ARMANI HIV/AIDS CHARITY

Red) is a charitable effort that is designed to raise money for the Global Fund to support HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, especially in underfunded and underprivileged areas of the world. Armani is one of the designers participating in the program and his newest addition to the Armani Red line is an Inspi(Red) Watch. The watch has a 43mm stainless steel case with a coin-raised bezel and a leather strap. The strap is available in either black with red contrast stitching or red with black (pictured). It is a unisex timepiece and has an extra-large numerical display for easy readability. It is available in all Armani stores and the retail price should be $225.

Mercedes-Benz S6000

The last thing we are thinking about is the winter holidays but Mercedes-Benz is showing off the new 2007 CL600 flagship coupe which will debut in the Saks Fifth Avenue's "The Gift" Holiday catalog. The 20 Saks Special Edition CL600 coupes have a Mystic White exterior, Porcelain Nappa leather and Piano Lacquer Black interior with five-spoke 18" wheels, and a 510-hp twin-turbocharged V12 engine. Pricing has yet to be announced this year but last year's 20 S600 flagship sedans which cost $145,775 sold out in less than ten minutes. The catalog comes out in October. A shot of the interior is after the jump.

My Trip to Verona

Duing my recent trip to Verona Italy, I enjoyed visiting classical and medieval monuments, a picturesque town center where bright geraniums bloom in window boxes, and a romantic reputation, thanks to its immortalization as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It is one of Italy's most alluring cities, despite extensive industrialization and urban development in its newer sections. There's an opulence in the air and in the shops that line the red Verona marble pavements with their enticing and elegant wares. Inevitably, with its lively Venetian feel, proximity to Lake Garda, and renowned summer opera season, it attracts hordes of tourists, especially vacationing Germans and Austrians, who drive over the Brenner Pass.

G. Jackson

Scott's Hotel, Estate of the Month

Join me for a little fantasy this Friday. Today's estate is the chance to buy a restored 18th century hotel in Spain. This charming small hotel is located in Mallorca´s wine region, an area whose charm has not been completely exploited yet. The hotel has 17 bedrooms total: five full suites, one junior suite, two super king doubles, two king doubles, three queen doubles, three twins and two singles. All rooms have ensuite bathrooms and air-conditioning. The hotel also has an indoor spa pool. Enjoy breakfast with your guests on the sunsplashed terraces or in the indoor breakfast room. Gather in the evening in the library, bar, or the inner courtyard garden. It is listed at 6 million euros. You can see even more pictures at the Scott's Hotel website. After the jump, who needs the Tuscan sun?
G. Jackson

Classic Harbor Line Cruise

It's prime leaf-peeping season but you don't need to haul yourself up to Vermont. The Classic Harbor Line is offering a fall foliage cruise that starts in Manhattan and meanders along the Hudson river. The cruise includes a brunch buffet and warm apple cider. The three-hour tour takes place not on the SS Minnow but on the Manhattan, a 1920s-style commuter boat that has an enclosed seating area, glassed-in observatory and heated and enclosed cabin. The cruise runs each weekend through November 12 and costs $85 per person.

Pet Pavilian

This Louis XV Pet Pavilion is only for animals who really deserve to live like kings. It is styled after an 18th century French commode (which we prefer to think of as just a little building, since it sounds a bit classier) and is hand-carved from mahogany and rosewood. It is liked with antique-style Newton Ferrers fabrics and the colors and patterns can be chose to suit your own tastes. Customizations are available, if you need a larger or smaller bed than the 35" H x 27" W x 27" D standard, or simply prefer a custom finish. Price: $24,266.

Where to Surf in New York

Main Beach Surf & Sport's mission is to provide a gateway for people to experience their natural surroundings on the East End. We provide the public with local knowledge, product knowledge and expert advice on how to best utilize those products. Our services expand our clients' awareness and experience of the East End's natural beauty. Our goal is to accomplish all of the above with great respect and professionalism.
Owner - Lars SvanbergLars has been a surfer, athlete and outdoor enthusiast for the past 25 years. Now 44, he has completed 10 Ironman Triathlons, numerous adventure races and marathons. World surf travel has been his first love and he has built the Main Beach store around this love. "Getting people to experience their outdoor environments in challenging and exciting ways has always been my number one goal," he says.Having surfed all over the world in search of the best waves the planet has to offer and sharing his experiences with his customers has lead to a perfect union of lifestyle and business. "I use and test all the products we sell. It's about offering and participating in what I love most," says Lars. "The ocean has always been my first love; surfing, kayaking, swimming long distance, or just bodysurfing. My whole life revolves around the ocean and it's natural rhythms."Main Beach Surf and Sport has imbibed this love for the ocean and it's local environments. According to Lars, "My store is a natural reflection of my life." It's a simple equation, integrate your business life and love for the outdoors and the ocean. A perfect symmetry unfolds: Main Beach Surf and Sport, a natural resource.
Contact
Main Beach Surf & Sport328 Montauk HighwayWainscott, NY 11975631-537-2716sales@mainbeach.com

Dyna 70 Foot Yacht!

While at the Lido Yacht Expo I wasn't just mucking around the Earthrace boat, I also checked out the new 70 foot Dyna Craft yacht being brokered by John Beery sales. This boat has a very expansive feel with a spacious salon and four state rooms including two twins, a VIP and a master suite which has a Jacuzzi tub. The yacht was built in Taiwan and can hit a top speed of 28 knots but generally cruises around 20. The yacht sells for around $2.25 million. After the jump, join me aboard.

Renova Black Toilet Paper

If you are aiming for a unique look for your bathroom, perhaps after a remodel, there is one detail that every single person will notice, despite the fact that they probably never gave it more than a half-second of thought in the past: the toilet paper. Using Renova Black Toilet Paper, imported from France, instead of the ubiquitous white will draw comments and compliments from guests, not to mention that it just looks cool. The paper will not match an overly flowery bathroom decor, but if your tastes tend towards the modern end of the spectrum, this would be perfect. Price, for a package of six rolls: $22.

A Canine Boutique

We have seen bakeries for dogs that rival their human counterparts, but Zoomies is a store that has really gone to the dogs. It is a lifestyle boutique for canines. They stock a wide range of luxury products, from dog collars to dog beds, and offer gourmet dog treats, all in an environment that is relaxing for owners, in addition to being fun for the dogs. And if you want your pet's chew toys to match your accessories, try picking up some Jimmy Chew Shoes or a Chewy Vuitton Handbag while you're there.

Perdomo Golf Cigars

Golf and cigars go together like beer and football and with increasing smoking regulations indoors, the golf course may be the last bastion of the public smoker. This led Tabacalera Perdomo to introduce the new Perdomo Golf line. The new cigar line comes in eight sizes from a petit corona to the types of larger cigars that may take half a round of golf to finish. The cigars have a Connecticut shade wrapper and all the tobacco is grown in Nicaragua. The cigars retail from $4.50 to $10 and a golf pack called The Caddy which has four tubed Perdomo Golf cigars, four customized golf balls and a cigar cutter is also available.

Entry Upgrades

Hello everyone! An easy way to create and upscale appearance for an entrance is to upgrade it with designer wood moldings. This project was completed in 2 days. Visit Dykes Lumber for decorative moldings. www.dykeslumber.com.

G. Jackson

Diamond Education

Diamond education is actually harder to come by than you might expect. If you go to the mall (affectionately known as the maul in the industry) I guarantee the salespeople will not educate you about diamonds. The few who appear to be educating you are very slanted toward pushing their products, so what you get for an “education” is nothing but a bluff. One maul store tried to sell very poor quality rocks with their “proprietary” cut that was really nothing special, but it gave them justification for inflating the price on very cheap rocks. There are four main factors to consider with a diamond: Carat Weight, Color, Clarity, and Cut. To that I personally add Commission, Commodity Value, and Cost, because as a man I want to get the best value for my commodity, while at the same time valuing the emotion involved.
Buying a diamond involves a lot of trade-offs, and each person wants something different when it comes to carat, color, clarity, cut, and cost. Taking those five “C’s,” pick 4 and we’ll talk.
Carat Weight
Carat weight is easy to understand – the bigger the diamond, the more carat weight it has. For an engagement ring, your woman will look at it several times a day for the rest of her life, some estimate a million views in her lifetime, and let’s face it, size matters. A one carat stone where I come from is basically ridiculously enormous, but the effect shoud be to really pamper communicate that someone is ridiculously special to you.
Color
Color is easy to understand as well. The scale goes from D which is completely colorless and for normal jewelry ranges to about J, which has a noticeable yellow tint when you look at it carefully. Go with something in the GHI color category, because these are colorless to the naked eye, but some color can be seen under magnification. If you don't exect to put your ring under magnification or using special equipment most of the time, this is areasonable trade-off.
Clarity
Clarity has to do with inclusions. Inclusions is an industry word which simply means natural imperfections in the stone. A stone graded as IF is “Internally Flawless” and has no imperfections. VVS1 is Very Very Slightly Included Level 1, VVS2 is slightly more inclusions, VS1 has more, etc. VS2 is the lowest grade at which you definitely cannot see any inclusions with the naked eye. SI1 is the highest grade at which it is possible to see an inclusion, but it’s definitely visible under 10X magnification. I prefer to choose to shop between VS1 and SI1 for clarity. However, the SI1 end of the scale makes me little nervous, and since that’s where I often end up buying, let me explain why.
Cut
The cut is the only human-regulated part of the diamond. A diamond cutter gets a raw diamond stone from the mines and has to figure out how to make a masterpiece out of a chunk of carbon atoms. The important factor in the cut is how the cut affects light return. When you look at your ring, will you see something dull and un-amusing, or will it shock you with its brilliance and sparkle? Thankfully, there is science involved in the cut which helps in locating a well cut stone. You can find information about table percentage, pavilion depth, polish, and symmetry anywhere on the net, but I’d like to share some things which really made a difference to my decision. The crown and pavilion angles are not commonly reported on a diamond, but they have an important impact on the light return of a stone. A picture says 1000 words:
When a diamond cutter decides to go the extra mile, he can create an “Ideal Cut” diamond, with proportions within very exacting limits which should cause the maximum light return possible. When you start shopping for Ideal Cut diamonds, some things become apparent. The discount stores rarely deal in Ideal Cuts. The healthy wealthy stores like Tiffany’s and Co. do not deal in Ideal Cuts. Depending on where you live, local retailers are not dealing in Ideal Cut stones. This leaves the consumer to surf the net and try to find a needle in a haystack of options.Even though there is a bit of a premium on Ideal Cut stones, because they take about twice as long for a diamond cutter to produce as a non-ideal stone, personally, I like to choose to maximize on the cut.
Cost
Everyone is working with some type of budget. When you decide what you’re going to spend, and which parts of the other 4 “C’s” equation are important to you, it starts coming down to nickels and dimes. Should I buy a D color, VVS2 clarity, ½ carat stone, or for the same price should I buy an I color, SI1 full 1 carat stone? Each person must answer this question for himself, and that’s why you need the knowledge. There are a few sites on the web that sell diamonds from a list of available diamonds in the country. They don’t carry the stones in stock, and they’re all selling from the same list. These sites include bluenile.com and dirtcheapdiamonds.com. You can find some smokin’ deals on these sites, but there is a very important drawback to consider. Service! There’s a world of difference in buying a stone that has all the mathematical proportions correct from a list, and buying from an experienced jeweler who has the rocks in stock and can provide extremely detailed information on light return, as well as the mathematical proportions. In my shopping experience, I did not find this service with list sellers, I did not find this service with Costco’s wholesale jewelry program, and I did not find it with Tiffany’s and Co. Where I found this level of personal service and support is http://www.ExcelDiamonds.com with Barry (Baruch) Gutwein. Barry takes the time to help you understand the parts of the diamond market that were more confusing to me and make recommendations based on my needs and desires. For each of his SuperbCert branded Super-Ideal Cut diamonds, he takes the time to provide all this information:
GIA grading report MegaScope report BrillianceScope report Actual Hearts and Arrows photo Actual ImageScope photo Actual Inclusion photo Additional diamond photos Many sites will show photos of a “similar” stone, which isn’t what you’re buying! Don’t be fooled by this, be very careful as to what you’re looking at in the picture. Once you finally settle on a stone, make sure you put it into something beautiful. Take time to pay attention to the setting. Tiffany’s and Co. invented the classic diamond solitaire setting that is the epitome of elegant style in engagement rings. The classic knife-edge ring in platinum is very beautiful and does an amazing job of setting the stone in a way to maximize the effect of all that light return. Unfortunately, Tiffany’s sells mandatory blue boxes with each ring, and those blue boxes apparently cost as much to produce as the diamond and setting put together. I found that a frugal shopper could spend about ½ the dollars to get a perfect stone and setting without the blue box. Not all replicas are created equally.

Luxury RV

This luxury motorcoach motorcoach from Volkner Mobil has a mobile garage between the axles that can hold a small car such as the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and the MINI Cooper. Up top it is a traditional luxury RV with a dining room, bedroom and bathroom. The new RV, which is being shown off at the International Caravan Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany has a slideout platform for the car.has a mobile garage between the axles that can hold a small car such as the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and the MINI Cooper. Up top it is a traditional luxury RV with a dining room, bedroom and bathroom. The new RV, which is being shown off at the International Caravan Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany has a slideout platform for the car.

WIRELESS HDTV!

Flat panel TVs look great, sleek and far less bulky than any ordinary TV, especially if you choose a large screen size. Unfortunately, unless you have a niche in the wall carved out for the screen - which is a good idea, but can be a hassle - there will be wires along your wall connecting the cable, DVD and any other relevant equipment. The Samsung SPD-50P7HDT Wireless is a 50" flat screen that solves these problems. It comes with a wireless AV center to which all of your extra equipment can attach. The center then transmits the signals to the screen, hanging wire-free (except for the power cord) on the wall. It's only available in Korea at the moment, and is priced around $5,000.