Celebrity Life
Statement watches to gift that someone special this Christmas
Top-tier timepieces for the horological connoisseur. PS: Some are special orders and may require a bit of a wait.
The post Statement watches to gift that someone special this Christmas appeared first on The Peak Magazine.
Statement watches to gift that someone special this Christmas
Top-tier timepieces for the horological connoisseur. PS: Some are special orders and may require a bit of a wait.
For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.
Antoine Pin, head of Bvlgariâs watch division, on how the house is navigating challenging times
The watch industry veteran on taking the long view with flexibility, patience and plenty of repetition.
The post Antoine Pin, head of Bvlgariâs watch division, on how the house is navigating challenging times appeared first on The Peak Magazine.
Antoine Pin, head of Bvlgariâs watch division, on how the house is navigating challenging times
The watch industry veteran on taking the long view with flexibility, patience and plenty of repetition.
For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.
Legendary perfumer Alberto Morillas talks about his latest work with Bvlgari and sustainable fragrances
What the future will smell like? The Firmenich master perfumer shares.
The post Legendary perfumer Alberto Morillas talks about his latest work with Bvlgari and sustainable fragrances appeared first on The Peak Magazine.
Legendary perfumer Alberto Morillas talks about his latest work with Bvlgari and sustainable fragrances
What the future will smell like? The Firmenich master perfumer shares.
For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.
The 7 Handbags of the Season
Fifty metres underground â this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'ArdĂšche.
The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.
A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.
On December 12, 1,000 bottles of CĂŽtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.
Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.
On land and sea
These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.
The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.
Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.
The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.
In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."
The post The 7 Handbags of the Season appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
Celebrating the Birthstone for August: Peridot
In celebration of August's gorgeous green birthstone, the gem of the sun, Peridot.
If there ever was an underdog of gemstones, peridot -- pronounced pear-a-dot (or doe if you want to sound French) -- would be it. Overshadowed by more famous gemstones in recent years, the August birthstone has a remarkable history and formation process. Typically coloured lemony-green, its value depends on its intensity and size. The peridot boasts a rich history that harks back to ancient Egypt, and was once highly celebrated for its many mystical virtues.
Peridot Background
As Egypt's national gem, the peridot is steeped in the country's legends. It's said that Pharaoh Tutankhamen wore a pendant of the gemstone while many historians believe that Cleopatra's emeralds were actually peridots. The peridot is also prominent in Christianity and is repeatedly mentioned as "chrysolite" in the Bible; scholars theorise that Aaron, brother of Moses, wore a peridot on his breastplate. Also, it's been confirmed that it's actually 200-ct peridots, and not emeralds, which decorate the shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Germanyâs Cologne Cathedral.
The peridot is also well-known for its healing properties. People consumed medicine from peridot goblets, believing that doing so would boost its potency. It's also seen as the feel-good crystal with extraordinary powers. Many see it as an antidepressant that shields its wearers from negative energy and acts as a tonic for heartaches; others see it as a "study stone" that blesses its wearers with mental focus. Popularly, it's believed to give its wearers the strength and vision to achieve one's deepest desires.
Precious Peridots
The peridot is one of only two gems â the other being the diamond â that's not created in the earth crust. Most are formed deep in the earth's mantle and brought to its surface through earthquakes and tectonic activity. Dubbed the "gem of the sun", peridots have an extraterrestrial edge: Some of the oldest of its kind have been found in palasite meteorites, derived billions of years ago during the formation of the solar system.
The August birthstone is also one of the few gemstones that only exists in a single colour. What gives it its rich green colour is fine traces of iron. The more iron exists in the stone, the deeper the shade and the higher the value of a peridot. Peridot is typically sold in three to 5ct while those between 10 to 15ct are rare. The largest peridot in the world currently weighs at 310ct and sits at the Smithsonian museum.
Check the gallery below for our favourite four pieces of jewellery featuring the August birthstone, which don't just make big and bold accents for your jewellery collection, but act as fantastic conversation starters.
[gallery ids="209278,209276,209277,209279"]
This story first appeared on Prestige Online Singapore
The post Celebrating the Birthstone for August: Peridot appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
Most Coveted: Bvlgari, Chanel, Dom PĂ©rignon, Dior and More
When it comes to luxury, you can rest assured that Prestige has it covered.
But with the sheer multitude, let alone variety, released regularly on the landscape, it can become rather difficult to figure out the best from the rest or to even pick up the newest and most exciting. As luck would have it, our editors are forever on the look out: discovering on-the-rise labels, picking up new products from cult brands and the finding the most desirable items there are. So for those that are curious what that might be, keep scrolling to discover what made the cut in our weekly Most Coveted list.
The post Most Coveted: Bvlgari, Chanel, Dom PĂ©rignon, Dior and More appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
Bvlgari Explores Roman Heritage With New Collection
Bvlgari Explores Roman Heritage With New Collection â The Bvlgari Barocko High Jewellery collection honours 130 years of Roman heritage and the baroque period from 1600 â 180, some of the greatest periods of European history.
â Diorâs Exclusive Pop-Up Store Has Stunning Mediterranean Viewsâ
â Color Schemes For A Luxurious Dining Roomâ
Rome is a very important place in Bvlgariâs history, and as the Covid-19 crisis in Italy worsened, the brand was one of the first large jewellery houses to respond with a major donation to the Lazzaro Spallanzani hospital in the city.
Continue reading Bvlgari Explores Roman Heritage With New Collection at Luxxu Blog.
The Statement High Jewellery to Obsess Over This Season
The latest gemstone jewellery designs scream loud colours and big statements. Think opals, pink diamonds, spinels, and conch pearls from jewellers such as Graff, Harry Winston, and Bvlgari.
Pink Diamond
The strongest naturally occurring substance on earth, diamonds were first referenced in Sanskrit texts as early as 400BC. Coloured diamonds, however, are extremely rare with only one natural coloured stone found for every 10,000 colourless diamonds. Factors that determine a coloured diamondâs value include hue, tone and saturation. Microscopic amounts of trace elements and distortions, pressure or carbon atoms interacting with an element can effect a colour change in diamonds. For instance, the presence of hydrogen creates pink, purple and red diamonds, while boron absorption results in blue diamonds. The mines where these rarities are discovered are quickly becoming depleted, making them even more heart-stoppingly expensive.
This Graff white and rose gold set ring flaunts a 5.63-carat pear-shaped fancy vivid purplish pink diamond, which is flanked by two fancy intense pink pear-shaped diamonds. Cut and polished from an extremely rare 13.33-carat pink rough diamond discovered at the renowned Letseng mine in Lesotho, it was purchased by Laurence Graff for over US$8.7 million (S$12.1 million), breaking the record dollar per carat price of any Letseng diamond.
Black Opal
This glittering âblackâ gem with a holographic effect sets itself apart from the other types of opals, thanks to carbon and iron oxide traces. Its unusually dark body tone also allows the rainbow-like hues to radiate more vividly than in lighter opals. Australia produces over 90 per cent of the worldâs opals, with Lightning Ridge being the most prestigious and frequently featured in high jewellery for its rare black opals. They are so much harder to find now that an exceptional gem-quality specimen can fetch up to A$15,000 (S$14,550) per carat. The scarcity of this delicate mineral (its hardness is 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale) is further compounded by high fuel prices and lease fees that make mining very costly.
A ribbon motif highlights Tiffany & Co.âs unparalleled level of craftsmanship in this remarkable platinum-set brooch. Showcasing an oval cabochon black opal of over 37 carats with baguette sapphires and diamonds totalling more than 23 carats, this pieceâs clean and organic aesthetics belie its complexity of craftsmanship.
Spessartite Garnet
Although most spessartites originate from Africa today, the vivid orange or reddish orange mineral got its name from Spessart, Bavaria, in Germany where it was first discovered. One of the rarer garnets, it is an idiochromatic gem, which means it is coloured by a fundamental element â manganese in this instance â in its composition rather than impurities. Combining a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale with excellent brilliance and sparkle, the gem is attractive to collectors as it is almost always completely natural and untreated. Since large, top-grade garnets are no longer found in mines today, one with a saturated pure mandarin orange hue is the rarest and most valuable.
This spectacular Harry Winston ring from the Winston Candy collection features a 16.69-carat oval spessartite garnet in a vivid mandarin, which is set on platinum in bold contrast with pear-shaped turquoise cabochons and scintillating round diamonds.
Imperial topaz
The most sought after and valuable natural topaz, this gemâs name originated in 19th-century Russia to honour the czar, as the Ural Mountain mines were a leading source of the stone. Like the colours of the setting sun, imperial topaz is defined to include yellow, red, pink, lavender-pink or pink- orange, with the natural pink variety being very rare. While orange, pink and red topaz now come mainly from Ouro PrĂȘto in Brazil, fine pink topaz also hails from Pakistanâs Katlang area. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, and is also highly prized for its brilliance and glassy lustre with few inclusions.
From Cartierâs High Jewellery collection Magnitude, the enthralling Mauna necklace showcases three bicoloured Brazilian imperial topazes âtwo octagonal and one pear-shaped with an ombrĂ© effect â weighing a total of 21.91 carats. Accompanied by diamonds, sapphires and rutilated quartz, the striking colours and design cascade like lava flowing from volcano.
Conch pearl
Beloved for their pretty hues, which range from white to pink to golden, conch pearls are among the rarest and priciest pearl types in the world. A calcareous concretion produced by the queen conch mollusc, the pearls most often used in high jewellery are pink and oval-shaped. The finest specimens also bear a flame-like motif and a smooth porcelain surface. About 10,000 conches must be harvested before a single pearl can be found, with less than 10 per cent considered gem quality.
The 2020 Black Label Masterpiece V Cameron Falls Earrings from Cindy Chaoâs Aquatic Collection are inspired by Canadaâs Cameron Falls, which is renowned for its pink hue in the rainy spring/summer season due to the regionâs similarly coloured sedimentary rocks. The main highlights of this sculptural creation â a pair of natural conch pearls totalling 10.24 carats â are accentuated by lavish streams of pink sapphires and purple garnets set on anodised titanium. The movement of water is depicted by white diamonds and fancy-coloured rose-cut diamonds.
Spinel
This gemstone comes in a rainbow spectrum of colours that range from intense red and hot pink, to shades of blue and purple, and even grey and black. The most precious hues are ruby red from the famed Mogok Valley in Myanmar and cobalt blue from Vietnamâs Luc Yen mine. Spinel has a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, and a signature property of the gem is that it is singly refractive. Light enters the crystal and only bends in one beam, resulting in it being more brilliant than rubies or sapphires.
Gracing this ring set in ethical 18k white gold from Chopardâs Red Carpet Collection 2020 is a 4.7-carat pear-shaped spinel, two half-moon diamonds and brilliants. Its crimson hue is so vivid that it is little wonder that red spinels have been long mistaken for rubies until modern-day technological advancements in gemology could differentiate the two.
Rubellite
Highly prized and priced because of its rarity and vibrant beauty, the rubellite hails from the colourful tourmaline family. With its name derived from the Latin word rubellus, which means reddish, it features trace amounts of manganese that gives it its colour, which varies from luscious red to violet to dramatic pink. This is one of the few gemstones where the presence of inclusions is a benefit. Mainly found in Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria and Pakistan, a genuine rubellite must hold its colour regardless of the light source.
A drop-cut 66.41-carat rubellite with outstanding transparency and intense colour steals the limelight on the Meraviglia collar from Bvlgariâs Cinemagia high jewellery collection. Set in 18k white gold, it also features 10 pear-shaped pink tourmalines and amethysts totalling 9.88 carats, five pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds of 5.12 carats, and 116.93 carats of dazzling diamonds knitted into a sensual, flexible and precious piece of lace.
Hawk's eye
Famed for its chatoyancy (the optical effect of a reflective band of light), this gemstone is a pseudomorph of quartz â a mineral that is replaced by another over time while retaining its external shape. Hawkâs eye is essentially an unoxidised form of tigerâs eye. Its formation begins when blue crocidolite is dissolved by quartz and traces of iron oxide remain. Less iron results in the blue hue of hawkâs eye, while more iron gives it the brownish gold colour of tigerâs eye. With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, the colour of the opaque gemstone with a silky lustre ranges from blue-grey to blue-green.
From Chaumetâs collection of TrĂ©sors dâAilleurs High Jewellery rings, a deep blue sugarloaf hawkâs eye takes centre stage on the Artemisia ring. Set in 18k yellow gold with rock crystal and brilliant-cut diamonds, the regal piece combines a sense of monumental splendour with intricate details.
Art Direction: Aaron Lee
The post The Statement High Jewellery to Obsess Over This Season appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.