18k White Gold Diamond Glove By Daphne Guinness and Jeweller Shaun Leane.

You may have seen a few images of this custom creation being touted as the "World's Most Expensive Glove" but it is so much more than that.


above: Jewelery designer Shaun Leane and his sketch of the diamond and 18k white gold glove

The artisanal creation, a collaboration between legendary style icon Daphne Guinness and fine jeweller Shaun Leane took over four years to be realized. Named Contra Mundum (translated as Against the World), the armour-inspired gauntlet is made up of more than a thousand grams of gold and is set with over 5,000 pavé white diamonds and was unveiled in a very dramatic fashion.




above three images shot by Nick Knight

The Piece
Weighing over 1,000 grams, the 18k white gold chain maille glove has striking diamond birds cascading around the arm, as though caught in mid-flight. The hand is protected with a bold 18k brushed white gold metal cuff, hand-forged and beautifully engraved.




Made in two parts, the cuff can be worn alone as a hand glove, or extended into an evening glove. Every detail in the piece, including the chainmail, has been carefully constructed by hand to ensure a perfect fit to Daphne’s arm.


above image from W magazine by Nick Knight


The Presentation
This collaborative effort was unveiled in typically dramatic fashion. The piece was exhibited by Jay Jopling of White Cube gallery, in an exclusive viewing in London, with Daphne lying in state only to be wakened by a kiss from director and designer Tom Ford as her fashionable Prince Charming.





Guests watched Daphne’s beautiful presentation of the piece - dressed in the bespoke glove and shrouded in white silk tulle, her lie-in state symbolised the concept of the objet d’art; Sir Thomas Malory’s compilation of the legendary tales of the Knights of the Round Table.





As the evening drew to a close, guests (which included Tom Ford, Suzy Menkes, Lily Cole, Livia Firth and Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Burton) were presented with a gift bag containing a solitaire diamond and a beautiful message signed by Shaun and Daphne as a remembrance of a beautiful summer evening.

Information courtesy of Shaun Leane and images courtesy of Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Zimbio and Daphne Guinness

Real Diamond Embedded Contact Lens from La SER Eye Jewellery- Are They The First?

Bloggers are all a twitter (pun intended) about the latest news about LaSer eye jewellery, a line of real gold and diamond contact lens created by Chandrashekhar Chawan PhD Optometrist & Ocularist, for his Shekhar Eye Research. News sites, like MSNBC, are touting them as the first real diamond contact lens at a price of $15,000 a pair.

UPDATED AGAIN*: Kate Goes With Sarah Burton For Alexander McQueen With Cartier Tiara & Matching Earrings.

*UPDATED PICS now include the cakes, the reception dresses, the ugliest hat and more.

The dress was by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. She donned the Cartier “halo” tiara, which was made in 1936 and given to the Queen as an 18th birthday present. And she's got the wave down cold.



Her earrings were custom-made by Robinson Pelham to match her tiara and were a present from her parents. Kate's wedding ring, which seemed to have given William a bit of difficulty in the slipping on, is a band of Welsh gold by Wartski.

The Cartier "halo" tiara:

As previously worn by the monarchy members before her:


The earrings made to match the tiara by Robinson Pelham:


No doubt, Kate Middleton, now being referred to as "Catherine," looked every bit like Royalty as she walked down the aisle.





People keep comparing Kate's dress to that of Princess Grace's, but they really were quite different except for the lace long sleeves:







above: Her bouquet consisted of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth.















And, of course, the kiss:



Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge:

And they drove off in an Aston Martin:


The Cake, made by Leicestershire-based cake designer Fiona Cairns :



The chocolate McVitrine's cake for the recption:



The Sarah Burton for Alexader McQueen reception dress for Kate:

and sister Pippa's reception dress:


I would be remiss if I did not include a photo of the most talked about hat (it even has it's own haters facebook page) at the event, worn by Beatrice:

images courtesy of Getty, The BBC, The AP, The PA and The British Monarchy