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The Million Dollar Diamond Wedding Cake

February 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
diamond wedding cake

Diamond Wedding Cake

Now this really takes the cake! Delicious Cakes and Dallas Gold and Silver Exchange collaborated in making the world’s most expensive wedding cake, a 1,200 carat, $1 million diamond wedding cake to be exact. Owner of Delicious Cakes, Butch Stivers, was quoted as saying: “We wanted to do something different this year… we do the Dallas Bridal Show so many years…” He explained that the economy, being as bad as it currently is, prompted them to make something a little more special, and a little more glamorous “…we wanted to do something that the new brides-to-be could see and dream about and get their minds off everything else that’s going on.”

This stunning and expensive confection is an impressive nine tiers, and is decorated with sparkling silvery icing, glittering diamonds and intense blue sapphires. The precious gemstones were carefully arranged on the cake’s sides, in twisting, climbing vine and scroll patterns, which resemble intricately worked diamond jewelry.

This glamorous diamond wedding cake was made to star in the annual Dallas Bridal Show. While on display, the expensive cake was placed under a heavily armed guard, which made sure that the onlookers look but not touch. And yes! In case you were wondering, the wedding cake is for sale! The diamond cake’s price is a whopping $1.3 million. The cake was designed to be edible (after you remove the diamond and precious gemstone embellishments of course). Apparently, this fabulous dessert weighs approximately a hundered and sixty pounds, serves over 300 people, which comes to more than $3,000 for a single slice of cake!

The diamond wedding cake is just the latest in a long line of diamond encrusted, over-the-top bridal accessories. The diamond and precious gemstone encrusted confection is joined by the 150 carat, diamond wedding dress, which was fashioned by world-renowned jeweler Martin Katz along with designer Renee Strauss. The dress comes equipped with a delicate lace veil, set with sparkly rhinestones which match the gorgeous, creamy satin, diamond adorned dress. This amazing dress was valued at an astounding $ 12 million, which makes it the world’s most expensive wedding dress. The dress has yet to be sold.

Obviously, these pricy articles were not meant for the everyday consumer, or for a bride on a budget. They were designed as novelty, fantasy items, spectacular yet unattainable. Diamond bridal tiaras, diamond brooches, earrings, necklaces and bracelets are a little more feasible, and definitely more affordable, as bridal accessories. Nowadays, a bride doesn’t have to have an overblown budget in order to afford a little bling on her wedding day. Diamond bridal jewelry can now be rented out for the special occasion. A bride need only put down a deposit, which is just a slight percentage of the diamond encrusted item’s actual retail price, and she’ll get the diamond jewelry of her dreams. And don’t worry, the rented pieces are insured against possible loss, theft or damage. So, you can look like the royalty that you are on your wedding day without having to pay impossible prices.

 

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Food and Diamond Combos – Easy On The Eyes, Hard On The Stomach

December 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Engagement ProposalHiding a stunning diamond engagement ring inside a piece of chocolate cake when proposing to your significant other is one thing, but lately the elite have taken the whole diamond-food combo concept to a whole new level of madness.

The dazzling life of the rich and famous has always included expensive food and drinks and pricey jewelry. Usually, however, these two ideas were separate. Well, not anymore! Today everything seems to be undergoing extravagant upgrades as stunning gemstones are being juxtaposed in the oddest places – even in food! Why settle for a $500 bottle of champagne when just a handful of diamond studs can up its value by thousands of dollars?

Food and diamond combinations are no longer only part of a once in a lifetime romantic gesture. The affluent members of high society are mixing expensive diamonds and edibles like there’s no tomorrow. Diamonds today can be found in cakes, cookies, pears, berries, pineapple, even sushi. A man named Athur Von Lotzamunie, for example, bought a diamond studded pineapple through the Sotheby’s south pacific auction house, which he now keeps on display. It really all depends on the impression you want to leave on your dinner guests. If you can imagine it and if you can afford it, food & diamond blends are available for you.

Of course, a major sub-trend of the food & diamond idea is “bling-bling wedding cakes.” If there is one event in which men and women of means wish to be as flashy as they can be and to flaunt their extravagant lifestyles, it is their wedding day. Along with diamond necklaces, diamond rings, diamond earrings, diamond bracelets, diamond cuffs and diamond hair pieces, and the diamond studded jewelry often adorning a bride’s bouquet, there is of course the wedding cake to consider. The wedding cake serves as another opportunity to be artistic, sparkly and show off those gemstones so it was only a matter of time before diamond wedding cakes came along.

To date, the most expensive wedding cake ever sculpted is a $20 million diamond cake designed by Mimi So Jewelers together with Nahid La Patisserie Artistique. The extravagant diamond wedding cake was unveiled at the Luxury Brands Bridal Show which was held on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Where else? The diamond cake was guarded by uniformed security guards around the clock. It is not edible. To quote Ilona Sherman, the organizer of the event: “Diamonds are too hard on the stomach.” It would probably be a safety hazard as well, putting eaters in danger of choking with every bite. Oh well, that’s unfortunate. This is one wedding cake that would have been worth the calories.

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Man Drops Diamond Engagement Ring from Hot Air Balloon

November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
hot air balloon diamond engagement ring

Hot Air Balloon Diamond Engagement Ring

You’d think a person would be careful enough with a precious diamond ring not to drop it from a hot air balloon – especially in the midst of a wedding proposal! But that is exactly what happened to Ohioan James Ng.

Seven days ago, Ng had all the pieces in place for the perfect proposal. He had organized a surprise hot air balloon ride with his girlfriend, Sonya Bostic, to make the moment memorable and romantic.

At about 500 feet above West Brach State Park, the 26 year old church pastor decided to make his move. Ng reached for his camera case where he had hidden the box holding the one-carat diamond engagement ring. But as he pulled out the case, he watched in horror when it clumsily slipped out of his hands and toppled down into the woods below.

According to Ng, the case seemed to have just popped over the edge. It hit a tree, fluttered around and spun all the way down. The proposal plans were destroyed and the diamond engagement ring was seemingly lost forever.

Ng couldn’t believe it. After crying out ” Oh no, what’s the name of this lake? What’s the name of this lake?!” Sonya Bostic caught on. She immediately knew that her engagement ring had been lost. So Ng went on with the wedding proposal, dropped down on one knee in all of his desperation, and Bostic said yes. If Ng set out to organize a memorable proposal, he’d done that and more.

Once the newly engaged couple landed, they immediately started researching the West Branch State Park. They spoke with the balloon company, and tried to get a sense of where the case might have dropped. It was all very methodical and organized. After using Google Maps to recreate the route of the balloon and sitting for hours with friends to plot possible flight paths, Ng went on foot to search for the lost camera case holding the precious diamond engagement ring. He broke down his search into grids and scoured the ground for a full week.

In the meantime, Ng tried to find a way to make the loss of the diamond engagement ring up to his new fiancé. He tied a twist-tie around her finger before going to Wal-Mart to buy a nine dollar temporary replacement ring. I guess if that’s the best he could do, then it has to be considered romantic, right? * Well, after seven days of searching the woods, Ng and a friend spotted the camera bag in dense brush. Amazingly, of all the items that had been in the camera case – camera, film, lenses and all, the only thing that remained in the case was the small box with the diamond engagement ring. Everything else had spilled out during the turbulent fall. Ng is sure that it was a miracle from God.

Yes, miraculously, Ng recovered a whole year’s worth of savings in that diamond ring, and was able to propose more gracefully. He got back down on his knee, put the diamond engagement ring on her finger, and it fit perfectly.

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Golden Boy: Saudi Tycoon Orders Gold Sex Toy for $50,000

August 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
ruby

Ruby

You can’t put a price tag on the “family jewels”, but a Saudi businessman came close this month when he ordered a solid gold penis enlarger, studded with 40 diamonds plus several rubies!

Priced at $47,000, the bejeweled gold sex toy shatters records as the priciest adult novelty item ever produced. Since the import of sex toys is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, the gold and diamond penis enlarger was certified as a medical device by the US government. The order is scheduled for special delivery to Saudi Arabia this October, in an armored vehicle.

The wealthy businessman, whose identity is unknown, although he’s known to live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ordered the “male health accessory” from the X4 Labs, a Canadian company that manufactures medical devices.

Apparently the company didn’t take the order seriously at first, but when he sent in a down payment with his order, X4 understood that he meant business. At first he asked for a gold device, then later added the request to encrust the gold with diamonds and rubies.

The businessman’s rationale for ordering a gold version of the device was that he’s got a skin allergic towards stainless steel. Normally, the men’s health accessories market for about $400.

Not proficient in gold and diamonds, the medical laboratory had to recruit the assistance of a Montreal jeweler in designing and assembling the device. The company called the order a “historical benchmark” in the industry of adult novelties, and expects that it may launch a new trend.

X4 now offers the option of custom designs to all of its clientele, because apparently there’s a market niche of people whose purse strings are loose when it comes to lavish health “accessories”.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with indulging every now and again.

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Diamonds Are a Pop Star’s Best Friend

August 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Marilyn Monroe changed the status of diamonds forever when she famously crooned “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blonds. But the platinum blond starlet wasn’t the only musician to be inspired by the flashy sparkle of diamond jewelry. Diamonds feature prominently in the lyrics of dozens of modern pop songs and all-time favorite tunes. Here’s a little rundown of the most famous song lyrics about diamonds and what they mean.

A second glance at the lyrics of “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” reveals a pretty cynical wordsmith. The gist of it is twofold: first off, exploiting men for their money is just grand, and secondly, women get old and ugly and men might dump you, but at least that diamond jewelry is still worth something. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” was first sung by Carol Channing in the Broadway version of Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, but it was Marilyn’s seductive rendition in the film adaptation that really etched the song in history.

kanye_west

Kanye West

Dame Shirley Bassey’s recording of “Diamonds are Forever” for the 1971 Bond film is another old-school diamond favorite. Another sexy but cynical world view: men suck, diamonds rule – basically, diamonds are better at keeping a girl warm at night than men are.

Who can write about diamond lyrics without mentioning the Beatles’ hit “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”? Here, though, the role of the diamonds is a bit more cryptic and trippy. An abbreviation for LSD? Who knows?

Then there’s Pink Floyd’s nine-part magnum opus “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”, a tribute song to former Floydian Syd Barrett, who’s apparently the “crazy diamond” in the song, because he’ll go on shining forever like the brightest and firiest gem on earth.

Modern pop stars do diamonds proud too – and tend to be a bit less blatantly materialistic than their musical predecessors: Kanye West has a social agenda in his Grammy winning song “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, which samples Count Bassey’s original tune, but rails against blood diamonds and underage kids working in diamond mines in Africa.

Diamonds are a metaphor for loyalty and excelling in Kylie Minogue’s “White Diamond and Katy Perry sings that she’s “gotta be a diamond” in the song “Diamonds”. There’s the Arcade Fire’s “Headlights Look Like Diamonds” and the list goes on and on.

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The 150 Carat Diamond Wedding Dress

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Diamond Wedding Dress

Diamond Wedding Dress

Meet the most expensive wedding attire ever to be constructed. The 150 carat $12 million wedding dress! (Talk about bling!)

World-renowned jeweler Martin Katz along with designer Renee Strauss, have recently unveiled their latest, most expensive creation. A wedding dress encrusted with a total weight of 150 carats in diamonds and valued at a whopping $12 million. The creamy white, heart-shaped bodice is set with a stunning array of diamonds, which trail down to the dress’s amazing full-length, satin skirt in beautiful and dazzling patterns.

The dress’s veil is laced with rhinestone rather than with diamonds. One can only reason that the veil would become too heavy to wear comfortably if it too were to be set with diamonds.

The diamond wedding dress has yet to be purchased. It is not certain whether the designers plan on putting the dress up for general auction or whether they had designed the dress with a specific customer in mind.

In case you were wondering, the world’s second most expensive wedding gown is a dress designed by Yumi Katsura. The gown is laced with approximately 1,000 pearls and includes two stunning 5 carat white-gold tinged diamonds. The dress was insured for around $8 million.

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Shiny First Lady – Michelle Obama’s Innovative Jewelry Style

July 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The new hope and invigorated atmosphere, which were aroused by the election of Barack Obama, may comprise another positive innovative aspect, some would say a more superficial one, in the jewelry style of first lady Michelle Obama. In contrast to past first ladies, which either lacked a fashion taste (somebody mentioned Mrs. Bush?) or wore only fancy and glamorous diamond jewelry, Mrs. Obama proves that things can be done in a more tasteful and modest manner.

‘Modest’ isn’t a suitable adjective for the earrings Obama wore on election night, along with the designer red and black dress, but that was a truly once in a lifetime event. Much has been written and said about these earring, and many gemologists even appraised them through their TV screen. The large dangling diamond earrings were apparently 18K white gold, with oval and pear designs, embedded with many small diamonds. The item is worth about $11,000, not bad for a first lady’s first night premiere.

That’s what so inspiring about Michelle Obama’s style. She isn’t avoiding fancy jewelry and certainly do care about her appearance, but still most of the time her style remains both down to earth and graceful. Many of Obama’s jewelry items are sentimental and quite small. Whether it is the pendant engraved with the word hope, simple stud earrings, elegant pearls or beautiful brooches she often wears, when it comes to jewelry fashion Obama can be a true role model for American women. Who would have thought that we would learn to appreciate affordable jewelry by the model of no other than the first lady of the United States. Women who in fact want to copy her style can find items similar to those Obama often wears in jewelry and design stores.

What remains unclear is how Michelle Obama acquires her valuable items. More than once she said that her family do not receive jewelry gifts and rather purchases their items with their own wealth. But still, does she pick everything by herself or does she have friends that are familiar with her style, and do stylists play a significant role in choosing her apparel and jewelry?

It is unclear whether president Obama is responsible for his wife expensive diamond jewelry items. Some rumors claim that the election night’s $11,000 earring were actually an anniversary gift that Michelle received from her beloved husband. True or not, Barack Obama does have a good taste when it comes to diamonds, evident in the valuable expensive ring he gave his wife more than 15 years ago. Additional sparkling necklaces were also bestowed from the president to his first lady throughout the years.

michelle and barack obama, election night_0

Michelle and Barack Obama on Election Night

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