Jewelry for your floor?

Well, why not? If I had $5,458,500 lying around, I might buy one too!

Last week Sotheby's sold an amazing jewel-studded carpet made entirely of diamonds, pearls, rubies and emeralds for just that amount. Crafted in the 1860s as a gift for the tomb of the Prophet Mohammad in Medina, Saudi Arabia, the carpet was created under the auspices of Gaekwar Kande Rao, the maharajah of Baroda, a former kingdom in northwest India.

The carpet is approximately 5x8' in size, and took hundreds of craftsmen over five years to complete. It contains one and a half million of the fabled 'Basra' pearls, which were harvested in the southern Gulf region and along the coasts of Qatar and Bahrain. Instantly legendary, the Pearl Carpet of Baroda is mentioned by foreign travellers as early as 1880.

Not a bad piece of house-bling, huh?

We now have an online shop!

Hello there - and Happy Last Day of Winter to you! Spring is in the air and we're excited about our own "new growth" - our Etsy shop! You can visit us and shop online at here. We'll also have a little sampling of our inventory here on the blog - over there to the right, yep, right there!

If you haven't shopped Etsy before, it is FABULOUS! All hand-made items, with something for every taste and budget. Come by and visit us, and let us know what you think!

Springing forward...

Hello there! Did everyone remember to turn their clocks ahead one hour last night? Yes, we have officially sprung forward! While I am not a big fan of losing an hour of sleep, I do have to admit I am excited about the coming of spring...Atlanta is sooooo gorgeous when things start blooming, that it is completely worth all the allergy medication I will soon have to consume! And I love that the weather is warming up too....Yay for our town having nearly endless outdoor eating spots. Not much beats kicking back on a patio and enjoying the view.

I started thinking about our next holiday - St. Patrick's Day - and thought it might be fun to "go green" for this post and talk emeralds. Let's take a peek at some of the world's most famous green stones:

The stunning Mackay Emerald was mined in Muzo, Colombia and is the largest cut emerald in the National Gem Collection of the Smithsonian. The art deco style necklace was a wedding gift in 1931 from Clarence Mackay to his wife Anna Case Mackay. The emerald weighs 167.97 carats and is set in platinum with 35 emeralds and 2,191 colorless brilliant and step cut diamonds.

The Topkapi Emerald Dagger, on display at the Treasury of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul Turkey, is 35 centimeters long. It given as a gift from the Shah Nadir to the Sultan Mahmud I. The three large emeralds are described as pigeon-egg sized - I'm not exactly sure how big that is, but it sounds pretty big!

The Hooker Emerald, on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, consists of a superb 75.47carat Colombian emerald. Once the property of Abdul Hamid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1876-1909). Tiffany & Co. acquired the emerald and mounted it in the current brooch setting in 1950. Mrs. Janet Annenberg Hooker purchased the brooch from Tiffany in 1955, and in 1977 she donated it to the Smithsonian Institution.

The Maximilian Emerald is a 21.04-carat, emerald-cut, deep grass-green stone, believed to have belonged to Cuauhtemoc, the last king of the Aztec Empire, who was martyred trying to defend his homeland from the Spanish in the 1525. The ring gets its name from its one time owner, Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, the archduke of Austria and the younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph (1848-1916), who was installed as the Emperor of Mexico in 1864 by Napoleon III.

The Mughal emerald is a magnificent historic carved emerald, belonging to the period of the last of the four great Mughal Emperors of India who reigned between 1658 and 1707. The emerald, which undoubtedly is of Colombian origin, weighs 217.80 carats. It is carved with intricate floral designs on one side and beautiful Arabic calligraphy in the Naksh script on the other. The dimensions of the emerald are 52 x 40 x 12 mm, and the mid-point of each of the four sides of the rectangle has been drilled for attachments, so that the gemstone could be mounted and worn as a talisman, with the Arabic inscriptions facing outwards.

Hope you enjoyed that - think green and spring!

Calling All Brides!

Come see us and enjoy some treats - We'll have our newest sterling silver necklaces on display, and all the best wedding professionals on hand to help make your day! It's the Bella Weddings Spring Soiree at Chocolate Pink Pastry Cafe - This Thursday, 2/26 from 6-10pm - Don't miss it!

Are you ready for Valentine's Day??

Well? Are you? If not, we can help! We have a couple of fabulous and affordable pieces left from Saturday's event (more on that below) that could be just the ticket!

First of all we have our new sterling silver single-letter Echos - Several letters are already made and any can be ordered - Only $190 each! Here are some lovely Rs:

We also have two gorgeous sterling silver hearts available - Valentine's Bargain ALERT - $90 each!!

We had a great time at the Catwalk Meets Canvas event Saturday evening - Thanks to everyone that came out to support the High Museum. A big shout-out to our new friends at Top Atlanta Luxury - we are thrilled to be one of your event faves! Much appreciation also goes out to Lamia Aouassi from O'Clair de Lune for being our impromptu model. Be sure to check her site out for the most gorgeous lingerie around - J'adore!

Our first event of 2009!

We're very pleased to be participating in Catwalks Meet Canvas - a very cool new event benefiting The High Museum.

Join us on January 31, 2009 for a relaxing evening in an elegant and luxurious environment, the spectacular town homes of Regents Park at Peachtree Battle. Three beautiful town homes will be open for a progressive evening featuring an art and fashion marketplace. Enjoy the sounds of a live DJ, while sipping cocktails and sampling food provided by renowned chef/restaurateur
Riccardo Ullio and U Restaurant Group. Local boutiques and designers will showcase the latest fashion trends.

We'll have lots of jewelry on display and will be taking custom orders for Valentine's Day! Ten percent of all sales will go to support Atlanta's fabulous High Museum of Art. We hope to see you there!

Happy New Year!!

Well - here we are - happy 2009 everybody! We have a brand new website to share, so be sure to visit our other online home and let us know what you think....on-line retail will be coming soon!

The highlight of our December was definitely the RED Performance & Customs Holiday Party! I am lusting after several of their amazing custom autos. A great time was had by all and some wonderful charities were supported. Here's a couple quick pics if you missed it:

The RED family with our favorite Bravo "Housewife" Sheree Whitfield

A party guest checks out the Phantom Diamond - a gorgeous champagne-colored stone raffled off to benefit Hosea Feed the Hungry

RED Director of Operations, the lovely Theo Tyson prepares to draw the Phantom Diamond winner - Congrats to Kenny Stewart of Atl.Style magazine!

Yours truly - either working on our display or sneaking up on the Patron Platinum - you decide!