Goût de Diamants' One Off Champagne Bottle With 19 Carat Diamond and The Limited Edition Salmanazar Bottle of Bubbly.

Prodiguer Brands enlisted the help of luxury designer Alexander Amosu to help them create the world's most expensive champagne bottle for their luxury bubbly, Goût de Diamants (Taste of Diamonds) which launched in 2006.




Mr Amosu hand crafted the packaging from 18ct solid white gold weighing approximately 48gsm of solid gold centered by a single flawless deep cut white diamond weighing 19cts. The label is also handmade in 18ct solid gold and weighs approximately 36gsm, handcrafted and engraved with the client's name (unknown). The bottle is valued at almost 2 million dollars; $1,867,000.00 USD  or £1.2m


above: Alexander Amosu's instagram photo of the empty Goût de Diamants £1.2m bottle

Commenting on the design, Alexander Amosu said: "The bottle already has a distinctive look with its natural design, all I had to do is bring it to the next level of ultimate luxury."




The Goût de Diamants everyday bottles are hand-finished by a single craftsman with over 40 years experience. The Bottles for each of the four vintages come with a hand-applied pure pewter engraved label set with a brilliant cut Swarovski Crystal (The Rosé crystal is appropriately pink and the Brut, blue.).




In house, Shammi Shinh, said: "We wanted to take it one step further and create a one off masterpiece for one of our private wealthy clients and we are very pleased with the results."

The Limited Edition Salamanazar Bottle:


That's not the only special bottle for this bubbly, which is only available to the trade. They have also announced the exclusive release of their limited-edition 9-litre Salamanazar.

A delicious naturally aged Brut cuvée is bottled within. Each stunning bottle takes over 100 man hours and is completely hand finished by our very own master craftsman. An array of beautiful diamond cut Swarovski stones have been used to create this masterpiece.



This is the first limited-edition bottle ever released by Goût de Diamants, making it the ultimate celebration gift. Only 10 bottles exist worldwide.

About The Champagne
Not just a pretty bottle, Goût de Diamants Champagne was awarded the ‘Champagne Best Taste 2012′ by Champagne Business News.



Goût de Diamants is a handmade luxury champagne from the Chapuy family run estate in the beautiful village of Oger, France, made with 100% rated Grand Cru grapes.

The Goût de Diamants Prestige Cuvées
Brut Diamond:

Rosé Exquisite:

Blanc de Blancs Diamond:

Vintage Diamond:


Even their high grade corks that are so sophisticated they have a patented composition:



Goût de Diamants Champagne cannot be purchased in liquor stores, but is now stocked in several high end bars, clubs, hotels and restaurants in over 10 different global locations, from the UK to Africa to Dubai.


Goût de Diamants Champagne

Nibble, Nibble Little Mouse. Who's Nibbling On My Sugar Greenhouse? Caramel Solarium By William Lamson.

Commissioned by Storm King for their 2012 Light and Landscape show, a show in which fourteen artists used natural light as an essential artistic material, this isolated hillside greenhouse actually has 162 amber-tinted windows made of caramelized sugar.




William Lamson baked the caramelized sugar into the windows of Solarium, tinting each a unique amber shade.





All plants create sugars through photosynthesis; those inside Solarium use light that has been filtered through sugars, a circular process. Weather permitting, Solarium is designed to be viewed from afar, where it appears as a jewel-like object, and from within, for the experience of its unusual plays of light.







William describes the project as follows:
"Like a mountain chapel or Thoreau’s one-room cabin, Solarium references a tradition of isolated outposts designed for reflection. Each of the 162 panels is made of sugar cooked to different temperatures and then sealed between two panes of window glass. The space functions as both an experimental greenhouse, growing three species of miniature citrus trees, and a meditative environment. In warm months, a 5x8 ft panel on each side of the house opens up to allow viewers to enter and exit the house from all directions. In addition to creating a pavilion like environment, this design references the architecture of a plant leaf, where the stomata opens and closes to help regulate the plants temperature. Set within the open the landscape, the house functions as a hybrid sanctuary at once evoking a plant conservatory, a chapel, and zen garden."


Materials: Steel, glass, sugar and plants
Dimensions: 10' 10" x 8' 11" x 10' 3 3⁄8 in. (330.2 x 271.8 x 313 cm)

William Lamson discusses the creation of Solarium, on view in Storm King's South Fields. Film by Kate Barker-Froyland:


images courtesy of William Lamson, Storm King and This is Colossal
A special shout out to Laughing Squid who brought this cool project to my attention.

Fernando Costa Creates The Official Art Car for Le Mans 24 Hours (and a look at his art).

The OAK Racing Official Art Car for the 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours has been unveiled. The colorful and radical design was created by French artist and sculptor Fernando Costa who created the car much like most of his own sculptural artwork. He soldered pieces of metal road and street signs atop the body of the Morgan-Nissan race car.


above: Artist Fernando Costa in his studio (photo by jm angles)

The Art Car will be seen on the team's No. 45 Morgan-Nissan, driven by Jean-Marc Merlin, Philippe Mondolot and team principal Jacques Nicolet.

Creating the car:








While there will be no fewer than three art cars in the race, including unique liveries from Aston Martin Racing and JMW Motorsport, OAK's design has been designated as the official art car by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.



“In my meeting with Jacques Nicolet and the bringing to fruition of this project, the most important thing for me was the confidence entrusted in me and the challenge it represented," Costa said. "As I like challenges I accepted straight away! But what artist would pass up the creation of an Art Car for the Le Mans 24 Hours?

"And when, like me, one is a lover of this legendary event, this very popular motor sport party, you throw yourself into the adventure hoping to put a smile on people’s faces and give them a little happiness. I’m very honored that the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has made this Art Car the emblem of the 90th anniversary of the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Here's a look at several pieces of artwork by Fernando Costa:











See more work by Fernando Costa here.

Le Mans 24 Hours site