HOPE DIAMOND TO GET HISTORIC NEW SETTING FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY

THE FAMOUS HOPE DIAMOND WHICH IS IN THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM, WASHINGTON DC, IS GETTING A NEW SETTING TO MARK THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS DONATION TO THE MUSEUM BY FAMED 'JEWELER TO THE STARS' HARRY WINSTON, WHO PURCHASED IT IN 1949 FROM THE ESTATE OF EVELYN WALSH MCLEAN. (WHO, ACCORDING TO LORE, LITERALLY 'MAILED IT IN AT THE TIME, VIA THE US POSTAL SERVICE.) THE HOUSE OF HARRY WINSTON HAS CREATED THREE POSSIBLE NEW SETTINGS IS ASKING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO CAST THEIR VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE SETTING. THE VOTING RUNS THROUGH 7.SEPTEMBER, AND THE RESULT WILL BE REVEALED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL'S DOCUMENTARY "MYSTERY OF THE HOPE DIAMOND" IN MARCH OF 2010. BUT IF THE DESIGN IS OF YOUR CHOICE, DON'T WORRY, BY THE TIME 2010 ENDS THE DIAMOND WILL BE BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL SETTING.

TINTIN BOOK REMOVED FROM CIRCULATION AT BROOKLYN LIBRARY

LIBRARY POLICIES OFTEN ALLOW PATRONS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE VARIOUS CONTENT THEY FIND OBJECTIONABLE, AND THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION REPORTS THAT IT'S AWARE OF UP TO 700 FORMAL BOOK CHALLENGES A YEARS. EVEN SO, THE ASSOCIATION SAYS IT OPPOSES GETTING RID OF BOOKS, OR RESTRICTING ACCESS TO THEM, EVEN IF THEY ARE OFFENSIVE TO THE LIBRARIAN OR LIBRARY PATRONS. IN RARE CASES, A FORMAL OBJECTION WILL BE UPHELD BY LIBRARY OFFICIALS, AND THE BOOK PLACED IN A LESS ACCESSIBLE AREA WHILE STILL REMAINING IN THE COLLECTION.
THAT'S HAPPENED AT A BROOKLYN LIBRARY, WHERE A COPY OF TINTIN AU CONGO, THE SECOND BOOK, PUBLISHED 79 YEARS AGO, IN BELGIAN CARTOONIST HERGE'S FAMOUS SERIES ABOUT AN ADVENTUROUS REPORTER, WAS MOVED IN 2007 FROM THE LIBRARY'S PUBLIC AREAS TO A LOCKED BACK ROOM THAT'S ACCESSIBLE ONLY TO STAFF MEMBERS. THE MOVE CAME AFTER A PATRON HAD OBJECTED, AS OTHERS HAVE, TO THE WAY AFRICANS ARE PORTRAYED IN THE BOOK. IN PARTICULAR, THE PATRON TOOK ISSUE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS THAT SHE FELT HAD THE AFRICANS 'LOOKING LIKE MONKEYS', BUT OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE BOOK HAVE ALSO DRAWN CRITICISM OVER THE YEARS, FROM THE BROKEN FRENCH THAT THE NATIVES SPEAK TO THEIR GENERAL SIMPLE-MINDEDNESS. NEW YORK CITY LIBRARIES HAVE RECEIVED ALMOST TWO DOZEN WRITTEN OBJECTIONS TO MATERIAL SINCE 2005, BUT THE TINTIN BOOK IS THE ONLY CHALLENGED ITEM TO HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE OPEN STACKS, LIBRARY OFFICIALS SAID.

ABSOLUT TO RELEASE 'ROCK EDITION' AT SELFRIDGES 1.SEPTEMBER

ABSOLUT VODKA'S LATEST ADDITION TO ITS TRENDY PACKAGING COLLECTION PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOODSTOCK MUSIC AND ART FAIR, WHICH WAS HELD IN BETHEL, NEW YORK, IN 1969. THE ABSOLUT ROCK EDITION WILL BE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED AT SELFRIDGES, LONDON, ON 1.SEPTEMBER BEFORE BECOMING WIDELY AVAILABLE IN LATE OCTOBER. ABSOLUT WORKED WITH PARIS-BASED BELGIAN DESIGNER NATALIA BRILLI TO CREATE A STUNNING LEATHER AND STUDS DESIGN, WHICH GIVES THE BOTTLE A REAL 'ROCK VIBE'.

MUSICIAN REUNITED WITH £300,000 VIOLIN LOST IN NYC CAB

IT WAS ONLY AFTER TAKING A SHOWER IN HIS CHINATOWN APARTMENT THAT, HAHN-BIN, THE AMAZING 22 YEAR OLD SOUTH KOREAN-BORN VIOLIN VIRTUOSO, REALIZED HE FORGOT HIS 18th CENTURY VIOLIN MADE BY GIOVANNI FRANCESCO PRESSENDA, VALUED AT £300,000, IN A YELLOW CAB ON HIS WAY BACK FROM A LONG ISLAND CONCERT, WITH FAMED VIOLINIST ITZHAK PERLMAN, ON MONDAY. IT WAS AFTER CALLING THE CITY'S TAXI AUTHORITIES AND THE POLICE THAT THE TAXI DISPATCHER TRACKED DOWN THE TAXI. OVERNIGHT RECORDS REVEALED THAT HAHN-BIN HAD BEEN DROPPED OFF BY DALBIR SINGH, BEFORE THE DRIVER HAD FINISHED HIS SHIFT AND DROVE BACK HOME TO NEW JERSEY, WHERE THE VIOLIN WAS SAFELY WAITING. THE INSTRUMENT COULD BE FOUND ONLY BECAUSE OF GPS TRACKERS FITTED IN ALL YELLOW CABS. "LOSING AN INSTRUMENT IS A GREATEST FER, EVEN MORE THAN MAKING A MISTAKE ON STAGE", HAHN-BIN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING.
FOR MORE ON HAHN-BIN VISIT http://hahn-bin.com/

PIAGET LIMELIGHT TWICE WATCH

THE SWISS LUXURY WATCHMAKERS PIAGET HAVE INTRODUCED AN EXTRAVAGANT NEW WATCH THAT STANDS OUT DUE TO ITS 'HEADS AND TAIL' DUAL NATURE. IT DEPENDS ON THE WEARER'S MOOD, WHICH SIDE OF THE BRILLIANT MODEL TO SHOW: THE MODEST OR THE FLASHY. DUBBED PIAGET LIMELIGHT TWICE, THE UNIQUE TIMEPIECE CHARMS WITH ITS METICULOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP AND A STUNNING ASYMMETRIC DESIGN. THE LIMELIGHT TWICE HAS TWO SEPARATE PIAGET 56P QUARTZ MOVEMENTS AND TWO DIFFERENT DIALS, THUS ENABLING THE DISPLAY OF TWO DIFFERENT TIME ZONES. THREE 18 CARAT WHITE GOLD MODELS ARE AVAILABLE, TWO OF THEM ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A BLACK SATIN STRAP AND A THIRD COMES WITH A GOLD AND DIAMONDS BRACELET, WHICH IS SET WITH OVER 360 BRILLIANT CUT PAVE-SET DIAMONDS. PRICES ARE ESTIMATED TO BEGIN AROUND $58,000 DEPENDING ON THE STYLE CHOSEN.

CARAN D'ACHE SHIVA FOUNTAIN PEN

CARAN D'ACHE HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A NEW ADDITION TO THEIR STUNNING ARTISTE COLLECTION. IN COLLABORATION WITH JEWELER AND ARTIST, EDOUARD JUD, A LIMITED EDITION 108 FOUNTAIN PENS ($15,400) AND 55 ROLLER PENS ($14,000) HAVE BEEN CREATED, DEDICATED TO THE HINDU GOD, SHIVA. PRODUCED ENTIRELY BY HAND IN SOLID 800 SOLID SILVER WITH A DISTINCTIVE SOMBER FINISH, THE SUMPTUOUS AND UNIQUE PIECES EVOKE ALL THE MYSTERY AND SYMBOLISM OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURE IN THE SHIVAIST TRADITION. SHIVA, THE PERSONIFICATION OF THE ABSOLUTE, APPEARS ON THE BODY AND CAP OF THE WRITING INSTRUMENT IN SEVERAL REPRESENTATIONS OF HIS DESTRUCTIVE AND REGENERATIVE POWER.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON TO PRESENT EUNICE SHRIVER PORTRAITS

IN HONOR OF EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER (1921-2009) AND HER MANY ACCLAIMED HUMANITARIAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, HAS PLACED ON VIEW THREE STUNNING ICONIC BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS OF SHRIVER BY RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER HERB RITTS (1952-2002). THE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN IN LOS ANGELES IN 1995 AND WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THE MFA's LINDE FAMILY WING OUTSIDE OF THE HERB RITTS GALLERY. THE PORTRAITS, PART OF A GIFT OF MORE THAN 200 WORKS FROM HERB RITTS AND THE HERB RITTS FOUNDATION, WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2009.