On the cover of the May 2009 issue of Redbook, country music star Faith Hill models a gorgeous pair of Gurhan gold earrings. Hill is a long time fan of the brand.  As one of country music’s most popular and recognized celebrities, Faith Hill is a perfect model for Gurhan Orhan’s rich and electrifying jewelry.  Faith chose to wear a large pair of “Flake” drop earrings for the cover shot by famed photographer Gilles Bensimon.

Gurhan’s 24k gold jewelry designs are some of the most unique and tasteful creations available.  The “Flake” earring design features Gurhan’s characteristic hand-hammered finish on a large hanging disk design.  The disk dangles freely from a french wire in a dynamic design  which allows the earrings to catch ambient light and sparkle.

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We all know who the celebrity wristwatch junkies are -  and we don’t really have to name them. But when you start to think about them – you start to see some predictable traits. First and foremost – when it comes to their buying habits – they really don’t really branch out a whole lot:

- Sylvester Stallone: Panerai
- John Mayer: Mostly IWC & Rollers
- Jay-Z: Loads of Audemars Piguet
- Elton John: Tons of Franck Muller

By looking at the above list you will notice that there is another very predicable trait -  Its a male dominated hobby (or sickness – depending how you look at it).

Seriously… how many celebrity female watch collectors can you name? And by collectors, I simply mean owning more then ONE watch (a very liberal definition by most standards).

Generally speaking when I see a photo of a female celeb wearing a watch – I immediately put them on my celebrity “watch radar” – and I watch to see if they branch out.  The next time I see a photo of them wearing wearing a watch -  it is generally the same piece…

Thankfully, there are a few female celebrities who are leading the charge when it comes to watch collecting. One of which is the very talented Mary J. Blige – who is credited with being one of the main artist who truly fused Hip-Hop and R&B – and has won an astonishing nine Grammy Awards.

In the past I have reported that Mary J was photographed wearing a Audemars Piguet Ladies Royal Oak. So when I found this photo of her I was amazed to see something very different. If you look closely in this photo, you will see that Mary is wearing a Franck Muller Cintree Curvex ladies watch. I can’t wait to see what she is wearing next!

Go on Mary!

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Lately, we’ve all had lots of bad news as we’ve watched the stock market tank, heard about financial scandals in the media and observed our friends and family lose their jobs. This daily barrage of negativity takes its toll on our morale and daily disposition. But it’s not all bad news out there!

Last week’s stock market rally provided a glimmer of hope that we may have reached the bottom of this downturn. Furthermore, savvy shoppers are realizing that there are some unprecedented deals to be had right now. Retailers need to drum up business, and many are slashing prices on stock to encourage customers to spend money.

Lussori is currently liquidating a huge number of stock jewelry items and watches at prices that we have never offered before. We are adding product daily, and if you take a browse through our “Specials” section, you’ll discover incredible values – I’m not talking about a handful, there are literally hundreds of items being offered at prices up to 70% off!

Many people are out of work and the rest of us are tightening our belts, but the truth is that for those of us who are still employed, one of the best ways for us to help improve the economic situation is to continue to patronize our favorite businesses. So, why don’t you treat yourself to some well earned luxuries at unprecedented savings? You’ll be doing your part to keep the wheels of our economy turning, and you’ll also be getting an outstanding deal!

Perhaps it’s mostly because of Grosse Point Blank, but I count myself as a Minnie Driver fan.  She’s cute, hillarious, and always manages to bring unique chemistry to the films she acts in.  When I saw the latest press release picture from Gurhan featuring Ms Driver wearing one of their ruby bangle bracelets, I was pleased.

It may be a reflection of the odd relationship we have to celebrity culture, but it’s somehow satisfying for me to find that a celebrity I admire has good taste.  Gurhan is one of my absolute favorite jewelry brands, not only for the richness of their 24k gold designs, but also for the depth of culture that is reflected in the brand.

The ressurection of ancient jewelry craft techniques and tools combined with the integration of actual artifacts lends story and mystique to Gurhan’s jewelry creations.  This, along with the sheer glamor of Gurhan jewelry is what sets the brand apart from other gold jewelry designers.

Furthermore, it’s these elusive qualities which to me, make Gurhan jewelry such an essential luxury purchase.  In difficult times, people demand a high level of value in the purchases that they make.  Gurhan jewelry is timeless and gorgeous.  And if you need any more convicing, just remember that Minnie Driver likes it!

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The JeanRichard Paramount watch collection has always struck me as among the most stylish of contemporary rectangular timepiece “families”.  Less formal than the distantly related Girard-Perregaux 1945 watches (Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard are sibling companies within the Sowind Group), the finely brushed finish and distinctively shaped lugs of the Paramount case make for a timepiece that can compliment any attire from casual to full-on dress.  Exciting news for 2009 is the introduction by JeanRichard of a tourbillon watch, with–naturally enough–the firm’s signature vertically-oriented linear power reserve indicator.

I love the look this complicated white gold JeanRichard timepiece exudes; it’s very luxurious, yet extremely modern–even youthful (in the good sense of the word).  There’s a feast of great details to admire, from the applied plate with “Cotes de Geneve” which displays the power reserve, to the quirky but extremely attractive pink gold tourbillon bridge with its distinctive angled shape and flawless finishing.  The driving force is the Sowind 99201 caliber–a hand-wound mechanical movement that has the prestigious distinction of being manufactured in-house.

The extent to which JeanRichard has developed as both a brand and a serious watch manufacture over the last several years is most impressive to me–it’s certainly no mere “little sister” to Girard-Perregaux, as you occasionally heard once upon a time.  It is models such as the Paramount Tourbillon Linear Power Reserve watch which keep JeanRichard on the fast track to lasting success with the most demanding enthusiasts.

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For a lover of luxury and fine craftsmanship, the discovery of a David Oscarson writing instrument under the tree will prove a most joyous occasion indeed.  Much like the finest timepieces, the creations of David Oscarson are a feast of visual and tactile superlatives that offer a welcome diversion from the stamped-out mediocrity that so often defines the electronic age.

What you immediately perceive when handling a David Oscarson pen is–aside from the delicious weight–the overwhelming quality.  The David Oscarson press material emphasizes the painstaking nature of their cold enameling processes and guilloche, but the proof
of their dedicated labors is what you hold in your hand, gleaming and lustrous in the light like a perfect little universe. Two expressions come immediately to mind: “Seeing is believing” and “good things come in small packages”.

Choosing a favorite fountain or roller ball from among David Oscarson’s collections is delightfully difficult, as each has its own captivating presence.  Some of the Oscarson themes I like best are “Trellis”, “Harvest”, and “Pierrot Pierrette”.  Perhaps my very favorite is the Valhalla fountain pen, with its non-torpedo body shape and fascinating Norse-inspired symbolism.  Personal preferences aside, there is no way one can make a poor decision with anything from David Oscarson–these artistic writing instruments are simply
magnificent.

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The Audemars Piguet Offshore watch collection never ceases to impress me with its ability to undergo metamorphosis.  It seems that collectors barely manage to glom onto a rare and particularly coveted version (for instance, the Juan Pablo Montoya, the Rubens Barrichello or the Forged Carbon Alinghi) when Audemars Piguet throws out something new that is even more wild, spectacular, and sought after.  What’s more, as the Offshore continues to evolve in materials and design concepts, we see the best elements from specific models united in dynamic and surprising new ways.

The latest high luxury sports watch from Audemars Piguet is the Offshore Survivor.  To me, this is the “baddest” limited edition Royal Oak Offshore variant since the fabled T3.  And, like the T3 Offshore, the Survivor exudes a massive aura of high-tech luxury with its hinged chronograph protectors, conical chronograph buttons, and strikingly ventilated crown that resembles a birdcage flash suppressor on an AR-type rifle.  You might call the Survivor the Darth Vader of the Royal Oak Offshore world.

Somewhat paradoxically, the octagonal bezel and textured dials which define the fundamental identity of Royal Oak Offshore collection provide strong differentiation from model to model according to materials and design choices employed.  The Survivor is endowed with its own powerful personality in this regard, showing off a deeply grooved ceramic bezel, hexagonal socket head screws (a la the Montoya and Barrichello), and an extremely intricate waffle pattern dial with some of the neatest skeletonized hands I’ve ever seen.  The techno-cool detailing covers every inch of the Offshore Survivor watch, from the textured non-slip black titanium caseback to a rubber strap with two rows of decorative checkering.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Survivor: it’s bad, it’s businesslike, and yes…very limited, with just 1,000 pieces slated for production.  Let the collector races begin!

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It’s been a while since I have contributed writing to our blogs, and a lot has happened here at Lussori in this elapsed time.  We’ve added an exciting roster of new jewelry brands and at the head of the pack is H. Stern.  This innovative company has been winning awards for jewelry design for decades, and we are proud to bring them onboard.

Amongst their substantial selection of jewelry collections is the “Feathers” collection, which is the first group of items I’d like to discuss.  This collection made a huge impression on me when we first viewed it at the JCK jewelry show back in July.  These jewelry designs are made up of a network of 18k gold feathers.  Each feather is hand-rendered and carefully integrated into the gold chain mesh below.  The overall effect is absolutely stunning.

As each individual feather is allowed to move independently, the movement and feel of the bracelet is closer to fabric than jewelry.  Holding the bracelet, I was struck with the thought that this was the most luxurious gold bracelet design I had ever touched, and indeed it is.  Hats off to H. Stern for yet another brilliant design!

If you are like me, you probably still believe that there is still true artisanship in the world of watchmaking. Its not gnomes with magic wands riding unicorns creating horological masterpieces out of thin air, while “tra la la la la-ing” around the Swiss Alps.

And if you have ever been on a watch factory tour you will have seen first hand real artisans forging steel and meticulously attaching microscopic hairsprings to balance wheels under a microscope with exacting precision. Its really quite impressive.

So its no wonder that brands love when celebrities are photographed wearing their products.  I mean who wouldn’t? You devote the majority of your life creating some beautiful and mechanically significant  piece of art – and then a public figure is photographed wearing your product. Its gotta make you feel good about your work.

In the case of Mark McGrath, the lead signer of Sugar Ray, he is such a Patron of the Rolex brand that not only does he diligently wear his Rolex Kermit everywhere he goes – He had the brand logo tattooed on the side of his body…..

Talk about great advertising!

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I have long maintained goodly admiration for the divers timepieces from the Bulgari Diagono Professional collection.  Technical and restrained, as a diving instrument should be, yet undeniably stylish, these rugged luxury watches have always struck me as a very reasonable alternative to the Rolex Submariners or Omega Seamasters you see nearly everywhere.

For 2008, Bulgari did some subtle aesthetic spicing of the Diagono Professional Acqua with excellent results.  While motif-type dials that suggest waves or water have been used by other watch brands (for example, the Omega Seamaster “Bond” 300M, and certain Ulysse Nardin Marine timepieces), Bulgari goes about accomplishing it in its own clever way; a close scrutiny reveals that the “waves” are actually deeply embossed small ovals.  Hold the Diagono Professional Acqua at arm’s length, and presto–embossed ovals become waves again.

The Bulgari Diagono Professional Acqua dial also gets some hearty approval from me for keeping text at a moderate level, as well as having a handsome looking black date wheel with white text (rather than the more common white disc with black text).  The luminous hands and hour markers also strike a good balance between good low light visibility and “my watch dial can outperform a Surefire tactical flashlight”.

Add to all of these attributes a well designed and highly tactile rotating bezel, the super comfortable Bulgari rubber dive strap and a protected winding crown and you have a nice looking–and extremely practical–luxury sports watch for virtually any situation.  While the 1,000-foot water resistance rating may not have the wow factor of horological sea monsters like Girard-Perregaux’s Sea Hawk II Pro or the new Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea, it’s more than sufficient for nearly any diving requirement.  It is also an ample degree of insurance for aquatic sports.

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