The first UK gold Kilo coin was unveiled today by the Royal Mint. This is one kilo of fine gold and only 60 will ever be produced. With a price tag of £100,000, this is one of the most exclusive (and expensive!) pieces of London Olympics 2012 memorabilia.
It will also be one of the most valuable and sought after. The gold kilo coin was designed by influential sculptor, Sir Anthony Caro RA.
In addition to the first UK gold Kilo, a silver Kilo has also been designed by fellow Royal Academician and internationally renowned artist, composer and writer Tom Phillips RA. Priced at £3,000, 2012 silver Kilos will be minted.
Both Kilo coins are presented in beautifully crafted, specially designed presentation boxes accompanied by individually numbered Certificates of Authenticity. Sir Anthony Caro has personally signed and numbered the certificates for each gold Kilo coin.
During the manufacturing process, a special press and production technique were used to achieve the highest ever relief on a coin struck by the Royal Mint.
Sir Anthony Caro’s first UK gold kilo coin design incorporates the theme of the 2012 London Olympics, and depicts the sports equipment used for Weightlifting, Boxing, Football and Athletics framed by a laurel wreath and the official London 2012 logo.
It is unlikely that these coins will ever be circulated due to their size and weight, not to mention value, so Sir Anthony created more of a sculptural medal than a coin.
For further information on the Royal Mint’s full London 2012 collection, please visit royalmint.com.
At Lussorian, we are long admirers of Atomic Floyd. Each model has consistently our performed rivals in the same price bracket.
Now, with the release of SuperDarts, suddenly Atomic Floyd are competing with the highest price bracket headphones, yet are on sale for £199.00.
I was lucky enough to review the Atomic Floyd MiniDarts nearly a year ago and they remain my headphone of choice.
Until now….
The SuperDarts are different from other Atomic Floyd products due to dual drivers, meaning that there are four speakers inside instead of the standard two found in most other earphones. I wanted to see just what a difference the dual drivers made….
I listened to one of my favourite tunes with the MiniDarts and then played the same song back using the SuperDarts.
OMG!
Where the MiniDarts give you crystal clear sound with a good bass, the SuperDarts take it up a few levels. The sound is complete.
This is 3D sound. Your ears get a treatment that they haven’t before encountered. Twangs and beats come at you from everywhere. Your head fills with sound. It is a beautiful thing.
I then went through a few different albums, picking out some beauties to try on the SuperDarts, in fact, I became a little obsessed. It was a little like discovering an extra dimension to your favourite song. Layers of sound and low frequency notes that might normally get missed.
Atomic Floyd have delivered the Best Headphones Of 2011, no doubt. The fact that they look as good as they sound is 1) a mean feat and 2) no surprise. This is Atomic Floyd, they just do things better!
Using titanium, steel, Kevlar and gold, the SuperDarts are a superior choice, perfect for any serious music lover.
The SuperDarts come with a new inline stainless steel remote/mic which provides full control of playback and volume, and seamless switching between music and chat (with full iPhone and iPad compatibility).
Atomic Floyd were already there, but with the release of the best headphones of 2011, their mantra of ‘unstoppable performance meets breathtaking design’ has been met 100%.
Available exclusively from Atomic Floyd and Apple Store.
Posted by Toby Rose on Thu 17th November 2011 at 10:07 AM, Filed in Hot Luxury News
Five star kitchens were visited by a two starred chef and a brace of stage stars. The setting was the Scholtes showroom on swanky Wigmore Street.
The showcase space was a smart multi-level area, which used wood as a contrast to the metal surfaces of Scholtes finest appliances, was the design brainchild of Spanish born designer Patricia Urquiola. Most chic. Most functional. And a nod to the new and growing status of the modern kitchen helped in no small measure by the rising craze for cooking and the rise of the super star chef.
And Scholtes had one on hand for their launch events - Sat Bains from Nottingham. But more of him in a moment.
Read more...
Trinity House Paintings is an international art dealership specialising in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern British and 19th century works.
Although in the past, they might have been considered slightly nomadic, Trinity House Paintings have finally found a beautiful home to house their stunning stock. The new gallery is in the picturesque village of Broadway, Cotswolds.
The new gallery will open with a reception on the evening of 9th December 2011, 5:30-9 pm. The Broadway gallery will also manage the Trinity House Paintings galleries in New York and London.
‘The Broadway mother-ship will run the nuts and bolts of our three galleries and act as our hub for the research and cataloguing of the paintings,’ comments Steven Beale. The new gallery space used to be the furniture designer- Gordon Russell’s workshop and is perfectly suited for the display of their works. Simon Shore adds ‘Trinity House is eager to move into the heart of Broadway’.
The Broadway gallery’s stock includes a selection of British paintings spanning close to 300 years, including the works of Damien Hirst, John Constable, Alfred Munnings and George Stubbs.
In addition paintings by the Impressionist and Post-impressionist artists include Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Eugène Boudin as well as many from the Fauvist movement, including Kees van Dongen. Their full inventory can be viewed on their website.
In December, at the new Broadway gallery you can also view the gallery’s latest collection from their Inaugural Exhibition in New York.
Highlights include “Préparation en dedans”, a charcoal on paper drawing by Edgar Degas (1834-1917) which at the request of the Royal Academy has gone on loan to be included in their autumn blockbuster show, Degas and the Ballet; Picturing Movement (17 September-11 December 2011), a pastel of Claude Monet’s ‘Waterloo Bridge’ and a gouache titled ‘Arbres’ by Paul Cézanne.
I bet the villagers of Broadway are proper chuffed!
What do you buy the wealthy adventurer this Christmas? Well here’s a fantastic suggestion… the Bompas & Parr’s Adventure Hamper from Selfridges that contains a rare magnum of Piper-Heidsieck Vintage 1998 Champagne.
Not only does it contain the Piper-Heidsieck, but it also contains all the items that Hampers of old days used to contain including provisions and equipment to inspire adventure, specifically; an adventure manual with food recipes and wilderness advice, along with a Rescue Flare for emergencies or starting parties, an Ice axe to climb a glacier or carve ice for cocktails, and a flag of Conquest.
This exceptionally cool Bompas & Parr Adventure Hamper will be available at Selfridges from 15 December for £699.99 each in a limited edition of five. What’s more, one lucky hamper owner will be invited to join the Bompas & Parr crew on their Arctic adventure.
