$3.2 million iPhone 3GS Supreme. Officially The World's Most Expensive.

In the battle of the bling, Stuart Hughes presently holds the top honors with the introduction of his iPhone 3GS Supreme, officially the world's most expensive mobile phone at $3.2 million dollars ( or £1.92 million).




The ostentatious piece of technological hardware is encased in 271 grams of 22ct solid gold.




The front bezel houses 136 flawless diamonds of F color which total a massive 68 cts and the rear apple logo, set in solid gold has 53 flawless diamonds totaling 1 carat:


The major eye-popping feature is the front navigation button which is a single cut very rare diamond weighing a whopping 7.1 cts:


The chest which houses this unique handset is made from a single block of Kashmir Gold Granite, the inner lined with Nubuck top grain leather and which weighs is a massive 7kg.



Designed by Stuart Hughes of Liverpool, England, the phone was 10 months in the making and commissioned by an anonymous Australian businessman from the Gold mining industry.

Now THAT'S a rock! The Latest Diamond Find Could End up Being The World's Largest Polished Piece Of Ice

A huge gem stone which could become the largest polished round diamond in history was recently unearthed at the Letšeng diamond mine in Lesotho just this past September 8th, 2008.

Gem Diamonds and the Lesotho Government, a 30 percent partner in the mine, announced Sunday the recovery of a 478-carat type II D color diamond (shown above) which they say has the potential to yield one of the largest flawless D-color round polished diamonds in history.

“Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished stone of the very best color and clarity,” said Clifford Elphick, CEO and chairman of Gem Diamonds.

The diamond was recovered on Monday September 8, and sent to Antwerp for analysis where it was determined to be a type II D color diamond - the highest color grading available for a white diamond, Gem Diamonds explained.


Above: A model inspects the world's 20th largest rough diamond, which was discovered at Gem Diamond's Letsing Mine in Lesotho.

The massive stone is the 20th largest rough diamond ever found, weighs 478 carats and is said to be of outstanding clarity. It was recovered earlier this week at the Letseng Mine, in Lesotho, a small kingdom in South Africa.

The clarity and round shape of the new gem mean it could be worth considerably more than the previous find of the Letsing "Promise" diamond valued at 12.4 million a few months ago from the same mine. In its polished state, this latest find could fetch tens of millions of pounds.


Above: the rough 478 carat, D color whopper

The rough stone above is estimated to be capable of producing a 150 carat polished gem stone, dwarfing the Koh-i-Noor diamond which is part of the Crown Jewels.

A spokesman for Gem Diamonds, who own the mine, added that initial examination suggested that the white diamond, which has yet to be named and valued, has a completely flawless center. That means, once polished the uncut stone could become the world's largest ever diamond.


Above: The new diamond could be larger than the Koh-i-noor diamond, seen in the Queen mother's crown (shown above, circled in red).

The Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, with the Koh-i-noor diamond, sits in the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels. It was given to Queen Victoria by 1o year-old Duleep Singh, last Emperor of the Sikhs in 1855.

The mine, which was owned by famous diamond company De Beers for many years, has already produced three of the world's biggest diamonds including the 603 carat Lesotho Promise, the 493 carat Leteng Legacy and the 601 carat Lesotho Brown.

Clifford Elphick, chief executive officer of Gem Diamonds, said 'Preliminary examination of this remarkable diamond indicates that it will yield a record breaking polished stone of the very best colour and clarity.'

The find is still dwarfed by the Cullinan Diamond which was discovered in 1905:





Above: At 3,106 carats, the Cullinan Diamond was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found but the biggest polished stone produced from it, the Great Star of Africa - 530 carats - is a teardrop shape.



Above: The Koh-i-noor is a round cut but at 105 carats it is smaller than the potential size of the new find. It originated in India but was seized by Britain as a spoil of war in 1849. It supposedly brings good luck to female owners and misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it.

A bit about the Letšeng Mine in Lesotho:

Above: aerial view of the Letšeng pit

Letšeng Diamonds Proprietary Limited is owned 70% by Gem Diamonds and 30% by the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho. Operated by De Beers between 1977 and 1982, Letšeng reopened operations in 2004 and was acquired by Gem Diamonds in 2006.

The average elevation at the mine is 3,100m above mean sea level, making it the highest diamond mine in the world. The mine consists of two adjacent primary near vertical kimberlite pipes the Satellite and Main, with confirmed vertical depths of 495m and 655m respectively. The average grade of these resources is 1.72 carats per hundred tons (cpht). With approximately 14% of all stones being larger than 10.8 carats (ct), the production profile is more akin to that of an alluvial than kimberlite mine.

The average price per carat achieved at Letšeng in 2007 was US$1 997 per ct, relative to an industry average of US$81 per ct. As such Letšeng is a remarkable mine producing some of the world’s remarkable diamonds including large gem quality diamonds that sell for the highest per carat price of any kimberlite mine.


Above: drilling at night at the Letšeng' mine

Historically 81% of Letšeng's revenue is from large diamonds (+10.8 ct) and 90% of the diamonds recovered are gem quality with a significant proportion graded as D colour.

Some of the world's largest diamonds have been produced at Letšeng. Of note is the 601ct Lesotho Brown in the mid 1960s (world’s 16th largest diamond ever recovered), the 603ct Lesotho Promise recovered in August 2006 (15th largest diamond) and the 493ct Letšeng Legacy recovered in September 2007 (18th largest recovered).


Above: the Promise Diamond, 603 carats, also mined from Letšeng.


Above: the Letšeng Legacy Diamond, 493 carats

Letšeng Diamonds markets all its diamonds through a tender process in Antwerp. The Lesotho Promise sold by Gem Diamonds in Antwerp for US $12.4 million and the Letšeng Legacy for US $10.4 million.



The mine’s current processing capacity is 2.6 million tonnes per annum (tpa), which will double to 5.28 million tpa by mid 2008 after commissioning of the second treatment plant is completed and commissioned. This will make Letšeng the 7th largest kimberlite mine in the world by throughput. The present life of mine is optimized at 33 years.

Swarovski Studs Anything That Stands Still. From Bandaids to Bathroom Sinks, Crystallized Items.

Okay readers... everyone seems so into crystal studded stuff these days, I've done weeks worth of research to share with you some of Swarovski's history, their offerings and several Swarovski studded items available on the market with links to all of them.

Settle in and get ready to sparkle. What HASN'T been Swarovski Studded?



Swarovski, the Austrian crystal manufacturer has been around for a long time, since 1895 to be exact. But in the past couple of years they've experienced a big surge in popularity. As "bling" entered our vernacular, so did Swarovski studded cell phone cases and ipods.



Smart moves like aligning themselves with Fashion Rocks helped to reinvigorate this fading brand as well.



Initially known for their little faceted desktop crystal sculptures (above), their jewelry and best friend to the Bedazzler , individual loose Swarovski crystals (now given the trademarked name Crystalline®) are now adorning a lot more than just glass shelves, faux jewelry and denim jackets. Sure, hair accessories and shoes are to be expected, but refrigerators and board games?

Here are just a few of the products on the market, made "luxe" with the addition of Swarovski Crystalline® crystals. Some in collaboration with Swarovki and sold on their own site, others by non-affiliated manufacturers.

Crystal Studded Refrigerators:
Last May in London, Gorenje - one of the leading European appliance manufacturers - unveiled two very special Premium Touch fridge-freezers, decorated with high-quality crystals from Swarovski.



“The Eye-catcher”
The unique Premium Touch fridge-freezer, called the “Eye-catcher”, with its gloss black colour and elegant door, features 7,000 hand-embedded crystals from the world famous Swarovski. This black refrigerator – eye-catcher - is a unique appliance. Only 5 of them were produced so far: 1 for Slovenia, Russia, Romania, Serbia and now for the UK. The purpose of the eye-catcher is to be sold for charity. For more information, call Gorenje on 0208 247 3980 or visit their UK site



Also in stainless steel finish with Black Swarovski crystals in Austria and Serbia
Buy the stainless steel one with black Swarovski crystals here.

And in Russia and France, you can buy an LG (called DIOS in some countries) peach colored refrigerator studded with Swarovski crystals.



More than 4,900 Swarovski crystals are embedded in the handles, the home bar and the unit logo on LG's popular French-door refrigerator.
Buy it here.

And, in India you can buy The Whirlpool Mastermind 23 with Swarovski studded handles.


Above: the Deluxe and Elite versions both with crystal-studded handles, available in five color options.
Buy it here.

Binoculars: Idomeneo Crystal Pocket Binoculars


Waterproof, lightweight binoculars with Swarovski-cut 20mm diameter lenses; 8 x 20 = 8 times magnification; grip in Crystal Dorado and Jet Nut crystals in Crystal Transfer application on black Alcantara. Other crystal combinations available. Comes with leather strap and calfskin leather case. Price: $ 850.00
Buy it here.

Nespresso machines:



Nespresso added serious sparkle to its award-winning Essenza coffee machine models. The result: two fashion-forward coffee machines with 'bodies' covered in Swarovski crystals: the Nespresso Limited Edition Brilliant Black Essenza and the Nespresso Limited Edition Sparkle Pink Essenza. These were sold at the Nespresso boutique in New York.

Swarovski Grand Piano

The exclusive grand piano "Swarovski" is a real diamond. The instrument is decorated by 9 000 hand polished crystals Swarovski, surrounding it with shine. Each crystal is enclosed into a gilded frame with enhances its reflecting ability even more. Even in the lacquer there are small pieces of crystal - the grand piano is shimmering with all the colors of a rainbow. Glitter of the grand piano's body embodies the glitter of its unbelievable sound.


Buy it here.

Special edition Sony MP3 Players:

Sony teams up with Abiste Corporation and offers the limited edition of the E010 Walkman with Swarovski glass crystal. The limited edition is available in 5 colors, Blue, Gold, Pink, Purple and Black. E010 is available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacity, and is priced at $134, $160 and $210 respectively.Buy them here.
Swarovski Fashion Rocks - DJ Headphones:


2007 Swarovski Fashion Rocks showed off this uber extravagant set of DJ headphones. The headphones are encrusted in Amethyst Crystals throughout and include a luxury box and small carrier bag. Price tag on these for European residents is a staggering €1670 Euro (approximately $2404 USD).

If blinged out headphones are a little too much for you, how about these pretty blinged out earbuds? Shuga Buds are earbuds studded with Swarovski® crystals make your personal playlists even cooler. Mini earphones are for use with iPods® and other portable music players. Choose from Amethyst, Pink, Green, Iridescent, Blue, or Rainbow. Imported. $48.00 a pair.


Available here.

Swarovski Bear. The special edition Holiday Steiff Bear 2007

Light grey mohair bear featuring a Swarovski Pointsettia Ornament. Clear Swarovski Xilion™ crystal in ear. Size: 10 inch Price: $ 225.00
Buy it here.

Swarovski studded USB memory keys:


Made in conjunction with Phillips Electronics, these usb memory keys sell for $178.00 each.


In 4 different models, each made of stainless steel and Swarovski crystals. They hold 1 GB of data (about 250 songs or 1’000 photos) with password protection, high-speed USB 2.0 interface.
Buy them here.

Swarovski Studded Furniture

Above: The Vendome Chair, an otherwise conservative piece in black wool, is tufted with buttons made of Swarovski crystals. Now that's sitting pretty..
$3,390 at Sipure Design in Miami, (305) 940-4655.


Swarovski Board Games


L'ecal students, Emanuelle Jaques & Constanza Candamil-Cabral, in collaboration with Swarovski for an object exhibition, created these board games of felt and Swarovski-Crystals:


Unfortunately the above backgammon, chess and checker boards are not in production.

Swarovski Umbrellas
Pasotti, the Italian umbrella maker has a Lux line that is studded with Swarovski crystals, available in many color fabrics and crystals.


Buy Pasotti's luxury Swarovski studded umbrellas here.

Swarovski Band-Aids

And , of course, don't forget the band aids, each flesh colored band-aid studded with four crystals in one of three color options, selling in packs of 12. Nothing heals a boo boo like some bling! Buy them here.

At Bling My Thing (based in germany) you can have everything from crystal studded automotive interiors to bathroom sinks!

Above: Cadillac XLR interior with over 20,000 swarovski crystals.

Swarovski sinks and vacuums

Above: the Myth Collection for the bathroom and a blinged out vacuum cleaner!!
Go see more

Swarovski Crystal Car Badging


The original luxury automotive blinging emblem company, Iced-Out Emz, has several great options from blinged out grills for several different automobiles as well as blinged shifter knobs and create-your-own bling badging.


Check out Iced Out Emz here.

For the bride to be, there are several companies that sell Swarovski crystal monogrammed cake toppers, like those shown below.


Buy the above cake toppers and more here.


You can even get crystal monogrammed lip glosses here.

Even Bottled Water comes "blinged" these days:


above: Bling Limited Edition Water.

Corked, frosted glass bottle glamorously adorned with Swarovski Crystals. Clear. 750ml.
Buy the limited edition bottle of Bling H2O at Vivre.com

Swarovski Crystal Ring Mug



And what better to pour your Bling water into than this new (and creatively packaged) fabulous Swarovski Crystal Ring Mug (shown in white above). Whose gold or silver handle is inset with a large single Swarovski crystal that gives the illusion of wearing a ring as you hold the cup. Different handle and crystal options below.


Buy the ring mug here.


Swarovski Studded Mouth Grilles

Even Swarovski studded grills for your teeth are available from Mr. Bling.


By the way, Mr. Bling makes actual diamond studded grills for your teeth as well.
Buy them here.

And it's not only items for humans that are getting luxed up with Swarovski crystals this year. Even the canine fragrance, Sexy Beast, with the Karim Rashid designed bottle, has a special holiday Swarovski-crystal studded version for a mere $850 bones!


Buy Sexy Beast Swarovski Limited edition here.


Of course there are many more items, but I thought the aforementioned examples were a good representation of the range.

About Swarovski crystals
Swarovski is an Austrian company established at the end of 19th century by Daniel Swarovski. The company is renowned for its tradition and excellence in manufacturing and supplying crystals and crystal-ware, especially for the jewelry and fashion industry as well as decorative homeware. In the fashion world, Swarovski crystals have recently been a hot and immensely sought-after accessory and component of haute couture. The name Swarovski can thus be found on many a fashion item or piece of jewelry created by famous fashion designers – among those are Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli.

As a company, Swarovski comprises two major divisions:
The first, dating back to Swarovski’s origins in 1895, producing precision-cut crystal components, the crystal elements, catering to a wide range of design-driven industries in the fashion, lighting and interior business, the second, established in the mid 1970’s, using these same elements to create finished crystal products -jewelry, fashion accessories, and home décor objects- which are sold through the worldwide network of more than 1150 Swarovski stores.

Hooking up with Fashion Rocks and opening an Atelier further upped the hip factor of Swarovski. Check out
the Fashion Rocks 2007 Video here.

See the latest fashion applications, tv and movie collaborations and more at Swarovski Sparkles and you can check out the company and their products here.

Also, Swarovski created indoor lighting and home elements. Didn't know that? See them here.

They have even introduced ATELIER SWAROVSKI, an exclusive collection of accessories created in collaboration with cutting-edge fashion designers to bring their creative visions to life. For more information email: atelier.swarovski@swarovski.com, or register here to be updated with news on ATELIER SWAROVSKI.
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Now, for those of you who don't intend to buy a blinged out refrigerator or armchair, but do have the desire to bling their sunglasses case, lighters, headphones, PSPs, ipods, etc.


Above: One of Phling's custom Blinged Blackberry cases

Here are some great sites that sell either kits, patterns, stick-ons or do custom crystal encrusting, shirts and more. If you want to do some of your own blinging, Bling Me Out (as well as several other companies) sells cell phone crystal kits.

Buy them here.

Just click on the logos below to see other custom and self-blinging sites:








There's been lots more Swarovski studded items written about since this post. Please use the search box or check the tags at the bottom of the side bar for more.