• People who think there is no value in television have obviously never seen Philips Electronics’ diamondencrusted Ambilight FlatTV, created to celebrate the production of the one millionth Ambilight FlatTV. The 42-inch goggle box features close to 2,250 diamonds, totaling 225 carats, set into a stylized floral pattern around the edges of the TV. New York-based A.Link, a partner of Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Sightholder Dali Diamond provided the diamonds to create this one-off TV.

 

“We pride ourselves in developing products that are iconic and highlight the diamonds in a stylish and sophisticated manner,” said Jeffrey Link, president of A.Link.

 

• Indians just love cricket. To celebrate their love of the game, Gitanjali Group awarded two diamond cricket balls to the best Indian and international players in the Cricket World Cup. The balls, each containing 295.6 grams of yellow gold, are studded with 5,728 natural diamonds, making a total weight of 31.5 carats. The diamonds are all square princess cuts, measuring 0.90 x 0.90 mm, with color grades of H-I and clarity grades of VS-SI from the International Gemological Institute (IGI).

 

• Staying on a sporting theme. Steinmetz presented Formula One rookie Lewis Hamilton and his teammate Fernando Alonso with diamond-studded helmets to wear in the Monaco Grand Prix. The diamond company, and McLaren team sponsor, gave the drivers helmets with ‘Monaco 07’ written in white diamonds on the side.

 

After the race, the helmets were auctioned for charities nominated by the drivers. But, to soften the blow of giving up their headgear, Steinmetz gave each driver a $10,000 ring with a diamond tire tread motif.

 

• Anyone who has ever visited Las Vegas knows the effect of a good show. From the fountains at the Bellagio to the replica Eiffel Tower at Paris – Vegas is the spectacle center of the world. All this glitz made Las Vegas the perfect place for Lazare Kaplan to launch their latest promotional gimmick – the $1 Million Ice Cream Cone, made in conjunction with Bruster’s ice cream company.

 

The cone is made of 15 troy ounces of 18 karat yellow gold and 4 troy ounces of white gold. It has a total diamond weight of 152.16 carats, including a 5.63 carat fancy intense yellow W/SI1 radiant cut diamond at its center. The cone will be sold with Bruster’s donating their portion of the proceeds to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters charity.

 

• For people who actually have so much money they don’t know what to do with it, how about a diamond-studded saucepan from German cookware firm Fissler. Although it’s decorated with almost a kilo (2.2 pounds) of gold, the company says that it can be used for cooking the same as any other pot, but with a price tag of £100,000 ($202,745), there are probably few kitchen wizards able to splurge.

 

The 28 cm (11 inch) cooking container, available from up-market London department store Harrods, is fashioned with solid gold handles and logo and bedecked with more than 200 diamonds of varying sizes.

 

The company is hoping to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the most expensive pan.

 

• DTC Sightholder Dalumi and Italian fashion designer Gianfranco Ferré teamed up to create an unusual item – a diamond studded top. The creation debuted on the runway along with Ferré’s women’s collection for fall/winter 2007-2008, and was modeled by British singer Skin. It was one of the last products created by Ferré, who died in June.

The top is covered by more than 900 diamonds mounted in white gold, with a total weight exceeding 300 carats and a retail price tag of €1 million ($1.317 million). Each diamond was sewn onto the fabric by hand.

 

• Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose, who co-starred in 2006’s hit film Dreamgirls, wore the Stuart Weitzman Diamond Dream Shoe to the 79^th Annual Academy Awards. The exclusively designed evening shoe had a stiletto heel, adorned with 1,420 individual brilliant cut Kwiat diamonds, weighing more than 30 carats. The diamonds are set in platinum circles, inspired by Kwiat’s Circles Collection, and are worth half a million dollars.

 

• Another quirky Kwiat product this year came out of a collaboration with L’Oréal Paris, which commissioned the limited edition L’Oréal Paris Red Carpet Compact. The diamond and gold compact, valued at $6,900, was designed to support the entertainment industry and women’s health. Made of 18 karat yellow gold with 90 round, brilliantcut Kwiat diamonds set in 18 karat white gold to create the look of a ribbon, the compact also contains a “red-carpet” ruby embedded in the clasp.

 

A Swarovski crystal version of this luxury compact was presented to each of the 2007 Academy Award nominated actresses, including L’Oréal Paris spokesperson Penelope Cruz.

 

Five of the limited-edition gold and diamond compacts were listed for sale through eBay Giving Works, eBay’s dedicated program for charity listings. The funds generated from the auctions were given to the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF).