ring with one big diamond surrounded by lots of light pink ones. But when I went home that evening, I noticed that Christina was wearing this pink nail varnish she loves, which would clash with the diamonds," Jordan was quoted by Femalefirst as saying.

And here is some scoop on Christina's tit for tat with Britney.

Keywords:  Christina Aguilera,  Jordan Bratman,  Engagement Ring