William Watch

Guui 2009 Model 215139 J85G0 8029

2009-04-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

marina chain collection. quartz movement. case size 35 x 26 mm. sapphire crystal. jewelry clasp. water-resistant to 3 atm (100 feet/30 meters), swiss made. 2 year warranty.
small version. 18kt yellow gold case and bracelet with black lacquered dial. website exclusive.

Gucci 2009 Model 219072 I16G0 1000 001

2009-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

G chrono collection. quartz movement. case diameter 44 mm. sapphire crystal. applied indexes. deployment buckle with pushers. water-resistant to 3 atm (100 feet/30 meters). swiss made. 2 year warranty.
extra large version. black PVD case with 54 diamonds and black PVD bracelet with black dial. total of 0.78 carats.

Citizen Ultimate Chronograph AV0031-59A

2009-04-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

Product Key Features:
- 1/5 Second Chronograph Measures up to 12 Hours
- Safety Fold Over Clasp with Push Button
- Once Fully Charged has 240 Days Power Reserve
- Non-Reflective Crystal
- Never Needs a Battery

Product Description:
Citizen Calibre 2100 Eco-Drive Chronograph White Face, AV0031-59A - Innovation is what you are getting when you take a look at the Citizen Calibre 2100 Eco-Drive Chronograph White Face AV0031-59A watch. Citizen implemented the most sophisticated technology available to create the greatest chronograph available anywhere. The AV0031-59A features are those found among the most accurate, smooth, and stylish watches. The AV0031-59A is hand crafted to provide quality that is available no where else. Perfect for the scientific go-getter the Citizen Calibre 2100 Eco-Drive Chronograph White Face AV0031-59A would win the prize for innovation any day.

Gucci Women's 101G Gray Satin & Gray MOP Dial YA101508

2009-04-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

Beauty instilled in time. This Gucci G Series timepiece glistens with its cool design accented by diamonds along its bezel, making it a unique selection to add to a lady's ensemble.

Model Number: YA101508Series: 101G

Style: Luxury

Size: Women's

Case: Stainless steel

Dial Color: Gray mother of pearl

Strap: Gray satin

Clasp Type: Buckle

Movement: Swiss made quartz

Crystal: Sapphire

Case Diameter: 28 mm

Case Thickness: 8 mm

Water Resistant: 30 meters

Strap Width: 15 mm

Strap Length: 7.5 inches

Diamonds: 47 white diamonds accent bezel

Orient 2EU03002W

2009-04-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Model: Orient Watch - Orient 2EU03002W
Case material: Brushed solid stainless steel casing
Case dimensions: 43mm in diameter without the crown, 47mm in diameter with crown; 12mm in thickness
Weight: 4.8 oz
Movement: Orient automatic movement
Water resistant: Stainless steel
Crystal type: Scratch resistant mineral crystal
Crown: Screw in crown
Water resistant: 50 meters
Face color: White
Lug size: 20mm
Band type: Brushed solid stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp with push button
Band length: 8 1/4 inches including the watch, sizable down to 5.75 inches
Additional features: Day display, Date (with month) display, Luminous hands and markers
Warranty: 1 year warranty on all Orient watches
Items included: Owner's manual, Orient warranty paper

Marisa Tomei

2009-04-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

Marisa Tomei (born December 4, 1964) is an American stage, film and television actress. Tomei first came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987.
She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the comedy My Cousin Vinny (1992). She received Best Supporting Actress nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globes for her roles in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler, as well as a BAFTA Award nomination for The Wrestler.
Her most commmercially successful film to date was What Women Want, followed by Wild Hogs (2007), and Anger Management (2003). She received critical acclaim for her performances in Unhook the Stars (1996) and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007).

Life and career

Early life
Tomei, an Italian American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Patricia "Addie," an English teacher, and Gary A. Tomei, a trial lawyer. She has a younger brother, actor Adam Tomei, and was partly raised by her paternal grandparents, Rita and Romeo Tomei. She is not related to actress Concetta Tomei. Tomei grew up in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. While there, she became captivated by the Broadway shows that her theater-loving parents took her to and became drawn to acting as a career. After graduating from Edward R. Murrow High School, she attended Boston University for a year, transferring to New York University in 1983 after landing a role in the soap opera As The World Turns. Soon afterward, she dropped out of school as her career began achieving success.

Career
Tomei followed up As the World Turns, in 1987, with a role on the sitcom A Different World. Her breakthrough comedic performance came in My Cousin Vinny (1992), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. After her Oscar win, she received a Screen Actor's Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Female Supporting Actor for Nick Cassavetes' Unhook the Stars. Next, she received an American Comedy Award nomination for Funniest Supporting Actress for Tamara Jenkins' Slums of Beverly Hills. She was nominated for a Satellite Award, as Best Supporting Actress for What Women Want.
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jay Mohr wrote in his book Gasping for Airtime that, as guest host in October 1994, Tomei insisted that a proposed sketch about another actress not be used because she didn't like the idea of making fun of her, which displeased the writers and performers, given the show's penchant for satirizing celebrities.
In 1996, Tomei made a guest appearance on the sitcom Seinfeld, playing herself in "The Cadillac" two-part episode. In this episode, George attempts to get a date with Tomei through a friend of Elaine. She has also made an appearance on The Simpsons, as movie star Sara Sloane who falls in love with Ned Flanders.
She received her first Golden Globe Award nomination and her second Academy Award-nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Todd Field's In The Bedroom (2001).
In 2003, Tomei appeared in the hit Anger Management with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson. In 2005, she was featured in an ad campaign for Hanes with the slogan "Look who we've got our Hanes on now", featuring various other celebrities including Michael Jordan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Damon Wayans, Matthew Perry and, on Spanish-language advertising, Aracely Arambula and Pablo Montero.
In 2006, Tomei had a recurring role on the TV series Rescue Me, playing Johnny's ex-wife Angie.
In 2007, she appeared in the comedy Wild Hogs alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen, William H. Macy and Martin Lawrence. The film was a blockbuster hit and was one of the highest grossing movies of 2007. She also starred in the Sidney Lumet-directed Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, opposite co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. This role received extra attention because the usually modest Tomei had nude love scenes with both Hoffman and Hawke. In 2008, Tomei performed nude dance routines in another provocative role as a stripper, in the independent film The Wrestler opposite Mickey Rourke. She was nominated for a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award for this performance. Numerous critics heralded this performance as a standout in her career.

Theatre
Tomei has also done substantial work in the theater, including taking lead roles on Broadway in Wait Until Dark (1998) and Salomé (2003), and many Off-Broadway plays.

Personal life
In the early 1990s, Tomei dated Robert Downey, Jr. (her co-star in Chaplin and Only You). In 1999, she dated actor Dana Ashbrook and had a relationship with Frank Pugliese. As of 2009, she is dating actor Logan Marshall Green.
Tomei is the recipient of an honorary degree from Boston University.

Collin Farrell

2009-04-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor, who has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Tigerland, Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, Alexander and S.W.A.T.
Early life
Colin Farrell was born in Castleknock, Dublin, the son of Rita, a housewife, and Eamon Farrell, a footballer who played for Shamrock Rovers FC. His uncle Tommy Farrell also played for Rovers. Farrell has three siblings: two sisters, Claudine (who is his personal assistant) and Catherine; and a brother, Eamon Óg. Farrell was educated at St. Brigid's National School Castleknock followed by Castleknock College and Gormanston College. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was a promising young football player for Dublin team, Castleknock Celtic, as a goalkeeper and dated Angie Miller. Farrell auditioned for the Irish group Boyzone when he was still unknown, but was unsuccessful. Farrell attended The Gaiety School of Acting, but dropped out and was cast in the part of Danny Byrne on Ballykissangel, a BBC television drama. Farrell appeared on the show from 1998 to 1999.

Career
Farrell had a number of small parts in various television shows and films, including the BBC drama Ballykissangel in 1998 and his film debut in Tim Roth's The War Zone. Then in 2000, he was cast in the lead role of Private Roland Bozz in Tigerland, an American film directed by Joel Schumacher. Farrell's next American films, American Outlaws (2001) and Hart's War (2002), were not commercially successful, but his 2003 films, including Phone Booth, S.W.A.T., and The Recruit were well-received box office successes. Although he has a pronounced Irish accent, Farrell uses an American accent in some of his films including American Outlaws and his breakthrough role, Tigerland. Farrell is also a proven supporting actor, given his performances as an ambitious cop who chases after a potential criminal, played by actor Tom Cruise in Minority Report (2002), and as the skilled villain Bullseye in Daredevil (2003).
In late 2003, Farrell starred as a criminal who plots a bank heist with Cillian Murphy in the comedy Intermission, which held the record as highest-grossing Irish independent film in Irish box office history until 2006. In 2004, Farrell appeared in several independent films that received only a limited theatrical release in most countries, including A Home at the End of the World, which received some positive reviews. Farrell appeared as a bisexual character in A Home at the End of the World.

Farrell at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Farrell appeared in the title role of Alexander the Great in Oliver Stone's 2004 biopic Alexander, which, while receiving some favorable reviews internationally, received mostly mediocre and negative reviews in the United States. It was marked by controversy for portraying the ancient conqueror as bisexual, and received criticism from some historians for its portrayal of the ancient Persians, though others praised it for its accuracy in these regards as well. The movie grossed a total of $167 million worldwide, despite its poor showing within the United States, just exceeding its budget of $155 million.

Farrell as Alexander the Great in Alexander (2004)
His next film was 2005's Academy Award-nominated The New World, also a historical epic that was met with mixed reviews. Farrell played the leading role of captain John Smith, the founder of 17th century colonial Jamestown, Virginia who falls in love with a beautiful Native American princess, Pocahontas, played by Q'Orianka Kilcher. The film achieved success, despite being released in only 811 theaters worldwide and having a relatively low box office gross.
The New World was followed by Ask the Dust, a romance film set in period Los Angeles and co-starring Salma Hayek. It received a very limited theatrical release and was not a financial success. 2006 brought more success in Farrell's career, as he appeared opposite Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann's action-crime film Miami Vice. The film was a box office success grossing a total of US $164 million worldwide. Farrell was next seen in Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, which premiered in 2007 and was distributed in the U.S. in early 2008. Farrell's next film, Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, opened the Sundance Film Festival in 2008; Farrell received his first Golden Globe nomination and win for his role as Ray, a hired hitman. Shortly thereafter he appeared Kicking It, a documentary following six homeless men from different countries as they attempt to qualify for the Homeless World Cup. Farrell appeared on screen and provided narration. The film released simultaneously in theaters and television, airing on ESPN2 with a very short window to DVD release. Farrell received positive press for his involvement in the heartwarming true-life tale, and enthusiastic reviews for the two dramatic roles that preceded it.
On 11 January 2009, he won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor: Musical or Comedy for his role in In Bruges, in which he co-starred with Brendan Gleeson.

Personal life
Farrell is of Catholic religion and has a large cross tattoo on his left forearm. Farrell has a son, James (born 12 September 2003), with US model Kim Bordenave. In October 2007, Farrell revealed that his son has Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterised by intellectual and developmental delay, speech impediment, sleep disturbance, seizures, hand flapping movements, and frequent laughter/smiling.
In December 2005, Farrell voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation treatment center for addictions to recreational drugs and painkillers. His publicist commented that Farrell had started taking painkillers due to a back injury. He was released in January 2006. In May 2006, Farrell started attending rehabilitation meetings.

Sex tape
In July 2005, Farrell filed a lawsuit suing his former girlfriend, Playboy model Nicole Narain, the Internet Commerce Group (ICG) and adult entertainment producer David Hans Schmidt over the unauthorized public distribution of a 14-minute sex tape that Farrell made with Narain in 2003. Farrell claims he understood the tape as being "strictly private and confidential and will take legal court actions to anyone who tries to distribute it", but it was leaked to Schmidt and ICG who tried to release it publicly. A Los Angeles judge issued an injunction barring the sale, distribution, or display of the tape.
Narain claimed that she did not give the tape to anyone and was not sure if or how copies were taken from her. She originally said that she would work with Farrell to ensure that it remained private, but Farrell said that Narain, along with Schmidt, was trying to release it in order to damage his career and "make money out of it", which Nicole denies.
In January 2006, the tape surfaced on website named dirtycolin.com. The site was shut down on the same day because the server overloaded, but re-opened a week later. The tape was then pirated through file sharing systems. Both Farrell's and Narain's lawyers denounced the site, which was shut down again a few days later for unknown reasons. Farrell's legal team said it would take legal action against sites that hosted the tape. A trial date for the Narain lawsuit was set for July 17, 2006, but the judge allowed Farrell and Nicole to mediate until April 20. On April 16, the two reached a settlement with confidential terms. However, Farrell's lawsuit against ICG continued with a trial date set for July 21, 2006.

Alleged proposition for sex
In 2005, Dame Eileen Atkins — who was 70 at the time — revealed on Loose Women that a "stunningly gorgeous big film star" spent nearly three hours propositioning her for "sex with no strings". The "star" was later revealed to be actor Colin Farrell, whom Atkins had acted alongside in the film, Ask the Dust. Atkins claimed she was tempted, but turned him down because he is 42 years her junior. Farrell did not comment on the accusation.

Dessarae Bradford's accusations
Farrell has been sued twice for alleged harassment and sending foul messages to telephone sex worker Dessarae Bradford. The lawsuits were later dismissed due to a lack of evidence provided by Bradford. Bradford, who has announced that she is "waging war on Colin Farrell", has recorded a song entitled "Colin Farrell is My Bitch" and has self-published a book called Colin Farrell: A Dark Twisted Puppy.
Bradford took a lie detector test on an i TV program in an attempt to support her claims and stories. She failed the test.
On 20 July 2006, as Farrell was being interviewed by Jay Leno on the set of The Tonight Show, Bradford evaded security, walked on stage as cameras were rolling, confronted Farrell, and threw her book on Leno's desk. In front of a silent, stunned audience, Farrell escorted her off the stage himself, told the camera crew to stop filming, and handed her over to security. As Bradford was led out of the studio, she shouted "I'll see you in court." Farrell's response was, "Darling, you're insane!" Outside the studio, NBC security handed her to Burbank police, who eventually released her. After Farrell apologized to the audience, describing Bradford as "my first stalker", the show then continued filming and the incident was edited out of the broadcast aired that night. The following day, Farrell obtained a restraining order against Bradford.

Celebrity status
Farrell was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2003. He was also voted sixth in the World's "Sexiest Man" contest by Company magazine that same year.
In 2007, Farrell joined other celebrities including Bruce Willis, Muhammad Ali, Eva Mendes, Vanessa L. Williams and Arnold Schwarzenegger to become an official games spokesman for the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, China.

Hugh Jackman

2009-04-12T23:12:00.000-07:00

Date of Birth12 October 1968, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Birth NameHugh Michael Jackman
Height6' 2½" (1.89 m)
Mini Biography
Born in Sydney of English parentage, and the youngest of 5 children, Jackman has a Communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney. After graduating, he pursued drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, immediately after which he was offered a starring role in the ABC TV prison drama "Correlli" (1995), opposite his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Several TV guest roles followed, as an actor and variety compere. An accomplished singer, Jackman has starred as Gaston in the Australian production of Beauty and the Beast. He appeared as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of Sunset Boulevard. In 1998, he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma. Jackman has made two feature films, the second of which, Erskineville Kings (1999), garnered him an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actor in 1999. Recently, he won the part of Logan/Wolverine in the Bryan Singer- directed comic book movie X-Men (2000). In his spare time, Hugh plays piano, golf and guitar and likes to windsurf.

The Mulliner Tourbillon

2009-04-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mulliner is the jewel in the crown of the Bentley car manufacturer. The exclusivity of the Mulliner Tourbillon comes at a price especially since only a few dozen of these remarkable timepieces will be made over the next few years. The watch, like the car, will be customized by the future owner who can choose whether he would like a platinum, or yellow, rose or white gold case, the dial colour, the shade of the crocodile leather strap and the type of veneer for the precious wood decoration on the back of the watch.

The movement is a hand-wound Breitling Calibre 18B with tourbillon regulating system, there is a pointer date display and it is a COSC certified chronometer.
The watch has a unique 30-second chronograph mechanism which is unusual in that the central seconds hand revolves around the dial in half a minute as opposed to the normal 60 seconds. This rather surprising configuration offers a more precise reading of the fractions of a second, which in this case is 1/6th of a second. There is also a 15-minute counter. The hour markers are crafted in mother-of-pearl, the owner’s initials are engraved on one of the movement bridges and the precious wooden ring on the caseback, which is available in the one of the six shades and veneers as the Bentley Mulliner trim on the car, is protected by a sapphire crystal. Finally, the dial is available in eight different colours.

The Mulliner Tourbillon, unique in concept, is a chef-d’oeuvre of workmanship and elegance that is a fitting tribute to the Mulliner Bentley car and the ‘Breitling for Bentley’ watch collection.

Demons

2009-02-11T06:51:00.000-08:00

Demons is a British six-part supernatural television drama series produced by Shine Productions, which premièred on ITV on 3 January 2009. It is produced by the same company that made the Sky1 supernatural drama Hex and the BBC One fantasy series Merlin.

The plot follows the adventures of a London teenager Luke Rutherford, who learns that he is the last descendant of the Van Helsing line by the sudden arrival of his American godfather Rupert Galvin. Luke is charged with the role of smiting the gathering dark forces of the world whilst trying to live an ordinary life of exams and parties. Rupert Galvin helps train Luke with the assistance of Mina Harker, a blind concert pianist and authority on half-lives (i.e., vampires, demons, zombies, and werewolves). Luke's best friend Ruby also joins in on the action.

Notable demons
Gladiolus Thrip: A preening, narcissistic and ruthless hit-man, Thrip is a Type 12 entity, the most powerful type of demon there is. He has a cockney accent and speaks in a very pompous, verbose manner. He possesses superhuman speed and strength and is immune to most forms of attack. Nevertheless he possesses an arrogant belief in his invincibility which leads to his apparent destruction at the hands of Luke in the first episode. Thrip had no nose and wore an ivory beak in its place which survived the apparent destruction of his body. He later returns in the final episode, working to drive Luke and Galvin apart; however he is ultimately slain by Mina, who awakens her vampiric nature by drinking a vial of her own blood. Thanks to her vampiric sense, Mina realises that Thrip is a vampire (explaining why he did not die previously and why he was so difficult to kill). She later tears out his throat, as the only one who can kill a vampire is another vampire, causing his body to liquify. Thrip's superhuman speed was a hint to his true nature, as vampires bear the same kind of superhuman speed as seen in 'Suckers'.

Gilgamel: An ancient and powerful demon with an affinity for graveyards and churches, Gilgamel is a Travesty, a demon that can impersonate an angel. He feeds on the lifeforce of children who become his slaves after he devours their souls and help lure others into Gilgamel's clutches. While hunting for fresh victims, he appears as an ethereal white light; however his true form is that of a hideous, gargoyle-like demon, complete with cloven hooves, taloned wings and a skull resembling a Romanesque helmet. Luke easily dispatches him with a sword belonging to St Anselm (who had previously tried- and failed- to kill Gilgamel).

Mister Tibbs: A psychopathic genius, part man, part rat. Mister Tibbs is the demon responsible for the death of Rupert Galvin's wife and so Rupert hates him most of all demons and will stop at nothing to kill him. Tibbs however doesn't appear to be remotely afraid of Galvin and enjoys taunting him over the death of his wife.

Quincey: A power-hungry vampire and the son of Mina and her husband Jonathan, Quincey views humans as an inferior species and thus believes that vampires are perfectly justified in hunting and killing them, viewing it as no more evil than humans killing and eating chickens. He wants Mina to join him because she possesses the blood of Dracula, the most powerful vampire who ever lived, with which he seeks to make himself invincible so that he can conquer the earth. Mina is reluctant to let him die, but he is eventually killed by Luke. Like Mina, Quincey was a character in Bram Stoker's Dracula, being mentioned at the end of the novel and named after another character called Quincey Morris.

Alice: A 3000 year old harpy with a taste for human flesh and a predilection for preying on young men, Alice stalks her prey by taking the form of a beautiful young woman, which she uses to hunt Luke by posing as his girlfriend. When she so desires (or if forced by an external stimulus), she takes a more bestial form, becoming a winged beast that appears and behaves more like a dragon than the harpy of classical legend. She desires to kill Luke as revenge for one of his ancestors murdering her sisters, but Luke grudgingly dispatches her after learning her true nature.

Genre : Science fiction/supernatural drama
Created by : Johnny Capps Julian Murphy
Written by : Peter Tabern Howard Overman Lucy Watkins
Starring : Philip Glenister Christian Cooke Holly Grainger Zoe Tapper
Opening theme : Starlight Mints - Eyes of the Night
Composer(s) : Jack C Arnold
Country of origin : United Kingdom
No. of series : 1
No. of episodes : 6

Original channel : ITV
Picture format : HDTV (1080i)
Audio format : Dolby Digital
Original run : 3 January – 7 February 2009

Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire Squelett, with 8-day power reserve

2009-02-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

Other manufacturers made eight day watches as well, and some of these movements, originally intended for use in pocketwatches, came to be used as wristwatches; there are numerous examples which were designed to be used as military wristwatches.

Eight day watches were generally rather big as the mainspring was considerably larger as a rule, and such watches, when adapted for military use were like most modified pocket watches, worn on the wrist in a cuplike receptacle of leather, and held in place with a hefty leather strap that would have done well as a toddler's belt.

Parmigiani Mens Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire PF003518-01

2009-02-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Style : Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire
Model # : PF003518-01
Gender : Mens
Case : Stainless Steel
Bezel Material : Stainless Steel
Movement : Manual
Dial Color : Silver
Bracelet/Strap : Leather-Black
Crystal : Sapphire
Buckle : Deployment Buckle
Functions : Hour, Minutes, Date, Power Reserve and Seconds
Date : at 6 o'clock
Power Reserve : 192 Hour
Case Width : 37 mm
Case Thickness : 11.2 mm
Water Resistant : 150 Feet

Sarah Wayne Callies

2008-11-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

Sarah Wayne Callies (born Sarah Anne Callies on June 1, 1977 in La Grange, Illinois) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Sara Tancredi in the American television series Prison Break.

Early life
Callies moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her family when she was one. Throughout her youth, she expressed an interest in acting through participating in various school plays at Punahou School.
While her parents are professors at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, Callies did not follow in their footsteps. Instead, she chose to pursue a career in acting. After graduating from high school, she entered Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. In conjunction with her studies, she continued her involvement in theatre. She continued her education at Denver's National Theater Conservatory where she obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2002.

Career
Callies' first role on television was as Kate O'Malley, a recurring role on the short-lived CBS show Queens Supreme. Her first starring role was as Detective Jane Porter on The WB's Tarzan.
After making various guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dragnet (2003) and NUMB3RS, Callies gained a starring role on FOX's Prison Break as Sara Tancredi. Her role lasted from 2005 through 2007. According to Prison Break's executive producer Matt Olmstead, although he, the writers, the network and Callies herself all wanted her to stay on the show the character was written out related to contract disputes. She stated through a spokesperson to TV Guide in Fall 2007:

"As hard as we all tried, the Prison Break powers that be and I were unable to find a way to meet both the needs of the story and the needs of my family. We parted wishing each other well. I had a wonderful time working with the creative team and have a world of respect for all of them; they took great care of Sara. I'm also enormously grateful to the fans. They've been so gracious and supportive, and I hope they continue to enjoy the show.

However, in March 2008 Olmstead stated that the character of Sara is still alive and would return in Season 4 of Prison Break. Though the character Sara Tancredi appeared to have a violent death Olmstead stated "...we realized that there was actually a way she could still be alive. When asked by Kirstin of E! whether the fans' overwhelming response to her death (namely the STGD Campaign and Save-Sara-Tancredi.org) had factored in, Excecutive Producer Matt Olmstead admitted it had indeed influenced the decision.
Callies has also starred in two feature films - Universal Pictures' Whisper and an independent, The Celestine Prophecy.

Personal life
On June 21, 2002, Callies married Josh Winterhalt, whom she met at Dartmouth College. Winterhalt is a martial arts teacher. On January 23, 2007, her publicist announced that the couple were expecting their first child. In July 2007, Callies and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Keala Winterhalt pronounced Kay-AH-lah.

Film
2006 The Celestine Prophecy : Marjorie
2007 Whisper : Roxanne
2008 Bittersweet : Robyn

Television
2003 Queens Supreme : Kate O'Malley
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit : Jenny Rochester
Dragnet : Kathryn Randall
Tarzan : Jane Porter
2004 The Secret Service : Laura Kelly
2005 NUMB3RS : Kim Hall
2005 - 2007, 2008- Prison Break : Sara Tancredi

Sara Tancredi (Prison Break)

2008-11-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Dr. Sara Wayne Tancredi is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. She is played by Sarah Wayne Callies. Her role in the first season of the series was a prison doctor.

Raised in Chicago, Sara Tancredi's ambitions to be a doctor began when she was very young. While at Northwestern University, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa, she was introduced to the works of Mahatma Gandhi and decided to become a humanitarian, which later influenced her decision to work at Fox River State Penitentiary. Another factor which contributed to her occupational choice was her past morphine addiction, culminating in being unable to help a boy after he was run over because she was high, which was revealed in a flashback episode of the first season, "Brother's Keeper". At 29 years old, Dr. Sara Tancredi was one of the few doctors working at Fox River. Her chosen occupation became a constant source of stress for her father. Sara is the only child of the Governor of Illinois, Frank Tancredi (John Heard). Due to her father's hectic political career and vastly differing beliefs, she did not have a close relationship with him. In episode "Buried", it was revealed that her mother has already died.

In the first season, Sara is mostly featured in scenes with Michael Scofield, while in the second season, Sara has mainly appeared in scenes with Frank Tancredi, Paul Kellerman or by herself. Thus far, she has appeared in every episode in the series except for second season episodes, "Otis" and "John Doe". After the death of Robin Tunney's character, Veronica Donovan, Sara Tancredi became the only remaining principal female character. Coincidentally, just like Veronica (who was killed off in the first episode of the second season "Manhunt"), she was "killed off" early in the third season, apparantly beheaded by Gretchen Morgan, and her "head" was delivered in a box to Lincoln Burrows. In season 4 it is discovered that the head was a ploy and that Sara is alive.

In the television series, the character is described as "tall, slender, brown hair, brown eyes. The character's biography on the show's official site describes Sara as someone who wanted to be more than a "traditional doctor" and to follow a "more humanitarian path". Similarly, the actress portraying the character comments that, "At a certain point, in her past, she's worked with Doctors without Borders, worked in the Third World, and I think it gave her a different sense of the value of life and the potential of medicine in ways that resonated with her, for First World applications in a prison population.

Sara is shown in the series as a compassionate doctor who cared about her patients, while treating each one of them with the same cordiality and respect. In the episode "The Rat", Sara's father questions her motive for helping Lincoln Burrows, to which she replies, "It's my job to advocate for [my patients]. Sarah Wayne Callies, who portrays Sara Tancredi, remarks that the character "feels a certain level of responsibility to these guys. Partly because who her father is... she's the kind of person who would rather take a stand and sleep well at night than have a peaceful family.

In the second season, Sara becomes part of the conspiracy plot of the show after her involvement in Michael and Lincoln's escape, and her father's later pursuit of information concerning Lincoln's case. She is continuously chased by covert agents after the death of her father in "Buried". Sara later confides in Michael in episode "Chicago" that the two things keeping her going are her feelings for him and that she wants to seek justice for her father's death. The character is described by Jay Bobbin from Zap2it.com as "gutsy", while TV Guide's Maya Schechter remarks that Sara is "one tough cookie". Regarding her character's change in the second season, Callies says, "She's just someone who has really rushed at life and absorbed experience with real enthusiasm. She's getting a lot more than she bargained for right now, and I certainly don't think she'll be the same person after this.

The Big Bang Theory

2008-11-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

The Big Bang Theory is an American situation comedy created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. It concerns two 20-something prodigies; a theoretical and an experimental physicist at Caltech, who live across the hall from a blonde waitress with showbusiness aspirations; their geekiness is contrasted to her naïveté and common sense. It is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions, and recorded in front of a studio audience.

The pilot episode, simply titled "Pilot", directed by James Burrows, led to a 13-episode order on May 14, 2007. Prior to the premiere of the show on CBS, the pilot episode was distributed on iTunes free of charge.

On October 19, 2007 the show was picked up for a full 22-episode season, the first new comedy of the 2007-2008 season to be given a full season.
Production on the show was halted on November 6, 2007 by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.

On February 14, 2008, CBS officially picked up The Big Bang Theory for a second season along with eleven other shows for the 2008-2009 television season.
The show returned on March 17, 2008 with an earlier time slot and nine new episodes. The second season premiered on September 22, 2008.

David Saltzberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California-Los Angeles, checks scripts and provides dialogue, math equations and diagrams used as props. He says he's more consultant than contributor.

Merlin

2008-11-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Merlin is a British television drama series that began in 2008. It is based around the Arthurian legends of the mythical wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur, though differs significantly from more traditional versions of the myth. Produced by independent production company Shine Limited for BBC One, the programme is designed to run in the same Saturday evening family drama slot as series such as Doctor Who and Robin Hood.

Merlin arrives at the city of Camelot, where the king, Uther Pendragon, has outlawed magic and imprisoned the last dragon. Merlin, who was born with extraordinary magic powers, is taken as the apprentice of Gaius. Merlin later discovers, after being informed by the last dragon, who is held as a prisoner deep under the city, that he has an important destiny in protecting Uther's arrogant son, Arthur, so that he may grow up to found a great kingdom.

The era in which the series is set is ambiguous; traditionally the Arthurian legends are set in the dark ages, and the idea of King Uther reigning over a small kingdom (which is present in both traditional legend and the television series) sets it before the union of England in 927. Despite this, the castle interiors are 15th century, making the series' setting inconsistent with English history. Britain is never mentioned; Uther's domain is referred to by the name Albion, the oldest known name for Great Britain.

The television series deviates significantly from more traditional versions of the legend, such as those written by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Thomas Malory. For instance, in the original myth, it is Arthur who builds Camelot, whereas in this series it pre-dates Arthur's father Uther. Another key difference is that in the television series, Arthur and Merlin are of approximately the same age, whereas in traditional myth, Merlin is much older, and acts as Arthur's tutor.

Chinese Gold Coins

2008-10-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

China has issued coins for over two thousand years, including gold coins. In 1982 it introduced gold bullion coins known as pandas in convenient one ounce sizes with fractions and multiples.

Moonstone

2008-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

The moonstone is characterised by an enchanting play of light. Indeed it owes its name to that mysterious shimmer which always looks different when the stone is moved and is known in the trade as 'adularescence'. In earlier times, people believed they could recognise in it the crescent and waning phases of the moon.Moonstones from Sri Lanka, the classical country of origin of the moonstone, shimmer in pale blue on an almost transparent background. Specimens from India feature a nebulous interplay of light and shadow on a background of beige-brown, green, orange or brown. These discreet colours, in connection with the fine shimmer, make the moonstone an ideal gemstone for jewellery with a sensual, feminine aura. This gemstone was very popular once before, about a hundred years ago at the time of Art Nouveau. It adorns a noticeably large number of the jewellery creations of the French master goldsmith René Lalique and his contemporaries, mainly to be found in museums and collections today. This gemstone is surrounded by a good deal of mystique and magic. In many cultures, for example in India, it is regarded as a holy, magical gemstone. In India, moonstones are also regarded as 'dream stones' which bring the wearer beautiful visions at night. In Arabic countries, women often wear moonstones sewn out of sight into their garments, for in their cultures the moonstone is a symbol of fertility. The moonstone symbolises our being in its entirety. With its soft shimmer, it strengthens our emotional and subconscious aspects. The associations connected with that make it a "lovers' stone", evoking tender feelings and safeguarding the true joys of love. It is also said that wearing a moonstone strengthens our intuition and our capacity to understand.

Labradorite

2008-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Labradorite is truely a fascinatingly beautiful mineral. Its a mineral whose charm is not fully noticed and may be overlooked if not viewed from the proper position. Generally a dull, dark looking mineral with no special virtue until the colorful shiller is observed glowing on the surface. Labradorite can produce a colorful play of light across cleavage planes and in sliced sections called labradorescence. The usually intense colors range from the typical blues and violets through greens, yellows and oranges. Some rare specimens display all these colors simultaneously.

The color display is from lamellar intergrowths inside the crystal. These intergrowths result from compatible chemistries at high temperatures becoming incompatible at lower temperatures and thus a separating and layering of these two phases. The resulting color effect is caused by a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper layers. This refracted ray is slowed by the extra travel through the layers and mixes with other rays to produce a light ray coming out that has a different wavelength than when it went in. The wavelength could correspond to the wavelength of a particular color, such as blue. The effect depends on the thickness and orientation of the layers. If the layers are too thick or too thin no color shiller is seen. Also if the viewer does not observe from the precise angle or if light is not supplied from the proper angle then no color shiller is seen. The labradorescence is truely a one of a kind mineralogical experience and must be observed in person in order to truely appreciate its beauty.

Labradorite is a member of the plagioclase series of minerals. The plagioclase series comprises felspars that range in chemical composition from pure NaAlSi3 O8 to pure CaAl2 Si2 O8 . Labradorite is defined at approximately the 50% to 70% CaAl2 Si2 O8 . Labradorite by definition must contain 50-70% calcium to 50-30% sodium in the sodium/calcium position of the crystal structure. All members of the plagioclase series usually display lamellar twinning called "Albite Twinning". The twinning is caused by a error in the crystal structure during its growth.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is gray to smoky black.
Luster is dull to vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is triclinic; bar 1
Crystal Habits include blocky crystals that rarely form free of the host rock and therefore do not usually show their full crystal forms. In sliced sections of rock, the labradorite appears as blocky chunks with a predominance of near right angled corners. Twinning is common and pervasive so that in labradorite it produces a layered or stacked effect. The twin layers are typically only fractions of millimeters to several millimeters thick. Crystals of labradorite are found imbedded in gabbros and other mafic igneous rocks of low silica content. In anorthosites, labradorite is a main constituent.
Cleavage is perfect in one and good in another direction forming nearly right angled prisms.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 6 - 6.5.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.70 - 2.74 (average)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are biotite, pyroxene and hornblende.
Other Characteristics: index of refraction is 1.55 - 1.75. Play of colors called labradorescence seen from certain directions can cause flashes of blue, violet and green and sometimes orange and yellow.
Notable Occurrences include Labrador, Canada and Scandinavian Pennisula.
Best Field Indicators are occurence, twinning striations and labradorescence.
Chemistry: Ca(50-70%) Na(50-30%) (Al, Si)AlSi2 O8, Calcium sodium aluminum silicate.
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Tectosilicates
Group: Feldspars
Uses: ornamental and semi-precious stone

Peridot

2008-10-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Peridot (pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gem variety of olivine. Olivine, which is actually not an official mineral, is composed of two minerals: fayalite and forsterite. Fayalite is the iron rich member with a pure formula of Fe2SiO4. Forsterite is the magnesium rich member with a pure formula of Mg2SiO4. Olivine's formula is written as (Mg, Fe)2SiO4 to show the substitution of the magnesium and iron. Peridot is usually closer to forsterite than fayalite in composition although iron is the coloring agent for peridot. The best colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements that may also contribute to the best peridot color.

Gem quality peridot comes from the ancient source of Zagbargad (Zebirget) Island in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt; Mogok, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma); Kohistan, Pakistan; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Eifel, Germany; Chihuahua, Mexico; Ethiopia; Australia; Peridot Mesa, San Carlos Apache Reservation, Gila County, Arizona and Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The best quality peridot has historically come either from Myanmar or Egypt. But new sources in Pakistan are challenging that claim with some exceptional specimens. The Arizona gem material is of lesser quality, but is far more abundant and is therefore much more affordable. An estimated 80 - 95% of all world production of peridot comes from Arizona. The Myanmar, Pakistani and Egyptian gems are rarer and of better quality and thus quite valuable approaching the per carat values of top gemstones. Possibly the most unusual peridot is that which comes from iron-nickel meteorites called pallasites. Some are actually facetted and set in jewelry.

Peridot is perhaps derived from the French word peritot which means unclear, probably due to the inclusions and cloudy nature of large stones. It could also be named from the Arabic word faridat which means gem. In either case, peridot has been mined as a gemstone for an estimated four thousand years or better, and is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name of pitdah. Peridot gems along with other gems were probably used in the fabled Breastplates of the Jewish High Priest, artifacts that have never been found. The Greeks and Romans referred to peridot as topazion and topazius respectively and this name was later given to topaz, to end the confusion with the two gems. Historical legend has it that peridot was the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra. Pliny wrote about the green stone from Zagbargad Island in 1500 B.C.. Even until recently have jewelers used the term "chrysolite" (latin for golden stone) in referring to peridot gems for some reason. This term has also been used to refer to other gemstones, of a more golden color.

Zagbargad (Zebirget) Island has been known as St John's Island and was mined for centuries. Before World War I, this island was extensively mined and produced millions of dollars worth of gems. Since then the mining has been off and on and at present is all but nonexistent. Still, specimens from here are available at times and it certainly is a classic mineral locality.
Throughout time, peridot has been confused with many other gemstones, even emerald. Many "emeralds" of royal treasures have turned out to be peridots! And although peridot is distinctly a different shade of green, many jewelers refer to peridot as "evening emerald". Emerald is a dark green as opposed to a yellow green and always contains inclusions. Other green gemstones confused with peridot include apatite (which is much softer); green garnets (have no double refraction), green tourmaline and green sinhalite (both of which are strongly pleochroic), moldavites (no double refraction) and green zircon (significantly heavier). All of these gemstones rarely have as nice a yellow component to their green color as does most peridot, but darker green peridot can be confusing when good crystal form is not discernible.

Peridot is a beautiful gemstone in its own right and is widely popular. Its popularity is said to be increasing yearly and with new finds in Pakistan producing exceptionally well crystallized specimens, peridot can be fun to collect for years to come.

VARIETY INFORMATION:
VARIETY OF: Olivine , (Mg, Fe)2SiO4.
USES: gemstone.
BIRTHSTONE FOR: August
COLOR: shades of green usually from yellow-green to greenish yellow.
INDEX OF REFRACTION: 1.630 - 1.695
BIREFRINGENCE: 0.037
HARDNESS: 6.5 - 7
CLEAVAGE: usually not discernible
CRYSTAL SYSTEM: orthorhombic

Fossil Wade Watch

2008-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here’s Fossil Wade, a retro and slightly oversized watch sporting a black leather strap and a metal case with black wood inlay and silver dial markers. Excellent.

Kara Expo 2008

2008-10-31T19:33:00.001-07:00

Start Date : 21-NOV-08 End Date : 23-NOV-08
Venue : Bourse de Commerce City / State : Paris, Ile-De-France Country : France

Event Profile:
Kara Expo is preparing to welcome some of the world's best jewellery designers, offering them the opportunity to meet their public. This is a response to public demand, mirroring the trend in precious jewelry for unique, custom-made, exclusive designs.

Visitor's Profile:
Jewellery wholeseller, Jeweller, Agent/distributor, Jewellery retailer, Department store buyer, Duty free retailer, Jewellery manufacturer, Jewellery designer, Gemmology, Watch or clock retailer, Student & others related to the jewellery are the target visitors.

Exhibitor's Profile:
Profile for exhibit include fine jewellery, fashion jewellery, gold, sterling, platinum, loose gemstones, estate jewellery, contemporary jewellery and ethnic jewellery.

Organizer:
Vecteur Expo5, Rue du Colonel Moll,Paris, France.

Biography of Hans Wilsdorf

2008-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hans Wilsdorf (March 22, 1881 - July 6, 1960) was a German watchmaker, and the founder of Rolex and Tudor.

Born in Kulmbach, Bavaria and orphaned as a child, Wilsdorf worked for a Swiss watch manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1905, he moved to London and set up his own business, wanting to provide quality timepieces at affordable prices. With his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis, he founded a watch importing firm called Wilsdorf & Davis, and he partnered with Hermann Aegler, a watch manufacturer in Bienne to import wristwatches.

In 1908, he created the Rolex brand to sell his watches under, and during World War I, he left England for Switzerland due to wartime tax increases levied on luxury imports. In 1920, he established Montres Rolex S.A. in Bienne. The name ROLEX was invented by Hans Wilsdorf. It is easily pronounceable in many languages and, as all letters have the same size, allows to be written symmetrically. He also established the high quality, lower priced, watch brand, Tudor, a subsidiary company of Rolex in 1946. Upon the death of his wife in 1944, he established the Hans Wildorf Foundation in which he left all of his shares in Rolex, making sure that an amount of the company's income would go to charity. The company remains a foundation to the present day. Wilsdorf died in Geneva on July 6, 1960.

PVD Rolex Daytona Chronograph

2008-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

Bamford PVD Cosmograph Daytona Rolex, "Oyster Perpetual, Superlative Chronometer, Officially Certified, Cosmograph Daytona," case No. F243778, Ref. 116520. Made in 2004. Very fine, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel PVD coated wristwatch with round button chronograph, registers and tachometer and a stainless steel deployant Rolex Oysterlock bracelet. Accompanied by a warranty (now void) and fitted box. C. Three-body, PVD coated, screwed-down case back, push-buttons and crown, Triplock winding crown protected by the Crown Guard, tachometer graduation on the bezel to 400 units per hour, sapphire crystal. D. Black with luminous steel indexes, subsidiary silver ring dials for the seconds, the 12-hour and 30-minute registers. Luminous white gold baton hands. M. Cal. 4130, rhodium-plated, 44 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to 6 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance spring, Microstella regulating screws. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 40 mm. Thickness 12.5 mm. Approx. overall length 175 mm.

Gold Bar Prices

2008-09-16T08:49:00.001-07:00

Gold bar prices depend of course on the gold price at any given time. As the value of gold increases so the value of the gold bar increases. The premium, how much you pay over spot gold is made up of, the manufacturing costs, the gold bar dealers costs and profit. You also have to take into consideration the shipping and insurance costs. Their may, in some countries or US states, be a tax to take into account also.

You should buy the highest gold bar weight you can afford as you will pay less premium per ounce or kilo that way. As the gold bar price goes up, the premium per ounce decreases also. However, you may want to buy smaller one ounce gold bars if you think you may need to sell some of your gold bars from time to time to cover unexpected expenses. Often the premium for ounce gold bars is not that much higher than for the larger gold bars.

Unless you absolutely have to, I recommend you do not sell gold bars for national fiat currency as the value of fiat currency (paper money) is deteriorating rapidly and, although you might get more fiat currency than you paid for your gold, its value will dwindle from the moment you get it.

Where to Buy Gold Bars

2008-09-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

You can buy gold bars from gold dealers, mints, foundries even, as well as from private individuals, auctions and the like.

The same basic principles for buying gold apply regardless of whether you buy gold bars in New York, Washington or anywhere on the planet.

Here are some basic principles you can use to ensure you get the best deal and the best gold for your buck.

1. Buy the biggest gold bar or bars you can afford. The bigger the bar the smaller the premium you will pay per ounce. This will reduce the gold bar price per ounce.

2. Pick established or accredited gold dealers and mints.

3. If you are going to take delivery, ensure you understand the cost of shipping and, importantly, insurance. Check with the gold bar dealer to find out the shipping costs and ensure that they provide insurance (which you will be expected to pay) this should be figured in the gold bar price.

4. Do due diligence on the gold bar dealer or person or company you are buying gold from. Who are they? Are they easily contacted? Are they accredited? Do you know friends or associates that have dealt with them before?

5. Lastly it is prudent to have a good understanding of gold and gold bars. How they are produced and in what form. The weights, fineness and all other aspects of gold bars. How much premium will you pay?

Taking some time to understand your gold bar investment will pay off in that you can ensure you get as much gold for you money as possible and that you do not pay a heavy gold bar price while doing it!

Gold Bar Purities

2008-09-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

All gold bars have a purity expressed in units per 100, 1000 or 10000. There is a universal trend now for bars to be 99.99%, however, there is still some variation in some countries. For example:

Dubai - 99.9%
Iran - 99.5%
Hong Kong - 99%
Thailand - 96.5%

A new product, called ChipGold, has also entered the market. This is a relatively new form of gold bar, consisting of a small ingot of one to twenty grams presented in a sealed and certified package, about the size of a credit card. Chip Gold is designed to be used as a liquid investment in gold and can be easily stored and transported. The typical weights available include, one through to twenty grams with a purity of .9999 fine gold.

The granddaddy of all gold bars is the larger 400 oz (12.5 kg) ‘London Good Delivery’ bars. These are held by central banks and used by banks, governments and large institutions to store value and to transfer value between banks, They almost always have a purity of 99.5 percent.

Collecting Gold Coins

2008-09-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Collecting gold coins can be a fascinating hobby as well as a fruitful one but it is very important to keep in mind several factors when collecting gold coins.

Firstly one should have in mind what sort of gold coins one wants to collect. There are many and some can be quite pricey. How much do you want or can you afford to spend? If you are on a limited budget you can easily start with some of the smaller coins and build up a collection perhaps over a period of time. One can get one tenth and even one twentieth of an ounce gold coins these days and these are much easier to purchase than the traditional one ounce gold coins.

Next, you might like to collect coins of a particular country or a particular series such as Canadian Maples or South African Krugerrands. Some people like to collect Proof coins rather than used or uncirculated. These tend to be more expensive of course as they are coins that have been especially struck for collectors and are of a much higher quality than the brilliant uncirculated coins.

You will need to source a good reputable dealer from whom you can buy your gold coins. If possible try to buy your coins from the same dealer every time as then, if the time comes to sell some, the dealer will know the coins and generally offer you the best price for those you might sell. Dealers also like to have repeat customers and will tend to look after them and sometimes even offer a higher quality service.

If you decide to buy rare or proof sets be aware these can be more expensive, but if you have the money they are generally well worth the cost as, over time, they will appreciate in value quite nicely.

In addition buying larger amounts of gold means that you pay less in mark up costs from the dealer or mint than if you just buy a small one tenth ounce coin. The shipping and packaging might even be as much as the cost of the coin for a small coin.

What ever you decide to buy, the main point is to study and learn as much as you can about collecting gold coins and probably even more importantly, have fun doing it.

Silver

2008-09-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Silver is a chemical element with the symbol "Ag" (Latin: argentum, from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos, gen. of ἀργήεις - argēeis, "white, shining" ) and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. It occurs as a pure free metal (native silver) and alloyed with gold (electrum), as well as in various minerals, such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a by-product of copper, gold, lead, and zinc mining.

Silver has been known since ancient times and has long been valued as a precious metal, used to make ornaments, jewellery, high-value tableware and utensils (hence the term "silverware") and currency coins. Today, silver metal is used in electrical contacts and conductors, in mirrors and in catalysis of chemical reactions. Its compounds are used in photographic film and dilute solutions of silver nitrate and other silver compounds are used as disinfectants. Although the antimicrobial uses of silver have largely been supplanted by the use of antibiotics, further research into its clinical potential is in progress.

Silver is a very ductile and malleable (slightly harder than gold) monovalent coinage metal with a brilliant white metallic luster that can take a high degree of polish. It has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, even higher than copper, but its greater cost and tarnishability have prevented it from being widely used in place of copper for electrical purposes, though it was used in the electromagnets used for enriching uranium during World War II (mainly because of the wartime shortage of copper). Another notable exception is in high-end audio cables.

Among metals, pure silver has the highest thermal conductivity (only the non-metal diamond's is higher), the whitest color, and the highest optical reflectivity (although aluminium slightly outdoes it in parts of the visible spectrum, and it is a poor reflector of ultraviolet light). Silver also has the lowest contact resistance of any metal. Silver halides are photosensitive and are remarkable for their ability to record a latent image that can later be developed chemically. Silver is stable in pure air and water, but tarnishes when it is exposed to air or water containing ozone or hydrogen sulfide. The most common oxidation state of silver is +1 (for example, silver nitrate: AgNO3); in addition, +2 compounds (for example, silver(II) fluoride: AgF2) and +3 compounds (for example, potassium tetrafluoroargentate: K[AgF4]) are known.

Gold Coin

2008-09-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. The first gold coins in history were coined by the Lydian king Croesus in about 560 BC, not long after the first silver coins were minted by king Pheidon of Argos in about 700 BC. The Ying Yuan was a gold coin minted by the Chinese in the 6th or 5th century BC.

Gold coins then had a very long period as a primary form of money, only falling into disuse in the early 20th century. Most of the world stopped making gold coins as currency by 1933, as countries switched from the Gold Standard due to hoarding during the worldwide economic crisis of the Great Depression. In the United States, this was following Executive Order 6102.
However, gold-coloured coins (not made of real gold) have made a comeback in many currencies. Furthermore, many countries continue to make legal tender gold coins, but these are primarily meant for collectors and investment purposes and are not meant for circulation.

Many factors determine the value of a gold coin, such as its rarity, age, condition and the number originally minted. Gold coins coveted by collectors include the Aureus, Solidus and Spur Ryal.
In July 2002, a very rare $20 1933 Double Eagle gold coin sold for a record $7,590,020 at Sotheby's, making it by far the most valuable coin ever sold to date. In early 1933, more than 445,000 Double Eagle coins had been struck by the U.S. Mint, but most of these were surrendered and melted down following Executive Order 6102. Only a few coins managed to survive.

In 2007 the Canadian Mint produced a 100 kg gold coin with a face value of $1,000,000, though the gold content was worth over $2 million at the time. It measures 50 cm in diameter and is 3 cm thick. It was intended as a one-off to promote a new line of Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins, but after several interested buyers came forward the mint announced it would manufacture them as ordered and sell them for between $2.5 million and $3 million. As of May 3 2007 there were five confirmed orders. [1] Austria had previously produced a 37 cm diameter 31 kg gold coin with a face value of €100,000 ($153,000).

In October 4, 2007, David Albanese (president of Albanese Rare Coins) stated that a $10 - 1804-dated Eagle coin (made for President Andrew Jackson as a diplomatic gift) was sold to an anonymous private collector for $5 million.

While obsolete gold coins are primarily collected for their numismatic value, gold bullion coins today derive their value from the metal (gold) content - and as such are viewed by some investors as a "hedge" against inflation or a store of value. South Africa introduced the Krugerrand in 1967 to cater to this market; this was the reason for its convenient and memorable gold content—exactly one troy ounce. It was the first modern, low premium (i.e. priced only slightly above the bullion value of the gold) bullion gold coin. Bullion coins are also produced in fractions of an ounce - typically half ounce, quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce. Bullion coins do not carry a meaningful face value, as their value is mainly dictated by their troy weight and the current market price of the precious metal. (If a face value is minted on the coin, it is done for legal or other reasons and it is nearly always significantly less than the actual value of the coin.) Gold has an international currency code of XAU under ISO 4217.

Gold bullion coins usually come in 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 and 1/20 oz. sizes. Most countries have one design that remains constant each year; others have variations each year, and in most cases each coin is dated. A 1/10th oz bullion coin is about the same size as a U.S. dime. A 1 oz. gold bullion coin is about the size of a U.S. half dollar.

For most of history, coins were valued based on the precious metal they contain. Whether or not a coin was actually made by the party that it is claimed to be made by was of secondary importance compared to whether or not it contains the correct amount of metal, that is, right weight and fineness (purity). Genuine appearance was simply a convenient shortcut to avoid time-consuming tests in everyday transactions.

Unlike silver, gold is denser than almost all other metals, whether something is made of gold is extremely hard to fake. Simple determination of weight and volume should be sufficent. A coin that is the right size but is not gold, or has too much base metal, will be "light"; alternately, a coin that weighs right will be somewhat larger. (Platinum was unknown in ancient times; platinum is denser than gold, but since it is about twice as expensive, making a fake coin out of platinum would make no sense. In theory, fake coins could be made of uranium, but this does not appear to be a practical problem.)

Of course, if a coin has mostly numismatic value, whether it is authentic is critical. A coin that is not genuine would (assuming it is made of gold) have the same "melt value" as a genuine coin, but this may be next to nothing, relatively speaking, for a rare coin.
There are well made counterfeit gold coins in circulation. For example, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle omega counterfeit is infamous for its complexity; and has fooled many numismatics experts. It is a high relief business strike, and due to the extensive wear on the die, these coins were not made for many years. For poor counterfeits, a good scale can usually tell if it's counterfeit or not; however, there are many well made counterfeited ancient coins that not only use gold, but the correct amount as well.

The US $20 gold coin ("double eagle") has raised lettering around its rim. If the coin is uncirculated, the letters will be flat on top. If slightly rounded, and the coin is uncirculated, it is a counterfeit. However, some counterfeits do not have this defect.
There are other counterfeit double eagles in which the gold and copper alloy was not thoroughly mixed. These counterfeits will have a slightly mottled appearance.

An old practice to test whether a gold coin was counterfeit was to bite down on it. Since pure gold is relatively soft any base metals mixed with the gold to lessen its value will also harden the coin, and so make it harder to bite on. The majority of bullion counterfeits (of all types) are rare, and fairly easy to detect when comparing their weights, colors and sizes to authentic pieces. This is because the cost of reproducing any given coin precisely can easily exceed the market value of the originals.

Gold Bar

2008-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Gold bars are classified into two different types — cast and minted — based on their method of manufacturing. Cast bars are made by pouring molten gold into an ingot mold to help the gold to take a form. Minted bars are made from gold blanks that have been hand cut to the required dimensions from a flat piece of gold. Markings are almost always applied by presses. ChipGold is a relatively new form of gold bar consisting of a small ingot (1-20 grams) in a sealed and certified package the size of a credit card.

One troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams. Thus if gold were at US$850 per ounce, a gold gram would be worth just over US$27.
Note where gold is measured in ounces, these are troy ounces, not the much more common avoirdupois ounce which is used for measuring weights in food etc. An avoirdupois ounce is lighter than a troy ounce. One avoirdupois ounce = 28.349523125 grams.
One tonne = 1000 kilograms = 32,150.746 troy ounces (value US$24,360,620 as of Oct. 15, 2007).
One kilogram = 1000 grams = 32.15074656 troy ounces (value US$24,360.62 as of Oct. 15, 2007).
One tael = 50 grams (value US$1,218.03 as of Oct. 15, 2007).
This is the official rate of taels in mainland China since the country went metric. In Taiwan and Hong Kong today a tael is equivalent to 37.429g.
Gold is very dense (19.3 g/cm³), to the extent that ten million U.S. dollars' worth occupies less than one cubic foot.

KITCO Precious Metal

2008-09-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Since 1977,Kitco has earned a reputation as one of the world’s premier retailers of precious metals.We offer a complete line of the highest quality bullion bars and coins for investors and refining services for the jewelry manufacturing industry, as well as mill products.Our customers rely on Kitco for superior service and the highest quality products at competitive prices.Kitco serves the needs of both small and large investors, as well as the precious metals industry.To serve our customer even better, our services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the Internet.

Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson Biography

2008-08-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson formed a firearms manufacturing partnership in Springfield, Massachusetts, that held many patents in the mid-1800s. They produced a variety of rifles, pistols, and revolvers. The Smith & Wesson.22 caliber revolver became a worldwide success.

Smith, born in Cheshire, Massachusetts, moved to Springfield at the age of four, and upon completing his public school education, joined his father working in the United States armory as an apprentice. Through his early career, heworked his own gun-manufacturing business, as well as producing pistols and tools for the manufacture of rifles for other companies. He patented an improvement on the breech-loading rifle in 1851, a year before he met Wesson through their work at Allen, Brown, and Luther rifle barrel manufacturers.

Wesson was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was the son of a farmer andmanufacturer of wooden plows. He attended public school until he was eighteenyears old, and then apprenticed himself to his eldest brother, a gunsmith. After his brother died, Wesson owned the business for a short time, then became employed by Allen, Brown, and Luther. In his off-hours, Wesson experimentedon an improved metallic cartridge, and in 1853, convinced Smith to go into business with him. The following year, the pair patented a pistol that used acartridge with powder and lubricant, and had a new repeating action, which became the basis for the famous Winchester rifle.

Smith retired from the business in 1855, when Wesson became superintendent ofthe Volcanic Arms Co., and they sold their patents to the company. Under Wesson, the Volcanic Arms Co. produced the self-primed metallic cartridge used throughout the Civil War. In 1857, the two men rejoined to produce the Smith & Wesson revolver. Manufactured with interchangeable parts, it used repeating action, metallic cartridges, and an open cylinder. It was the only one ofits type, and it became an enormous success. It was adopted by U.S. militaryauthorities and also secured foreign markets in European and South Americancountries, as well in China and Japan. In 1860 Smith & Wesson expanded their 25-member workforce to 600 and built a factory in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Smith and Wesson improved their inventions with patents of their own and those purchased from other inventors. In 1869, they bought a design by William C.Dodge that emptied shells from the gun. Wesson patented a safety revolver that prevented unintentional firing in 1887.
In 1883, Smith sold his interest in the company to Wesson and retired, involving himself in local business activities. Wesson took on his two sons as partners ten years later. Smith & Wesson is still one of the largest gun manufacturers in America.

Smith & Wesson

2008-08-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

Smith & Wesson : SWHC (S&W) is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Smith & Wesson is known for the many types of ammunition it has introduced over the years and for its revolver expertise.

In 1852, partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed a company to produce a lever-action pistol nicknamed the Volcanic pistol. The company became known as the "Volcanic Repeating Arms Company"; financial difficulties caused it to come into the majority ownership of investor Oliver Winchester. Previously, in the late 1840s, Daniel Wesson's brother Edwin, of Hartford, Massachusetts, had manufactured revolvers under the name of Wesson & Leavitt. After Edwin Wesson's death, that firm continued under the supervision of Thomas Warner.
In 1856, the partners left the Volcanic Company to begin a new company and to manufacture a newly-designed revolver-and-cartridge combination. The timing of the founding of this new company proved quite opportune for the partners, since the onset of the American Civil War five years later produced a great demand for Smith & Wesson's products.
In 1964, the company passed from Wesson family control, and subsequently several conglomerates took control of it.
From 1987 to 2001 Tomkins PLC, a British company, owned Smith & Wesson.

Crystal

2008-08-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

In chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions.

The word crystal is a loan from the ancient Greek word κρύσταλλος (krustallos), which had the same meaning, but according to the ancient understanding of crystal. At root it means anything congealed by freezing, such as ice. The word once referred particularly to quartz, or "rock crystal".

Most metals encountered in everyday life are polycrystals. Crystals are often symmetrically intergrown to form crystal twins.

The process of forming a crystalline structure from a fluid or from materials dissolved in the fluid is often referred to as crystallization. In the ancient example referenced by the root meaning of the word crystal, water being cooled undergoes a phase change from liquid to solid beginning with small ice crystals that grow until they fuse, forming a polycrystalline structure. The physical properties of the ice depend on the size and arrangement of the individual crystals, or grains, and the same may be said of metals solidifying from a molten state.

Which crystal structure the fluid will form depends on the chemistry of the fluid, the conditions under which it is being solidified, and also on the ambient pressure. While the cooling process usually results in the generation of a crystalline material, under certain conditions, the fluid may be frozen in a noncrystalline state. In most cases, this involves cooling the fluid so rapidly that atoms cannot travel to their lattice sites before they lose mobility. A noncrystalline material, which has no long-range order, is called an amorphous, vitreous, or glassy material. It is also often referred to as an amorphous solid, although there are distinct differences between solids and glasses: most notably, the process of forming a glass does not release the latent heat of fusion. For this reason, many scientists consider glassy materials to be viscous liquids rather than solids, although this is a controversial topic.

Crystalline structures occur in all classes of materials, with all types of chemical bonds. Almost all metal exists in a polycrystalline state; amorphous or single-crystal metals must be produced synthetically, often with great difficulty. Ionically bonded crystals can form upon solidification of salts, either from a molten fluid or when it condenses from a solution. Covalently bonded crystals are also very common, notable examples being diamond, silica, and graphite. Polymer materials generally will form crystalline regions, but the lengths of the molecules usually prevent complete crystallization. Weak Van der Waals forces can also play a role in a crystal structure; for example, this type of bonding loosely holds together the hexagonal-patterned sheets in graphite.
Most crystalline materials have a variety of crystallographic defects. The types and structures of these defects can have a profound effect on the properties of the materials.

Amethyst-White Topaz Ring

2008-08-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

This stylish royal purple Amethyst & White Topaz 14K Gold Three-Stone Ring compliments any mood or style.The classic design features an emerald cut amethyst, richly accented by two trilliant cut amethysts that collectively weigh almost two and a half carats! Between the prong set amethysts are two sparkling rows of pave set white topazes that create a rich contrast of color.

Myanmar Gems Museum

2008-08-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

museum of Myanmar located at No -66, Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Mayangone Township, Yangon, Union of Myanmar. This museum is opened on four-storey building and very close to the Kaba Aye Pagoda. The jewellery shops are located on the first and second floors, while the museum is on the third floor. The gems fair and auction held twice a year in March and October before 2006. Many jewel dealers from all over the world come here at that time. These three floors of the Gems Mart present the whole range of Myanmar ruby, sapphire, period and a variety of assorted colored stones, jade, pearls in lots or embedded in exquisite jewelry, gold ware, silverware and jade figurines. These are sold in Myanmar Kyats, US$ or foreign exchange certificates (FEC). In museum, there are

What is bluetooth?

2008-08-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

Bluetooth is a wireless protocol utilizing short-range communications technology facilitating data transmission over short distances from fixed and/or mobile devices, creating wireless personal area networks (PANs). The intent behind the development of Bluetooth was the creation of a single digital wireless protocol, capable of connecting multiple devices and overcoming issues arising from synchronization of these devices. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, telephones, laptops, personal computers, printers, GPS receivers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) 2.4 GHz short-range radio frequency bandwidth. The Bluetooth specifications are developed and licensed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth SIG consists of companies in the areas of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer electronics.

What is 3G?

2008-08-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

3G refers to the third generation of developments in wireless technology, especially mobile communications. The third generation, as its name suggests, follows the first generation (1G) and second generation (2G) in wireless communications.

1GThe 1G period began in the late 1970s and lasted through the 1980s. These systems featured the first true mobile phone systems, known at first as "cellular mobile radio telephone." These networks used analog voice signaling, and were little more sophisticated than the repeater networks used by amateur radio operators.
2GThe 2G phase began in the 1990s and much of this technology is still in use. The 2G cell phone features digital voice encoding. Examples include CDMA and GSM. Since its inception, 2G technology has steadily improved, with increased bandwidth, packet routing, and the introduction of multimedia.
3G includes capabilities and features such as:
Enhanced multimedia (voice, data, video, and remote control).
Usability on all popular modes (cellular telephone, e-mail, paging, fax, videoconferencing, and Web browsing).
Broad bandwidth and high speed (upwards of 2 Mbps).
Roaming capability throughout Europe, Japan, and North America.

While 3G is generally considered applicable mainly to mobile wireless, it is also relevant to fixed wireless and portable wireless. A 3G system should be operational from any location on, or over, the earth's surface, including use in homes, businesses, government offices, medical establishments, the military, personal and commercial land vehicles, private and commercial watercraft and marine craft, private and commercial aircraft (except where passenger use restrictions apply), portable (pedestrians, hikers, cyclists, campers), and space stations and spacecraft.

3G offers the potential to keep people connected at all times and in all places. Researchers, engineers, and marketers are faced with the challenge of accurately predicting how much technology consumers will actually be willing to pay for. Another challenge faced by 3G services is competition from other high-speed wireless technologies, especially mobile WiMAX, and ability to roam between different kinds of wireless networks.

The current status of mobile wireless communications, as of July 2007, is a mix of 2nd and 3rd generation technologies.

History of Vodafone

2008-08-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

Vodafone is a mobile network operator headquartered in Berkshire, England, UK. It is the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover and has a market value of about £75 billion (June 2008). Vodafone currently has equity interests in 25 countries and Partner Networks (networks in which it has no equity stake) in a further 42 countries. The name Vodafone comes from Voice data fone, chosen by the company to "reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones."

At 31 March 2008 Vodafone had 260 million proportionate customers in 25 markets across 5 continents. ("Proportionate customers" means, for example, that if Vodafone has a 30% stake in a business with a million customers, that is counted as 300,000). On this measure it is the second largest mobile telecom group in the world behind China Mobile. The eight markets where it has more than ten million proportionate customers are the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and the United States. In the U.S., these customers come via its minority stake in Verizon Wireless, and in the other seven markets Vodafone has majority-controlled subsidiaries.

In 1982 Racal Electronics plc's subsidiary Racal Strategic Radio Ltd. won one of two UK cellular telephone network licences. The network, known as Racal Vodafone was 80% owned by Racal, with Millicom and the Hambros Technology Trust owning 15% and 5% respectively. vodafone was launched on 1 January 1985. Racal Strategic Radio was renamed Racal Telecommunications Group Limited in 1985. On 29 December 1986 Racal Electronics bought out the minority shareholders of vodafone for GB£110 million.

In September 1988 the company was again renamed Racal Telecom and on 26 October 1988 Racal Electronics floated 20% of the company. The flotation valued Racal Telecom at GB£1.7 billion. On 16 September 1991 Racal Telecom was demerged from Racal Electronics as Vodafone Group.

In July 1996 Vodafone acquired the two thirds of Talkland it did not already own for £30.6 million. On 19 November 1996, in a defensive move, Vodafone purchased Peoples Phone for £77 million, a 181 store chain whose customers were overwhelmingly using Vodafone's network. In a similar move the company acquired the 80% of Astec Communications that it did not own, a service provider with 21 stores.

In 1997 Vodafone introduced its Speechmark logo, as it is a quotation mark in a circle; the O's in the Vodafone logotype are opening and closing quotation marks, suggesting conversation.
On 29 June 1999 Vodafone completed its purchase of AirTouch Communications, Inc. and changed its name to Vodafone Airtouch plc. Trading of the new company commenced on 30 June 1999. To approve the merger, Vodafone sold its 17.2% stake in E-Plus Mobilfunk. The acquisition gave Vodafone a 35% share of Mannesmann, owner of the largest German mobile network.

On 21 September 1999 Vodafone agreed to merge its U.S. wireless assets with those of Bell Atlantic Corp to form Verizon Wireless. The merger was completed on 4 April 2000.
In November 1999 Vodafone made an unsolicited bid for Mannesmann, which was rejected. Vodafone's interest in Mannesmann had been increased by the latter's purchase of Orange, the UK mobile operator. Chris Gent would later say Mannesmann's move into the UK broke a "gentleman's agreement" not to compete in each other's home territory. The hostile takeover provoked strong protest in Germany and a "titanic struggle" which saw Mannesmann resist Vodafone's efforts. However, on 3 February 2000 the Mannesmann board agreed to an increased offer of £112bn, then the largest corporate merger ever. The EU approved the merger in April 2000. The conglomerate was subsequently broken up and all manufacturing related operations sold off.

On 28 July 2000 the Company reverted to its former name, Vodafone Group Plc. In April 2001 the first 3G voice call was made on Vodafone United Kingdom's 3G network.

In 2001 the Company took over Eircell, then part of eircom in Ireland, and rebranded it as Vodafone Ireland. It then went on to acquire Japan's third-largest mobile operator J-Phone, which had introduced camera phones first in Japan.

On 17 December 2001 Vodaphone introduced the concept of "Partner Networks" by signing TDC Mobil of Denmark. The new concept involved the introduction of Vodafone international services to the local market, without the need of investment by Vodafone. The concept would be used to extend the Vodafone brand and services into markets where it does not have stakes in local operators. Vodafone services would be marketed under the dual-brand scheme, where the Vodafone brand is added at the end of the local brand. (i.e., TDC Mobil-Vodafone etc.)
In February 2002 Finland was added into the mobile community, as Radiolinja is signed as a Partner Network. Radiolinja later changed its named to Elisa. Later that year the Company rebranded Japan's J-sky mobile internet service as Vodafone live! and on 3 December 2002 the Vodafone brand was introduced in the Estonian market with signing of a Partner Network Agreement with Radiolinja (Eesti). Radiolinja (Eesti) later changed its name to Elisa.
On 7 January 2003 the Company signed a group-wide Partner agreement with mobilkom Austria. As a result, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia were added to the community. In April 2003 Og Vodafone was introduced in the Icelandic market and in May 2003 Vodafone Italy (Omnitel Pronto-Italia) was rebranded Vodafone Italy. On 21 July 2003 Lithuania was added to the community, with the signing of a Partner Network agreement with Bitė.

In February 2004 Vodafone signed a Partner Network Agreement with Luxembourg's LuxGSM and a Partner Network Agreement with Cyta of Cyprus. Cyta agreed to rename its mobile phone operations to Cytamobile-Vodafone. In April 2004 the Company purchased Singlepoint airtime provider from John Caudwell (Caudwell Group) and approx 1.5million customers onto its base for £405million, adding sites in Stoke on Trent (England) to existing sites in Newbury (HQ), Birmingham, Warrington and Banbury. In November 2004 Vodafone introduced 3G services into Europe.

In June 2005 the Company increased its participation in Romania's Connex to 99% and also bought the Czech mobile operator Oskar. On 1 July 2005 Oskar of the Czech Republic was rebranded as Oskar-Vodafone. Later that year on 17 October 2005 Vodafone Portugal launched a revised logo, using new text designed by Dalton Maag, and a 3D version of the Speechmark logo, but still retaining a red background and white writing (or vice versa). Also, various operating companies started to drop the use of the SIM card pattern in the company logo. (The rebranding of Oskar-Vodafone and Connex-Vodafone also does not use the SIM card pattern.) A custom typeface by Dalton Maag (based on their font family InterFace) formed part of the new identity.

On 28 October 2005 Connex in Romania was rebranded as Connex-Vodafone and on 31 October 2005 the Company reached an agreement to sell Vodafone Sweden to Telenor for approximately €1 billion. After the sale, Vodafone Sweden became a Partner Network. In December 2005 Vodafone won an auction to buy Turkey's second-largest mobile phone company, Telsim, for $4.5 billion. In December 2005 Vodafone Spain became the second member of the group to adopt the revised logo: it was phased in over the following six months in other countries.
In 2006 the Company rebranded its Stoke-on-Trent site as Stoke Premier Centre, a centre of expertise for the company dealing with Customer Care for its higher value customers, technical support, sales and credit control. All cancellations and upgrades started to be dealt with by this call centre. On 5 January 2006 Vodafone announced the completion of the sale of Vodafone Sweden to Telenor. On February 2006 the Company closed its Birmingham Call Centre. In 1 February 2006 Oskar Vodafone became Vodafone Czech Republic, adopting the revised logo and on 22 February 2006 the Company announced that it was extending its footprint to Bulgaria with the signing of Partner Network Agreement with Mobiltel, which is part of mobilkom Austria group.

On 12 March 2006 former chief, Sir Christopher Gent, who was appointed the honorary post Chairman for Life in 2003, quits following rumours of boardroom rifts. In April 2006 the Company announced that it has signed an extension to its Partner Network Agreement with BITE Group, enabling its Latvian subsidiary "BITE Latvija" to become the latest member of Vodafone's global partner community. Also in April 2006 Vodafone Sweden changed its name to Telenor Sverige AB and Connex-Vodafone became Vodafone Romania, also adopting the new logo. On 30 May 2006 Vodafone announced the biggest loss in British corporate history (£14.9 billion) and plans to cut 400 jobs; it reported one-off costs of £23.5 billion due to the revaluation of its Mannesmann subsidiary. On 24 July 2006 the respected head of Vodafone Europe, Bill Morrow, quit unexpectedly and on 25 August 2006 the Company announced the sale of its 25% stake in Belgium's Proximus for €2 billion. After the deal, Proximus was still part of the community as a Partner Network. On 5 October 2006 Vodafone announced the first single brand partnership with Og Vodafone which would operate under the name Vodafone Iceland and on 19 December 2006 the Company announced the sale of its 25% stake in Switzerland's Swisscom for CHF4.25 billion (£1.8 billion). After the deal, Swisscom would still be part of the community as a Partner Network. Finally in December 2006 the Company completed the acquisition of Aspective, an enterprise applications systems integrator in the UK, signaling Vodafone's intent to grow a significiant presence and revenues in the ICT marketplace.
Early in January 2007 Telsim in Turkey adopted Vodafone dual branding as Telsim Vodafone and on 1 April 2007 Telsim Vodafone Turkey droped its original brand and became Vodafone Turkey. On 1 May 2007 Vodafone added Jersey and Guernsey to the community, as Airtel was signed as Partner Network in both crown dependencies. In June 2007 the Vodafone live! mobile Internet portal in the UK was relaunched. Front page was now charged for and previously "bundled" data allowance was removed from existing contract terms. All users were given access to the "full" web rather than a Walled Garden and Vodafone became the first mobile network to focus an entire media campaign on its newly launched mobile Internet portal in the UK. On 1 August 2007 Vodafone Portugal launched Vodafone Messenger, a service with Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger.

On 17 April 2008 Vodafone extended its footprint to Serbia as Vip mobile was added to the community as a Partner Network and on 20 May 2008 the Company added VIP Operator as a Partner Network thereby extending the global footprint to Macedonia. In May 2008 Kall of the Faroe Islands rebranded as Vodafone Faroe Islands.

History of iPhone

2008-08-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

The history of the iPhone began with Steve Jobs' direction that Apple engineers investigate touch-screens. At the time he had been considering having Apple work on tablet PCs. Many have noted the device's similarities to Apple's previous touch-screen portable device, the Newton MessagePad. Like the Newton, the iPhone is nearly all screen. Its form factor is credited to Apple's head of design, Jonathan Ive.

Comments made by Jobs in April 2003 at the "D: All Things Digital" executive conference expressed his belief that tablet PCs and traditional PDAs were not good choices as high-demand markets for Apple to enter, despite many requests made to him that Apple create another PDA. He did believe that cell phones were going to become important devices for portable information access, and that what cell phones needed to have was excellent synchronization software. At the time, instead of focusing on a follow-up to their Newton PDA, Jobs had Apple put its energies into the iPod, and the iTunes software (which can be used to synchronize content with iPod devices), released January 2001. On September 7, 2005, Apple and Motorola released the ROKR E1, the first mobile phone to use iTunes. Jobs was unhappy with the ROKR, feeling that having to compromise with a non-Apple designer (Motorola) prevented Apple from designing the phone they wanted to make. In September 2006, Apple discontinued support for the ROKR and released a version of iTunes that included references to an as-yet unknown mobile phone that could display pictures and video. On January 9, 2007, Jobs announced the iPhone at the Macworld convention, receiving substantial media attention, and on June 11, 2007 announced at the Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference that the iPhone would support third-party applications using the Safari engine on the device. Third-parties would create the Web 2.0 applications and users would access them via the internet. Such applications appeared even before the release of the iPhone; the first being "OneTrip", a program meant to keep track of the user's shopping list. On June 29, 2007, Apple released version 7.3 of iTunes to coincide with the release of the iPhone. This release contains support for iPhone service activation and syncing.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the iPhone is manufactured on contract in the Shenzhen factory of the Taiwanese company Hon Hai.

History of LG

2008-08-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

LG Electronics is a South Korean multinational corporation. It is South Korea's second largest electronics maker and the world's third largest appliance maker.
With headquarters in the LG Twin Towers on Yeouido, Seoul, LG Electronics is the flagship company of LG Group, one of the largest chaebols.

The company has 75 subsidiaries worldwide that design and manufacture televisions, home appliances, and telecommunications devices. LG Electronics owns Zenith Electronics and controls LG Displays, a joint venture with Philips Electronics.

The company was originally established in 1958 as GoldStar, producing radios, TVs, refrigerators,washing machines, and air conditioners.

The LG Group was a merger of two Korean companies, Lucky and GoldStar, from which the abbreviation of LG was derived. The current "Life's Good" slogan is a backronym. Before the corporate name change to LG, household products were sold under the brand name of Lucky, while electronic products were sold under the brand name of GoldStar (Hangul:금성). The GoldStar brand is still perceived as a discount brand. ' In 1994 Goldstar gained sponsorship from The 3DO Company to make the first 3DO Interactive multiplayer. It was very pricey, but is examined to be the best out of all of the 3DO Systems.

In 1995, GoldStar was renamed LG Electronics, and acquired Zenith Electronics of the United States.

Monica Bellucci

2008-08-08T07:10:00.001-07:00

Emmy (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-08T07:03:00.001-07:00

History of Sony Ericsson

2008-08-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to make mobile phones. The stated reason for this venture is to combine Sony's consumer electronics expertise with Ericsson's technological leadership in the communications sector. Both companies have stopped making their own mobile phones.

The company's global management is based in Hammersmith, London, and it has research & development teams in Sweden, Japan, China, Germany, the United States, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

While Sony Ericsson has been enjoying strong growth recently, its South Korean rival LG Electronics overtook it in Q1 2008 due to the company's profits falling significantly by 43% to €133 million, sales falling by 8% and market share dropping from 9.4% to 7.9%, despite favourable conditions that the handset market is expected to grow by 10% in 2008. The situation is getting worse as Sony Ericsson announced another profit warning in June 2008 and saw net profit crash by 97% in Q2 2008, announcing that it would cut 2,000 jobs, leading to wide fear that Sony Ericsson is on the verge of decline along with its struggling rival, Motorola.

Sony Ericsson has, as of July 18, 2008, approximately 9,400 employees and 2,500 contractors worldwide. The company's current President is as of November 1 Hideki Komiyama (小宮山英樹), who has replaced Miles Flint, and the Corporate Executive Vice President is Anders Runevad.

History of Samsung

2008-08-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Unlike other electronic companies Samsung origins were not involving electronics but other products.
In 1938 the Samsung's founder Byung-Chull Lee set up a trade export company in Korea, selling fish, vegetables, and fruit to China. Within a decade Samusng had flour mills and confectionary machines and became a co-operation in 1951. Humble beginnings.

From 1958 onwards Samsung began to expand into other industries such as financial, media, chemicals and ship building throughout the 1970's. In 1969, Samsung Electronics was established producing what Samsung is most famous for, Televisions, Mobile Phones (throughout 90's), Radio's, Computer components and other electronics devices.
1987 founder and chairman, Byung-Chull Lee passed away and Kun-Hee Lee took over as chairman. In the 1990's Samsung began to expand globally building factories in the US, Britain, Germany, Thailand, Mexico, Spain and China until 1997.

In 1997 nearly all Korean businesses shrunk in size and Samsung was no exception. They sold businesses to relieve debt and cut employees down lowering personnel by 50,000. But thanks to the electronic industry they managed to curb this and continue to grow.

The history of Samsung and mobile phones stretches back to over 10 years. In 1993 Samsung developed the 'lightest' mobile phone of its era. The SCH-800 and it was available on CDMA networks.

Then they developed smart phones and a phone combined mp3 player towards the end of the 20th century. To this date Samsung are dedicated to the 3G industry. Making video,camera phones at a speed to keep up with consumer demand. Samsung has made steady growth in the mobile industry and are currently second but competitor Nokia is ahead with more than 100% increase in shares.

History of Nokia

2008-08-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

Nokia's history starts in 1865, when engineer Fredrik Idestam established a wood-pulp mill in southern Finland and started manufacturing paper. Due to the European industrialization and the growing consumption of paper and cardboard Nokia soon became successful. In 1895 Fredrik Idestam handed over the reins of the company to his son-in-law Gustaf Fogelholm.

Nokia's products were exported first to Russia and then to the UK and France. The Nokia factory attracted a large workforce and a small community grew up around it. A community called Nokia still exists on the riverbank of Emäkoski in southern Finland. The Nokia

Community attracts other Companies

The hydroelectricity (from the river Emäkoski) which the wood-pulp mill used also attracted the Finnish Rubber Works to establish a factory in Nokia. In the 1920s, the Rubber Works started to use Nokia as their brand name. In addition to footwear (galoshes) and tyres, the company later went on to manufacture rubber bands, industrial parts and raincoats.

Expanding into Electronics

After World War II the Finnish Rubber Works bought the majority of the Finnish Cable Works shares. The Finnish Cable Works was a company that had grown quickly due to the increasing need for power transmission and telegraph and telephone networks. Gradually the ownership of the Rubber Works and the Cable Works companies consolidated. In 1967 the companies were merged to form the Nokia Group (link to Nokia company logos).

The Finnish Cable Works had manufactured cables for telegraph and telephone networks and in the 1960 they establishmed the Cable Works´Electronics department. At this time the seeds of Nokia's global success in telecommunications were planted. In 1967, when the Nokia Group was formed, Electronics generated three percent of the Group's net sales and provided work for 460 people.

The Journey into Telecommunications

Nokia´s Cable Work's Electronics department started to conduct research into semiconductor technology in the 1960´s. This was the beginning of Nokias journey into telecommunications.

In the early 1970s, the majority of telephone exchanges were electro-mechanical analog switches. Nokia began developing the digital switch (Nokia DX 200) which became a success. Nokia DX 200, which was equipped with high-level computer language and Intel microprocessors gradually evolved into the multifaceted platform that is still the basis for Nokia's network infrastructure today.

At the same time, new legislation allowed the Finnish telecommunications authorities to set up a mobile network for car phones that was connected to the public network.

The result was Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT). Opening in 1981, NMT was the world's first multinational cellular network. During the following decade, NMT was introduced in many other countries and launched the rapid expansion of the mobile phone industry.

At the end of the 1980s a common standard for digital mobile telephony was developed. This standard is known as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). In 1991 Nokia made agreements to supply GSM networks to nine European countries and by August 1997 Nokia had supplied GSM systems to 59 operators in 31 countries.

New Products

During the 1980s, Nokia's operations rapidly expanded to new business sectors and products. The strategy was to expand rapidly on all fronts. In 1988, Nokia was a large television manufacturer and the largest information technology company in the Nordic Countries.

Focusing on Telecommunications

During the deep recession in Finland at the beginning of the 1990s, the telecommunications and mobile phones divisions were the supporting pillars of the Nokia. Despite the depth of the recession, Nokia came to its feet quickly as the company started streamlining its businesses. In May 1992 Nokia made the strategic decision to divest its non-core operations and focus on telecommunications. The company's 2100 series phone was an incredible success. In 1994, the goal was to sell 500,000 units. Nokia sold 20 million.

It has been rumored that a group of businessmen tried to offer Nokia to the swedish telecom company Ericsson during the recession (1990´s)!

Today, Nokia is a world leader in digital technologies, including mobile phones, telecommunications networks, wireless data solutions and multimedia terminals.

Nok (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Jannie (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

Opal

2008-08-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Opal, Eve of the Gods, is a stone of hopes, love and romance and a stone to grant wishes and personal happiness positive actions and achievements. It is a mysterious gem, as each one appears different in its delicate beauty. It has always been one of the most popular and esteemed gems, known to absorb, carry and pass enormous amounts of energy. The Opal is not a particularly hard stone, so care must be taken to preserve the natural beauty of this gem. Beautiful Opals have featured in many of the Crown Jewels of Europe and they remain popular with heads of state and the rich and famous. Opal is found in Western USA, Mexico, Australia, North, Central and South America and Indonesia. The Opal is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Libra.

Peridot

2008-08-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Peridot is a green gemstone that is as popular today as it was in the past. It is considered to have the power to drive away evil spirits and that power was even more intense when the stone is set in gold. They are receptive and promote protection, health, wealth and sleep. Peridot is worn or carried for general healing purposes. Its deep green hue suggests its use in wealth - attracting spells. Peridot is found in Burma, Pakistan, China and USA. Peridot is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Leo.

Aquamarine

2008-08-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family of stones. Meaning -"sea water," it's not hard to figure out that it derives this name due to its color being similar to that of the ocean. The color ranges from very light to medium light blue, frequently with a light touch of green. The most desired color is the deeper shade of blue. Aquamarine is very durable and well suited for jewellery. It is often considered to have a soothing influence on married couples and its power to help husbands and wives work out their differences, makes it a good anniversary gift. A dream of aquamarine means that you will meet new friends. Aquamarine is found in Brazil, Africa and in all other continents. Aquamarine is the birthstone for the zodiac sign of Pisces.

Garnet

2008-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Garnet is a naturally occurring gemstone with vital power and energy, and lends vitality and strength. It aids in raising and directing the flow of kundalini energy and increases sensuality, as it is associated with the root chakra. Given as a gift, garnet symbolizes true and never-ending love and devotion. Garnet invokes and releases one’s creative ability and inner fire. The garnet is a symbol of friendship, love and devotion. It was believed throughout the ages that garnets bring luck in love and friendship and keep enemies away from their owners. It is found in Africa, Brazil, Canada, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the USA. The Garnet is the birthstone for zodiac sign of Capricorn.

Pancake (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

24

2008-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

24 is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Network in the USA and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial thirteen episodes. The first six seasons were all centered around the fictional Los Angeles branch of the U.S. government Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU).
24 is presented in real time, with each season depicting a 24-hour period in the life of Jack Bauer, who works with the U.S. government as it fights threats on U.S. soil. Bauer is often in the field for the fictional Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) as they try to safeguard the nation from terrorist threats. The show also follows the actions of other CTU agents, government officials and terrorists associated with the plot. The first six seasons of the show were all based in Los Angeles and nearby locations — both real and fictional — in California, although occasionally other locations have been featured as well — most notably, Washington, D.C., where a significant portion of the action took place during the fourth and sixth seasons. Promotional materials for the seventh season have already established that, departing from tradition, it will be set primarily in Washington, D.C.

After leading actor Kiefer Sutherland won a Golden Globe for his role in the first 10 episodes, the ratings of the show increased, leading FOX to order the second half of the season. There have been six seasons of 24 produced. On May 15, 2007, it was confirmed that FOX has ordered seventh and eighth seasons. A motion picture based on the show has been written and was scheduled to be filmed in 2007 for a 2008 release but plans for production were put on hold to focus on the TV series.

The seventh season, originally scheduled to premiere on January 13, 2008, was initially postponed in the wake of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike to ensure a non stop season, a trademark of the show since the start of its fourth season in January 2005. It is now officially postponed until January 2009.

To help offset the strike-induced delay, 24 will return on Sunday, November 23, 2008 with a two-hour prequel (titled 24: Exile) that will take place almost a year after day six and will "set up the story that launches season seven".

Ice Aphisatha Khrueakhongkha (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Peak (Thai Super Star)

2008-08-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

In Treatment

2008-08-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

An innovative and emotional new series, ‘In Treatment’ brings dynamic focus to a staple of modern society – the psychotherapy session. Adapted from a popular Israeli series, the show follows psychoanalyst Paul Weston through his week, capturing a session each night with his patients – Laura, Alex, Sophie and married couple Jake and Amy – before concluding each Friday in the office of Paul’s own therapist, Gina. Stepping inside the tangled mind of a man who counsels others for a living, ‘In Treatment’ renders an intricate portrayal of the experts we rely on for perspective.

'In Treatment' is based on the Series "Be 'Tipul" created by Hagai Levi with Ori Sivan & Nir Bergman. Other writers for the series include Yael Hedaya, Ari Fulman, Daphna Levin, Asaf Zippor and Maya Heffner.

Executive-produced by Hagai Levi, Rodrigo Garcia, Steve Levinson and Mark Wahlberg, ‘In Treatment’ stars Gabriel Byrne (“The Usual Suspects,” “Vanity Fair”) as Paul, Josh Charles (“Sports Night,” “Four Brothers”) as Jake, Embeth Davidtz (“Schindler’s List,” “Junebug”) as Amy, Melissa George (“Alias,” “30 Days of Night”) as Laura, Blair Underwood (“L.A. Law,” “Dirty Sexy Money”) as Alex, Mia Wasikowska (“Suburban Mayhem”) as Sophie, Dianne Wiest (Oscar® winner for “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Bullets over Broadway”) as Dr. Gina Toll and Michelle Forbes (“Kalifornia,” “Battlestar Galactica: Razor”) as Paul’s wife Kate.

Thai Jewelry Market

2008-06-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thailand is renowned as one of the world’s leading gems and jewelry exporters. The skill of Thai craftsmen in cutting precious stones and diamonds to very high standards has long been appreciated by the industry, and international gems and jewelry merchants send large quantities of their gemstones to be cut in Thailand. Moreover, Thai manufacturers are very keen on initiating jewelry designs and standards are on par with international demands.

The gems and jewelry industry has been a powerful export earner for the country with the segment placing seventh amongst Thailand’s top ten exports, registering sales of U.S.$ 1.5 billion in 1999. Jewelry accounted for 55 percent of the export total followed by diamonds at 23 percent, gemstones and pearls at 18 percent, costume jewelry at four percent and synthetic gems at one percent. The largest markets for exports of Thai gems and jewelry are the United States, Israel, Belgium and Japan. In addition to this, it is believed that another 30-50 percent can be added to these export figures as a result of direct sales from merchant to tourists visiting the country.

The Department of Export Promotion (DEP) is active in showcasing Thailand’s gems and jewelry industry, co-hosting a trade fair for the industry twice a year. Recent attendance figures have seen the show becoming the best gems and jewelry show in the region, recently surpassing Hong Kong’s similar fair. At least five trade associations are busy with extensive public relations programs intended to boost the image of the Thai gems and jewelry industry overseas. The Board of Investment (BOI) has been successful in luring foreign gems and jewelry companies to set up operations in Thailand, and often lobbies for reduced taxes, tariffs and trade barriers related to the industry.

Thailand’s gem and jewelry industry has emerged as a major international player in the production, processing and trade of the products. The country has positioned itself as a regional hub for diamond and precious stone cutting, capitalizing on its low labor costs, skilled craftsmen and its proximity to major colored gemstone producing countries including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India. It currently ranks as the world's fifth largest diamond-cutting center, experiencing strong growth in this field since 1981 when the Thai government removed import duties on diamonds. In 1999, Thailand imported nearly U.S.$ 700 million of diamond and precious stones for domestic consumption, and export processing.

Thailand’s long experience in mining colored precious stones has given businesses and craftsmen a wealth of experience with gemstones. Thailand has extensive deposits of blue sapphires in Kanchanaburi province, 100 kilometers west of Bangkok, which provide local industry with a high quality source of the precious stone. Smaller deposits of rubies are found in Chantaburi province, near the Cambodian border, which yield steady supplies of the rare gemstone.

Thailand’s exports of gems and jewelry have slumped since economic problems hit Asia in 1997. Sales have fallen by 25 percent since 1995, reaching a low in 1998 at U.S.$ 1.3 billion. Asian markets have been particularly hard hit, with exports to Japan and Hong Kong slumping 60 and 75 percent respectively. Industry experts believe that the fall has been caused by liquidity problems faced by Thai exporters, reduced demand in Asia because of the economic crisis, and stiff competition from other markets.

Formidable opposition in the market for lower priced gems and jewelry is faced from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India, who have more abundant resources of precious stones and lower labor costs than Thailand. These countries have been improving their skills and infrastructure to facilitate the cutting and processing of stones locally. On the other hand, designers in Italy, France and Hong Kong have established their own technologies and famous brand names adding premium value to their products, and allowing them to dominate the high-end gems and jewelry market.

Thailand’s solution to stay competitive in the global market has been to upgrade its production processes through improved technology. Particular focus has also been placed on the development of new design skills and on increasing marketing efforts to establish Thai brand names in the world market. In order to reduce costs, Thai companies are looking to source competitively priced gemstones and raw materials from Africa to process and re-export, while the Board of Investment (BOI) is lobbying for the removal of duties on necessary import materials. The recovery in export sales experienced over 1999 is forecast to continue as Asian demand recovers, and Thai companies continue to target new markets, styles and trends in the jewelry market.

EDiamondselect partners with Rachminov

2008-06-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hollywood, Fla.—Diamond software solutions provider eDiamondselect has chosen Rachminov Diamonds as the site's exclusive source of natural fancy-color diamonds.

Rachminov offers a wide range of natural fancy-color diamonds from melee to large special stones in an array of colors, including yellow, orange, pink and blue.

The new partnership will give eDiamondselect retailers exclusive online access to one of the most extensive and highest-quality lines of natural fancy-color diamonds available in the industry, eDiamondselect Vice President of Sales David Norman said in a media release.

"As a result of this partnership, eDiamondselect now has more than 25 suppliers providing an inventory of more than 60,000 diamonds on our site," he said.

Since the most recent JCK Las Vegas show and Continental Buying Group Show, eDiamondselect has added more than 40 new retailers to the program, including Bernie Robbins Fine Jewelers, Smythe Jewelers and Topper Jewelers.

The company says eDiamondselect is ideal for both large and small retailers, allowing major jewelers to become more efficient, productive and profitable in their diamond business, and also turning independent retailers into mega diamond sites.

The software can be integrated directly into a retailer's Web site, so that customers can remotely search the store's and suppliers' inventories. Jewelers can also use the software in-store, showing customers an extensive online inventory of diamonds and helping them choose their perfect stone, which can be shipped to the store within 24 hours.

information from : nationaljewelernetwork.com

Abacus Bluetooth Wristwatch

2008-06-14T08:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a Fossil Bluetooth wristwatch that is labeled by the brand Abacus. It is the same one that is also branded as a Sony Ericsson and Fossil. I think Fossil is the actual maker, but I am not positive. I really hope more companies come out with Bluetooth watches as this one only works with Sony Ericsson cell phones. What is really cool is that you can see who is calling without taking your phone out of your pocket as well as reading your text messages and even rejecting calls. I love it! I have a Motorola KRZR so I want a watch that works with this phone obviously. Breitling, TAG, Seiko, Citizen or someone please make a Bluetooth watch that is compatible with more cell phones.

Veiled Watch

2008-06-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the new Veiled watch by Fossil. The crystal is electroplated to make it look like part of the bracelet. The design is very unique and uncluttered, and looks more like a bracelet than a watch.

Ultra-Limited CHANEL J12 Watch

2008-06-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the opening of their new flagship store Chanel has created a one-of-a-kind J12 Tourbillon. This model has "Beverly Hills No. 1/1" inscribed on the caseback. The new store on Rodeo Drive is 14,700 sq ft. and is 4 stories tall.

J12 3125 by CHANEL & AUDEMARS PIGUET

2008-06-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Chanel partnered with Audemars Piguet to make this special edition J12 Calibre 3125. The watch has the Chanel label on it , but the movement was done by Audemars Piguet. It uses 18k yellow gold on a nice black ceramic finish. I really like when watch companies work together to produce even better products, however I am not sure this would be enough to sway me towards a Chanel watch.

El Primero Zero-G Multi-Dimensional Tourbillon

2008-06-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Zenith El Primero Zero-G Multi-Dimensional Tourbillon will be debuting at Baselworld 2008 in April.

Aéronavale Limited Edition

2008-06-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

At the request of the French Naval Air Force, Bell & Ross is producing two Limited Series of 150 watches specially designed for aerial navigation. These Pilot chonos come in either acrylic glass or sapphire glass. The Bell & Ross Type Aéronavale has the colors of the French Naval Air Force.

BR-01 Instrument Phantom Tourbillon

2008-06-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

Check out the new Bell & Ross Phantom Tourbillon. It has a cool DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) finish for high resistance to scratching. At 46 mm it is properly sized by todays standards. It has carbon fiber and gold to complete its' impressive look. You can see the beautiful tourbillon through the opening at 6 o'clock.

BR01-92 and BR01-94 Instruments

2008-06-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Bell & Ross recently released two Limited Edition Instrument wristwatch models. They released the BR01 Instrument Red and the BR01 Instrument Yellow, which actually consist of two versions each, so there are actually four models. The model numbers end with either a 92 or a 94. The models that end with 92 have automatic movements and the models that end with 94 have automatic chronograph movements. Each version is limited to 500 pieces, which is a respectable number for a limited edition. I hate when manufacturers make over 1000 pieces and then abuse the term "limited edition".

Ulysse Nardin Tellurium J. Kepler Limited

2008-06-14T08:23:00.001-07:00

It is a timepiece that rotates the Earth in its true geographical shape seen from above the North Pole. A flexible spring bends from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn to reveal the part of the Earth lit by the Sun and to indicate the time and place of sunrise and sunset. The moon rotates around the Earth. The dragon hand indicates the eclipses of the sun and the moon. The perpetual calendar completes one turn each year. It is limited to only 99 pieces. It has a platinum case, sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters.

Maxi Marine Diver Limited Edition

2008-06-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Limited Edition with a very nice look.

Officially certified chronometer movement.
Power reserve indicator.
Oversized seconds-hand.
Screw down security crown.
Unidirectional turning bezel. Ref. Nr.260-32-3A.
Diameter: 42.7 mm. 18 ct white gold case. Blue dial.
Movement UN-26.
Power-reserve of approx. 42 hours.
Self-winding.
Water-resistant to 200 meters.
Sapphire crystals.
Strap: Rubber bracelet with 2 WG elements.
Buckle type: Deployant clasp.

Sonata

2008-06-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ulysse Nardin proudly unveils the Sonata, a unique and amazing multifunctional mechanical instrument. It is an in-house development, inspired by Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, constructed by Pierre Gygax and Lucas Humair, executed by the UN Dream Team conducted by Rolf Schnyder.

The in-house engineers and technicians of Ulysse Nardin spent nearly seven years on the development of this patented self-winding in-house caliber.

It combines the novel Alarm setting with a Countdown indicator and the Dual time system with the instant time zone adjustor conceived by Dr. Oechslin and featured in many Ulysse Nardin watches.

This patented Dual time function permits time zone adjustments forward and backward by simply pressing the pushers plus (+) or minus (-) to change the position of the hour hand. The original home time (reference time) stays displayed while the date, the Alarm and Countdown adjust automatically when a time zone adjustment is made.

The melodic chiming of the Alarm is based on a novel 24 hours mechanism which allows setting the Alarm 23 hours ahead, for 7.35 pm the same day or 7.35 am the next day. The Sonata will be available in red or white 18kt gold and comes with a deployant clasp. The case is individually numbered and water-resistant to 30 meters.

New Maxi Skeleton

2008-06-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

Ulysse Nardin is well known for developing and producing specialized timepieces of the highest technical level in limited editions. Using the company's patented inventions, these often include complications offered by no other watchmaker, such as the renowned Trilogy of Astrolabium, Planetarium and Tellurium; the Jaquemart Minute Repeater and the Hour Striker San Marco. Now, Ulysse Nardin has launched the 'Maxi Skeleton', a watch with a hand-engraved skeleton movement that acts as the dial.

By showing the manual wind movement of the Maxi Skeleton, Ulysse Nardin flamboyantly displays the the hundreds of tiny pieces combined in an intricate web of gears and wheels - a true masterpiece both from a workmanship and visual perspective.

The watch case is 43.5mm in diameter and available in 18ct rose gold (ref. 3006-200) and 18ct white gold (ref. 3000-200). Both are limited to 80 pieces.

Prison Break : Lincoln Burrows

2008-05-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is a protagonist of the American television series, Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln Burrows' setup for the murder of the vice president's brother and his brother's plan to help him escape his death sentence. Lincoln's brother, Michael Scofield is played by Wentworth Miller. In episode flashbacks, the teenage Lincoln is played by Max Kirsch, while a younger Lincoln is portrayed by Hunter Jablonski.

As one of the principal characters, Lincoln plays a prominent role in the series and has appeared in every episode so far. The brother's relationship is frequently explored in the series as their sacrifices for each other form a large part of the plot. In an interview, series creator Paul Scheuring commented that it was "extremely difficult" to cast the roles of Lincoln and Michael. Dominic Purcell was cast for the role just three days before the start of production of the series pilot.

Prison Break : Michael Scofield

2008-05-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Michael Scofield, is a protagonist in the American television series, Prison Break. He is portrayed by Wentworth Miller. The character first appeared in the series pilot as a man who stages a bank robbery in order to get sent into the prison where his older brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), is being held until his execution. The premise of Prison Break revolves around the two brothers and Michael's plan to help Lincoln escape his death sentence. As the principal character, Michael has been featured in every episode of the series. Although both Lincoln and Michael are the protagonists of the series, Michael has been featured more extensively than Lincoln, especially in the first season and the third .

Various flashbacks from subsequent episodes provide further insight into the relationship between Michael and his brother, and the reasons behind Michael's determination in helping Lincoln to escape his death sentence. In the episode flashbacks, the younger Michael is played by Dylan Minette.

Biography of Moon Bloodgood

2008-05-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Korinna Moon Bloodgood (born September 20, 1975) is an American actress and model. She has starred in the films Eight Below and Pathfinder. Bloodgood also appeared alongside Taye Diggs in ABC's Day Break. She portrayed Rita Shelton, the girlfriend of a detective who is framed for murder and arrested in the span of a day but continually finds himself reliving that same day.

Bloodgood was born in Anaheim, California, to an American father of Dutch and Irish descent and a South Korean mother; her father was stationed in Korea when he met her mother. Bloodgood is a former cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers. She was engaged to actor and singer Eric Balfour (April 24, 2005). She was ranked #99 in Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2005 list, #53 in 2006 and #40 in 2007.

As of 2007, Bloodgood starred as Livia Beale in the American science-fiction television series Journeyman on NBC. The show suffered from low ratings, and following the WGA Writer's Strike, Journeyman was effectively cancelled by NBC in December of 2007, when the network chose not to order the second half of the first season.

She will have a role in the upcoming movie Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, to be released in 2009.

She will star in the fourth film in the Terminator series.

Journeyman Episode

2008-05-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

1 Pilot - A Love of a Lifetime 9/24/2007
2 Friendly Skies 10/1/2007
3 Game Three 10/8/2007
4 The Year of the Rabbit 10/15/2007
5 The Legend of Dylan McCleen 10/22/2007
6 Keepers 10/29/2007
7 Double Down 11/5/2007
8 Winterland 11/12/2007
9 Emily 11/19/2007
10 Blowback 11/26/2007
11 Home by Another Way 12/10/2007
12 The Hanged Man 12/17/2007
13 Perfidia 12/19/2007

Prison Break

2008-05-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Prison Break is a Golden Globe and Emmy nominated American action/serial drama television series that premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company on August 29, 2005. The story revolves around a man who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his brother's elaborate plan to help him escape his death sentence. Created by Paul Scheuring, the show is produced by Adelstein-Parouse Productions in association with Original Television and 20th Century Fox Television. The current executive producers are Scheuring, Matt Olmstead, Kevin Hooks, Marty Adelstein, Dawn Parouse, Neal Moritz, and Brett Ratner. Its theme music is composed by Ramin Djawadi, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2006.

The show recently concluded its shorter third season, that only consisted of 13 episodes. A fourth season of 22 episodes has been confirmed by FOX as of March 25, 2008. It is expected to be back on television later in the year. The production for the fourth season will move from Dallas to Los Angeles.

The uniqueness of Prison Break is attributed to its serialized story structure, a similar format used by Lost and 24, and to its setting, as very few television series were primarily set and filmed in a prison.

The original concept of Prison Break—a man deliberately getting himself sent to prison in order to help someone else (his brother, in this case) escape—was suggested to Paul Scheuring by producer Dawn Parouse, who wanted to produce an action-oriented series. Although Scheuring thought it was a good idea, he was initially stumped as to why someone would embark on such a mission or how he could develop it into a viable television show. He came up with the story of the wrongfully accused brother, and began working on the plot outline and devising the characters. In 2003, he pitched the idea to the Fox Broadcasting Company but was turned down as Fox felt nervous about the long-term possibilities of such a series. He subsequently showed the concept to other channels but was also turned down as it was thought to be more suited for a film project than a television series. Prison Break was later considered as a possible 14-part miniseries, which drew the interest of Steven Spielberg before his departure due to his involvement with War of the Worlds. Thus, the miniseries never materialized. Following the huge popularity of serialized prime time television series such as Lost and 24, the Fox Network had a change of heart and backed the production in 2004. The pilot episode was filmed a year after Scheuring wrote the script and five months later, the show was picked up as a commercial.

SEIKO Spring Drive GMT

2008-05-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

With its high accuracy and complete energy autonomy, Spring Drive is the perfect watch for the traveler. With the addition of the 24-hour hand, the SEIKO Spring Drive GMT becomes the ideal timepiece for the international set. Time zone adjustment could not be more simple. Just by turning the crown, a different time zone can be set without affecting the precision on the second hand. The power reserve indicator is set deep into the dial to allow the time-of-day and 24-hour hand to glide over the dial surface, thereby maintaining the integrity of the original design.

Specifications:

GMT Caliber: 5R66
Case: Stainless steel
Band: Stainless steel with deployment clasp with push button release
Glass: Sapphire crystal
Water Resistance: 10 Bar
Retail price: The approximate recommended retail price in Europe is Euro 3,700.

Caliber Details:

GMT caliber: 5R66
3 hands + 24-hour hand + Calendar + Power reserve indicator
Diameter 30mm
Thickness 5.8mm
30 jewels
296 components

The SEIKO Spring Drive Moon Phase

2008-05-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

SEIKO Spring Drive was twenty eight years in the making, but in just its first year on the market, it has created a remarkable impact, recognised by connoisseurs and consumers alike as one of the most important developments in watch technology for decades. The "quiet revolution" of Spring Drive is underway.

For 2006, the international Spring Drive collection has been expanded to include two new calibers, expressed in three new references, and bringing the size of the total collection to nine watches. These additions provide a new vision of the 'circle' design concept that characterises the whole collection and yet maintain their own individual appeal.

In another graceful expression of the natural and continuous motion of time, the silver color moon-shaped plate on the blue mother of pearl disc creates the serene and refined appeal of this elegant new timepiece, marking the continuous progress of the moon across the night sky.

Not only the dial conveys the magical imagery of the moon. The movement itself is engraved to complete the harmony of the complete design, with the bridge and rotor portraying the fan-shaped pattern of moonlight radiating out from the glide wheel. The true and universal nature of time is thus represented in every part of the watch.

It is offered as a limited edition of just 200, with the individual number engraved on the movement, visible through the sapphire case back.

Specifications:

Moon Phase Caliber: 5R67
On the movement fan pattern engraved
Case: Stainless steel with see-through case back
Band: Leather strap
Glass: Sapphire crystal
Water Resistance: 10 Bar
Retail price: The approximate recommended retail price in Europe is Euro 4,800.

Caliber Details:

Moon Phase caliber: 5R67
3 hands + Moon Phase indicator + Power reserve indicator
Diameter 30mm
Thickness 6.0mm
30 jewels
288 components
Power reserve: 72 hours

Seiko Spectrum

2008-05-20T07:25:00.001-07:00

Last year in April E Ink Corporation, Seiko Epson Corporation, and Seiko Watch Corporation announced their new make of world�s first watch from Electronic Paper Display (EPD).
The watch was designed in a very stylish manner to attract anyone with its amazing size of 30-millimeter wide and 4-millimeter thick band on which time was displayed as you can see in the image. It was $450 when released and when it hit the stores, it named "Spectrum" which cost $1,747.
The watch features Ultra High Contras, Ultra Thin / Flexible and Low Power Consumption. Due to its high flexibility, you can bend the watch to fit your wrist size.
Seiko launched this watch for the first and now everyone is contributing in escalating this web of rat race.

Journeyman : Jack Vasser

2008-05-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Jack Vasser (played by Reed Diamond) is Dan's brother. Jack, a police detective, is dating Dr. Theresa Sanchez (Lisa Sheridan), but also has feelings for Katie (his ex). Jack forms a number of misconceptions about Dan's disappearances and apparent irresponsibility, refusing to believe his brother when Dan tries to explain the time traveling. Believing Dan has perhaps returned to his gambling vice, Jack uses his police resources to investigate Dan's life. Jack is finally convinced of Dan's time traveling when Livia meets with Jack to enlist his help in getting Dan out of a desperate situation.

Journeyman : Olivia "Livia" Beale

2008-05-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Olivia "Livia" Beale (played by Moon Bloodgood) is Dan's ex-fiancée who was presumed dead after a plane crash nearly ten years before the start of the series. It is revealed that she is actually a traveler from 1948 who jumps into the future. After not being able to jump home, she was stuck in Dan's present and adapted to life there, where she began a legal career and fell in love with Dan, only to finally jump back home while on the plane. In “Blowback” and in the final episode, “Perfidia”, she and Dan speculated that Dan was the target of her extended jump, and that her mission was to get Dan and Katie together (which was arguably a result of her supposed death). For unknown reasons, she now jumps to the same times that Dan visits, and offers him advice and assistance in his missions.

Journeyman : Katie Vasser

2008-05-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Katie Vasser (played by Gretchen Egolf) is Dan's wife and mother of their son Zack. Until recently, she was the only one in the present who knew about her husband's time-traveling. Katie was the long-time girlfriend of Dan's brother Jack. Since their break-up nine years ago, the two have remained somewhat distant; partly because Katie ended up getting pregnant by Dan and they married soon after. Before marrying Dan, Katie was a television reporter. In response to cutbacks at the Register, and Dan's traveling, Katie returns to television to ensure a stable income for the family.

Journeyman : Dan Vasser

2008-05-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Dan Vasser (played by Kevin McKidd) is a reporter for the fictional newspaper the San Francisco Register. Dan is the main protagonist of the series, who finds himself jumping through time, unable to stop or control the jumps. He has a son, Zack, with his wife of 7 years, Katie — his brother's ex-girlfriend. Dan was previously engaged to Livia Beale before her disappearance and supposed death in a plane crash. Dan is a recovered gambling addict.

Journeyman

2008-05-09T08:11:00.003-07:00

Journeyman is a 2007 U.S. science fiction television drama created by Kevin Falls for 20th Century Fox Television which aired on the NBC television network. It stars Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser, a San Francisco reporter who involuntarily travels through time. Alex Graves, who directed the pilot, and Falls served as executive producers.

The show premiered on September 24, 2007, airing Mondays at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The initial order from the network was for 13 episodes, all of which were produced prior to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike by screenwriters. However, the series suffered from low ratings, and NBC allowed its option for a full season order to lapse by the Decembe 11, 2007 deadline for renewal. According to trade reports, such an action effectively means the series has been cancelled. As of April 2, 2008 the show has officially been canceled by NBC. The final episode of Journeyman aired on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.

Dan's "shifts" through time occur seemingly at random. The only indication he has to an oncoming jump is a feeling in his head which varies from right before he jumps to several seconds of warning. Dan appears to have no control over the shifts. The first jump is typically several decades into the past; through a series of jumps, he jumps nearer to the present, usually years at a time.

The jumps manifest themselves with a small blue flash and a ripple as Dan appears to vanish from the present, and appear instantly in the past. He is missing from the present for a period of time unrelated to the period he spends in the past. His disappearances and reappearances are rarely witnessed by anyone else; it is unclear if this is a factor in his jumps, or merely coincidence. Dan does not arrive in the same location he departed, but instead arrives near the person who he is supposed to help. His jumps are typically restricted to the area he leaves from, usually keeping him in the San Francisco area. Dan is also trying to figure out the mechanics of his travels. He has questioned a physicist who seems to have known his father in the past, and has discussed the possibility of tachyon particles being able to cause time jumps. It is now clear that the scientist is aware of Dan's travels, as well as those of others like him. It has also been discovered that those born around the time of a rare passing comet have this ability.

Dan's journeys appear to each have an innate purpose, which is not always apparent to him, but involves positively changing the destiny of a certain person. Likewise, fate seems to conspire against him if he tries to alter other events beyond his current charge. Alterations Dan makes to the timeline affect the present and the memories of everyone in it. His own memories, however, are unaltered, and he recalls events as they originally occurred before his interference.

Dan is not alone in his tendency to time-travel. His ex-fiancée Livia, thought to have been killed in a plane crash, actually traveled back to her "home time", currently living in 1948 from where she jumps forward in time. Dan meets Livia on his jumps into the past, as she jumps into her future to offer her experience and assistance with Dan's missions. As revealed in the episode “Perfidia”, there is at least one other person who also jumps through time.

Topaz

2008-05-09T08:04:00.003-07:00

It is a fluorine aluminium silicate and comes in yellow, yellow-brown, honey-yellow, flax, brown, green, blue, light blue, red and pink ... and sometimes it has no colour at all. The topaz.

The topaz has been known for at least 2000 years and is one of the gemstones which form the foundations of the twelve gates to the Holy City of the New Jerusalem. These so-called apocalyptic stones are intended to serve in protection against enemies and as a symbol of beauty and splendour. It cannot be proved conclusively whether the name of the topaz comes from the Sanskrit or the Greek, though the Greek name 'topazos' means 'green gemstone'. The Romans dedicated the topaz to Jupiter.The colour in which the topaz is most commonly found is yellow, and that is the colour in which it occurs in one of the major German gemstone rocks, the Schneckenstein (a topaz-bearing rock said to resemble a snail) in Saxony. In the 18th century, it was mined there during a period of over 60 years. However, most of the crystals were hardly a centimetre in diameter. You had to go to Siberia or Brazil to find crystals as large as your fist. Having said that, anyone who is interested can convince himself of the beauty of cut specimens in the topaz set in Dresden's Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault). The enormous and magnificent topaz from the Portuguese crown, the Braganza, was for a long time thought to be a diamond. It weighs 1680 ct..

In mysticism, the topaz is attributed with a cooling, styptic and appetising effect. It is said to dispel sadness, anger and nocturnal fears, to warn its wearer of poisons and protect him or her from sudden death. It is reputed to make men handsome and intelligent and sterile women fertile and happy. However, it is probably better not to rely too much on its magical powers, since it was also claimed that you could immerse your hand in boiling water after a topaz had been thrown into it and retract it again unharmed! It is the stone of the month November.

In the Empire style, the topaz was still widespread, but then the more reasonably priced citrine took over from it and even usurped its name - gold topaz. Since then, the topaz has been a rather exotic figure in the jewellery trade, and has been given the additional predicate 'pure' to make it clear that the topaz, not the quartz topaz, is meant. And it is still waiting for its well deserved comeback to this day.

Gold

2008-05-09T07:34:00.014-07:00

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from the Latin aurum, meaning shining dawn) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground "veins" and in alluvial deposits. It is one of the coinage metals. Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile of the known metals. Pure gold has a bright yellow color traditionally considered attractive.

Gold formed the basis for the gold standard used before the collapse of the Bretton Woods system. It is specifically against IMF regulations to base any currency against gold for all IMF member states. The ISO currency code of gold bullion is XAU.
Modern industrial uses include dentistry and electronics, where gold has traditionally found use because of its good resistance to oxidative corrosion.

Chemically, gold is a trivalent and univalent transition metal. Gold does not react with most chemicals, but is attacked by chlorine, fluorine, aqua regia and cyanide. Gold dissolves in mercury, forming amalgam alloys, but does not react with it. Gold is insoluble in nitric acid, which will dissolve silver and base metals, and this is the basis of the gold refining technique known as "inquartation and parting". Nitric acid has long been used to confirm the presence of gold in items, and this is the origin of the colloquial term "acid test," referring to a gold standard test for genuine value.

Because of the softness of pure (24k) gold, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, altering its hardness and ductility, melting point, color and other properties. Alloys with lower caratage, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, contain higher percentages of copper, silver or other base metals in the alloy. Copper is the most commonly used base metal, yielding a redder metal. Eighteen carat gold containing 25% copper is found in antique and Russian jewellery and has a distinct, though not dominant, copper cast, creating rose gold. Fourteen carat gold-copper alloy is nearly identical in color to certain bronze alloys, and both may be used to produce police and other badges. Blue gold can be made by alloying with iron and purple gold can be made by alloying with aluminum, although rarely done except in specialized jewelry. Blue gold is more brittle and therefore more difficult to work with when making jewelry. Fourteen and eighteen carat gold alloys with silver alone appear greenish-yellow and are referred to as green gold. White gold alloys can be made with palladium or nickel. White 18 carat gold containing 17.3% nickel, 5.5% zinc and 2.2% copper is silver in appearance. Nickel is toxic, however, and its release from nickel white gold is controlled by legislation in Europe. Alternative white gold alloys are available based on palladium, silver and other white metals (World Gold Council), but the palladium alloys are more expensive than those using nickel. High-carat white gold alloys are far more resistant to corrosion than are either pure silver or sterling silver. The Japanese craft of Mokume-gane exploits the color contrasts between laminated colored gold alloys to produce decorative wood-grain effects.

Gary Sinise for Baume Mercier

2008-05-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

Gary Sinise was born in Blue Island, Illinois. His family later moved to Highland Park, where he attended high school. He was something of a rebel, playing in bands but paying little attention to school. Gary and some friends tried out for "West Side Story" as a lark, but Gary was hooked on acting for life by closing night. Gary credits his love for theatre to his drama teacher, Barbara Patterson. In 1974, Gary, Terry Kinney, and Jeff Perry founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Initially performing in a church basement, the company grew and gained stature in the Chicago area. In addition to acting in many plays, Gary also directed some of Steppenwolf's most notable productions, including Sam Shepard's "True West". The company made its off-Broadway debut with that production, starring Gary and 'John Malkovich' and its Broadway debut with "The Grapes of Wrath" at the Cort Theatre in 1990.. Gary's Hollywood career also started in the director's chair with two episodes of the stylish TV series "Crime Story" (1986) followed in 1988 by the feature Miles from Home (1988) starring Richard Gere. Gary's first feature film as an actor was the World War II fable A Midnight Clear (1992) in 1992. That year also found Gary combining his acting and directing talents with the critically acclaimed Of Mice and Men (1992). His first real notice by the public came in 1994, however. He starred in the blockbuster miniseries "The Stand" (1994) (mini), rapidly followed by his bravura performance as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump (1994). His portrayal of the disabled, emotionally tortured veteran earned Gary numerous awards and an Oscar nomination. Busy 1994 was followed by busy 1995, first reuniting with Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 (1995) and then starring in the HBO film Truman (1995) (TV) which earned him the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards and an Emmy nomination. Gary is married to Moira Harris, an actress and original member of the Steppenwolf company. They have three children, Sophie, McCanna, and Ella. Gary's father is the film editor Robert L. Sinise, A.C.E.

Baume Mercier Classima Executives

2008-05-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Category : Automatic Chronograph
Size : Gents
Band : Black Alligator Strap with deployant buckle
Description : Stainless steel case. White dial with stick hour markers. Displays date at 3 o'clock. Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal. Fixed Bezel. Water Resistant 30m. Case Diameter 42mm.

Zircon

2008-05-04T08:14:00.001-07:00

Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. Hafnium is almost always present in quantities ranging from 1 to 4%. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal class. The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, and green. Colorless specimens that show gem quality are a popular substitute for diamond; these specimens are also known as "Matura diamond". It is not to be confused with cubic zirconia, a synthetic substance with a completely different chemical composition.

The name either derives from the Arabic word zarqun, meaning vermilion, or from the Persian zargun, meaning golden-colored. These words are corrupted into "jargoon", a term applied to light-colored zircons. Yellow zircon is called hyacinth, from a word of East Indian origin; in the Middle Ages all yellow stones of East Indian origin were called hyacinth, but today this term is restricted to the yellow zircons.

Zircon is regarded as the traditional birthstone for December.

Zircon can come in red, brown, yellow, green, black, or colorless. The color of zircons below gem quality can be changed by heat treatment. Depending on the amount of heat applied, colorless, blue, and golden-yellow zircons can be made.

Amber

2008-05-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Amber is the fossilized resin from ancient forests. Amber is not produced from tree sap, but rather from plant resin. This aromatic resin can drip from and ooze down trees, as well as fill internal fissures, trapping debris such as seeds, leaves, feathers and insects. The resin becomes buried and fossilized through a natural polymerization of the original organic compounds.

Amber is a fossilized resin, not tree sap. Sap is the fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, while resin is the semi-solid amorphous organic substance secreted in pockets and canals through epithelial cells of the plant. Land plant resins are complex mixtures of mono-, sesqui-, di-, and triterpenoids, which have structures based on linked isoprene C5H8 units (Langenheim, 1969, p. 1157). Volatile terpenoid fractions in resins evaporate and dissipate under natural forest conditions, leaving nonvolatile terpenoid fractions to become fossilized if they are stable enough to withstand degradation and depositional conditions. The fossil resin becomes incorporated into sediments and soils, which over millions of years change into rock such as shale and sandstone.

Therefore, amber is formed as a result of the fossilization of resin that that takes millions of years and involves a progressive oxidation and polymerization of the original organic compounds, oxygenated hydrocarbons. Although a specific time interval has not been established for this process, the majority of amber is found within Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks(approximately 30-90 million years old).

Although there are contrasting views as to why resin is produced, it is a plant's protection mechanism. The resin may be produced to protect the tree from disease and injury inflicted by insects and fungi. Resin may be exuded to heal a wound such as a broken branch, and resins possess odors or tastes that both attract and repel insects (Langenheim, 1969, p. 1167). In mature trees, resin may simply exude from vertical fissures in the bark due to tension produced by rapid growth (Langenheim, 1969, p. 1166). Resin may also be produced as a plant's method for disposing of excess acetate.

There is no one tree responsible for the resin that fossilizes into amber. Botanical affinities have been suggested based on examination of the entombed debris and through chemical studies of the resin. The botanical affinity of jelinite, Kansas amber, appears to be from the Araucariaceae family, which is considered to be a primary Mesozoic amber tree. Although this tree does not exist today in the northern hemisphere, it would closely resemble Agathis australis, or the huge Kauri pine found today in New Zealand.

During most of the Mesozoic geologic time period, gymnosperms dominated land vegetation. Conifers are the most successful gymnosperm living today (Cleal & Thomas, 1999, p. 62). Some of the amber land plants were probably conifers from the order Pinales, in the families: Araucariaceae (e.g., Norfolk Pine, Monkey Puzzle, Kauri Pine), Taxodiaceae (e.g., sequoias and bald cypresses), Taxaceae (e.g., yews), Pinaceae (e.g., pine and larches), Cupressaceae (e.g., cedars, cypresses, junipers), and Podocarpaceae.

Studies by G๖ppert (1836), based on botanical debris entombed in amber, concluded that members of the Pinaceae were the source of Baltic amber. Specifically, G๖ppert (1836) designated the amber tree as Pinites succinifer, although he clearly stated this wood anatomy was not the same as any living pine today. Disregarding botanical evidence and concentrating on chemical evidence, Beck (1999) and Larsson (1978) suggested sources other than Pinaceae for Baltic amber, including Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae, and Taxodiaceae; they believed that chemically G๖ppert's Pinites was a closer match to the Araucariaceae than to Pinaceae.

Kansas amber was found among Cretaceous age rock, which is in the Mesozoic Era. Fossil resin and copal occur on the North American continent among strata from Triassic to Recent. The oldest amber is found in the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, New Mexico (Grimaldi, Nascimbene, Luzzi, Case, 1998, p. 81). The next oldest deposits of amber are Cretaceous in age. The most abundant North American Cretaceous fossil resins are from the states of Alaska and New Jersey, USA and from the provinces of Alberta and Manitoba, Canada.

One depositional environment for amber is marginal marine. Amber's specific gravity is slightly over 1 and it floats in saltwater; therefore amber becomes concentrated in estuarine or marine deposits, moved some distance from the original site (Langenheim, 1969, p. 1159). Trees and resin may be transported and deposited in quiet water sediments that formed the bottom of a lagoon or delta at the margin of a sea. Wood and resin are buried under the sediment and while the resin becomes amber, the wood becomes lignite. Wet sediments of clay and sand preserve the resin well because they are devoid of oxygen.

Therefore, given copious resin producing trees and appropriate burial conditions, amber is preserved in sedimentary clay, shale, and sandstones associated with layers of lignite, a woody brown coal. A generalized interpretation of the depositional conditions present in Kansas amber-bearing strata is that a transgressing or advancing Cretaceous sea in north-central Kansas led to deposition and preservation of fluvial, estuarine, and lagoon or bay deposits behind a barrier island system (Franks, 1980, p. 56).

Jade

2008-05-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jade is an ornamental stone. The term jade is applied to two different rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals. Nephrite jade consists of the calcium- and magnesium-rich amphibole mineral actinolite (aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The rock called jadeitite consists almost entirely of jadeite, a sodium- and aluminium-rich pyroxene. The trade name Jadite is sometimes applied to translucent/opaque green glass.

The English word 'jade' is derived from the Spanish term piedra de ijada (first recorded in 1565) or 'loin stone', from its reputed efficacy in curing ailments of the loins and kidneys. 'Nephrite' is derived from lapis nephriticus, the Latin version of the Spanish piedra de ijada.

Nephrite and jadeite were used by people from the prehistoric for similar purposes. Both are about the same hardness as quartz, and they are exceptionally tough. They are beautifully coloured and can be delicately shaped. Thus it was not until the 19th century that a French mineralogist determined that "jade" was in fact two different materials.

Among the earliest known jade artifacts excavated from prehistoric sites are simple ornaments with bead, button, and tubular shapes. Additionally, jade was used for axe heads, knives, and other weapons. As metal-working technologies became available, the beauty of jade made it valuable for ornaments and decorative objects. Jade has a Mohs hardness of between 6.5 and 7.0, so it can be worked with quartz or garnet sand, and polished with bamboo or even ground jade.

Nephrite can be found in a creamy white form (known in China as "mutton fat" jade) as well as in a variety of green colours, whereas jadeitite shows more colour variations, including blue, lavender-mauve, pink, and emerald-green colours. Of the two, jadeite is rarer, documented in fewer than 12 places worldwide. Translucent emerald-green jadeitite is the most prized variety, both now and historically. As "quetzal" jade, bright green jadeitite from Guatemala was treasured by Mesoamerican cultures, and as "kingfisher" jade, vivid green rocks from Burma became the preferred stone of post-1800 Chinese imperial scholars and rulers. Burma (Myanmar) and Guatemala are the principal sources of modern gem jadeitite, and Canada of modern lapidary nephrite. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China as well as in New Zealand, the Pacific Coast and Atlantic Coasts of North America, Neolithic Europe, and south-east Asia. In addition to Mesoamerica, jadeitite was used by Neolithic Japanese and European cultures.

Jade is the official gemstone of British Columbia, where it is found in large deposits in the Lillooet and Cassiar regions. It is also the official gemstone of the state of Alaska, found particularly in the Kobuk area. A two ton block of jade sits outside the Anchorage Visitor’s Center in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, mined from near Kobuk and donated to the city as a showpiece. Jade is also the state gemstone of Wyoming, U.S.A.

Eva Green for Montblanc

2008-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Eva Green was born Eva Gaëlle Green on July 5, 1980, in Paris, France. She has a non-identical twin sister. Her father, named Walter Green, is a Swedish dentist who once appeared in the 1966 film Au hasard Balthazar (1966). Her mother, named Marlène Jobert, is an Algerian-born (during the time Algeria was part of France) French actress who retired from acting and became a writer of children's books. Young Eva Green left French school at 17. She switched to English in Ramsgate, Kent, and went to the American School in France for one year. She studied acting at Saint Paul Drama School in Paris for three years, then had a 10-week polishing course at the Weber Douglas Academy of dramatic Art in London. She also studied directing at the Tisch School of Arts at New York University.

She returned to Paris as an accomplished young actress, and played on stage in several theater productions: "La Jalousie en Trois Fax" and "Turcaret". There she caught the eye of director Bernardo Bertolucci. Green followed a recommendation to work on her English. She studied for two months with an English coach before doing The Dreamers (2003) with Bernardo Bertolucci. During their work Bertolucci described Green as being "so beautiful it's indecent." Green won critical acclaim for her role in The Dreamers (2003). She also attracted a great deal of attention from male audiences for her full frontal nudity in several scenes of the film. Besides her work as an actress Green also composed original music and recorded several sound tracks for the film score.

After The Dreamers Green's career ascended to the level where she revealed more of her multifaceted acting talent. She played the love interest of cult French gentleman stealer Arsène Lupin (2004) opposite Romain Duris. In 2005 she co-starred opposite Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson in Kingdom of Heaven (2005) produced and directed by Ridley Scott. The film became a blockbuster in the US and worldwide and brought her a wider international exposure. She turned down the femme fatale role in The Black Dahlia that went to Hilary Swank because she didn't want to end up always typecast as a femme fatale after her role in The Dreamers. Instead, Eva Green accepted the prestigious role of Vesper Lynd, one of three Bond girls, opposite Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006) and became the 5th French actress to play a James Bond girl after Claudine Auger in Thunderball (1965), Corinne Clery in Moonraker (1979), Carole Bouquet in For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Sophie Marceau in The World is not enough (1999).

Since her school years Green has been a cosmopolitan multilingual and multicultural person. Yet, since her father always lived in France with them and her mother, she and her twin sister can't speak Swedish. She developed a wide scope of interests beyond her acting profession and became an aspiring art connoisseur and an avid museum visitor. Her other activities outside of acting include playing and composing music, cooking at home, walking her terrier, and collecting art. She currently shares time between her two residencies, one is in Paris, France, and one in London, England.

C1 Chronograph

2008-05-02T06:23:00.000-07:00

Technical Characterisitics

Movement : Mechanical self-winding, Calibre A07.211 (Valgranges), 16½ lignes, chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute)
Frequency : 28,800 vibrations/hour, 4 Hz
Power reserve: 48 hours
Parts: à confirmer
Jewels: 25
Thickness: 7.90 mm; 2.39 mm of hand-fitting
Diameter: 37.20 mm, of which 36.6 mm casing dimensions

Functions : Hour, minute, small seconds on permanent turning disc (1/10 mm thick)Central sweep seconds hand, 30-minute and 12-hour countersDate

Case

Round, stainless steel
Diameter: 44 mm
Thickness: 16.70 mm
Protective ring in rubber-coated steel, screwed in laterally, enhanced by eight decorative elements on the bezelSapphire crystal 3.30 mm thick
Crown in steel, rubber and composite
Rotor engraved with Concord logo, case signed with the words: Audacity - Know-How - Avant-garde, stamped in relief
Transparent sapphire crystal case-back
Water-resistance: 200 meters
Also available in 18-karat pink gold

Dial

Carbon fiber. Also available in polished metal (polished steel? Should state type of metal)
Hour-markers with SuperLuminova luminescent material SLNC1
Hour and minute hands in steel, asymmetrically hollowed out, filled with SuperLuminova luminescent material SLNC1
Steel counter hands
Concord blue sweep seconds hand

Bracelet

In vulcanized rubber with Concord folding clasp. Also available in stainless steel with Concord folding clasp.

Carat Weight

2008-05-02T06:17:00.001-07:00

The size of a diamond is measured in carats (abbreviated as "ct"). A carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams (about 0.007 ounces). Another weight measurement sometimes used for small for diamonds is the point measurement (abbreviated as "pt"). Each point is one/one hundredth of a carat. For example, a stone weighing 34 pt weighs .34 ct.Larger diamonds are worth more than proportionally smaller ones, meaning a 3 ct. diamond surpasses the value of three 1ct. diamonds.

Sapphire

2008-05-02T05:53:00.002-07:00

In the gem trade, sapphire refers to the blue variety of corundum. However, excluding red ruby, it scientifically encompasses all other gem varieties of corundum. (In essence, ruby is really a red sapphire, since ruby and sapphire are identical in all properties except color.) Sapphire is the most precious of blue gemstones. It is a most desirable gem due to its color, hardness, durability, and luster. The most valuable color of sapphire is cornflower blue, known as Kashmir sapphire or Cornflower blue sapphire.

Until the last century, all sapphires (excluding blue) were called the same name as a popular gemstone of that color with the prefix "oriental" added to it. For example, green sapphire was known as "oriental emerald". The practice of applying the name of a different gemstone to identify the sapphire was misleading, so these names were virtually abolished. What was once called "oriental emerald" is now called "green sapphire". The same holds true for all other color varieties of sapphire. However, the word "sapphire" in its plain context refers only to blue sapphire, unless a prefix color is specified. Sapphire with a color other than blue is often called a "fancy" in the gem trade.

Inclusions of tiny, slender, parallel Rutile needles cause polished sapphire gems to exhibit asterism. Sapphire gems displaying asterism are known as "star sapphires", and if transparent are especially prized. Star sapphires are usually in six ray stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Very rarely, sapphire also exhibits cat's eye effect. Color zoning, which forms from growth layers that build up during the formation of the stone, is present in certain sapphires. However, uniformity of color is an important factor in a sapphire's value.

Colorless and pale blue sapphires from certain localities may be heat-treated to give them an intense blue color. Heat-treatment may also improve the clarity of some sapphires by removing tiny inner inclusions. Sapphire is pleochroic, displaying a lighter and more intense color when viewed at different angles. Some pleochroic sapphire is blue when viewed at one angle, and purple at a different angle.

A rare variety of sapphire, known as color changing sapphire, exhibits different colors in different light. In natural light, color changing sapphire is blue, but in artificial light, it is violet. This effect is the same phenomenon seen in alexandrite.

Sapphire was first synthesized in 1902. The process of creating synthetic sapphire is known as the Verneuil process. Only experts can distinguish between natural and synthetic sapphire.

Sapphire is a tough and durable gem, but it is still subject to chipping and fracture if handled roughly.

USES

Sapphire is one of the most popular jewelry stones. The blue variety is most often used in jewelry, but the yellow, pink, and orange stones are also popular. A rare orange-pink variety, known as padparadschah, is even more valued than blue sapphire. Stones displaying asterism are polished as cabochons, and, if clear, are extremely valuable. Blue sapphire is sometimes carved into cameos or small figures. Synthetic sapphire is often used as a substitute for the natural material. Sapphire is the birthstone of September.

VARIETIES

Kashmir Sapphire - Sapphire with a distinct velvety-blue color
Cornflower Sapphire - Synonym of Kashmir sapphire (above)
Cornflower Blue Sapphire - Synonym of Kashmir sapphire (above)
Star Sapphire - Sapphire displaying asterism
Padparadschah - Orange-pink variety of sapphire
Color Changing Sapphire - Sapphire exhibiting a different color in natural and artificial light
Bi-colored Sapphire - Sapphire with more than one color
Cat's Eye Sapphire - Sapphire exhibiting cat's eye effect
Fancy Sapphire - Any sapphire with a color other than blue
Verneuil Sapphire - Synthetic, laboratory-grown sapphire

Nowadays, sapphire is classified by its color in the gem trade (i.e. green color sapphire is "Green Sapphire"). Colorless sapphire is usually called "White Sapphire".

The "oriental" prefixes are not used anymore, but they are still occasionally seen. Below is a list of all the "oriental" sapphires:

Oriental Topaz - Straw yellow, gem quality sapphire
Oriental Emerald - Light to dark green, gem quality sapphire
Oriental Amethyst - Violet to pink, gem quality sapphire
Oriental Peridot - Yellow-green, gem quality sapphire
Oriental White Sapphire - Colorless, gem quality sapphire

Some other (rarely used) variety names:

Australian Sapphire - Dark blue to nearly black sapphire
Bengal Amethyst - Purple sapphire
Blue Alexandrite - Synonym of color changing sapphire
Burma Sapphire - Synthetic, laboratory-grown blue sapphire
Burmese Sapphire - Synonym of Burma sapphire (above)
Ceylon Sapphire - Light blue sapphire
Indian Topaz - Yellow to yellow-brown sapphire
King Topaz - Yellow to yellow-brown sapphire
Rose Kunzite - Synthetic pink sapphire
Star Topaz - Yellow star sapphire
Ultralite - Blue sapphire

FALSE NAMES

Brazilian Sapphire - blue tourmaline or blue topaz
Gold Sapphire - lapis lazuli with shiny pyrite sprinkles
Hope Sapphire - synthetic blue spinel
Lux Sapphire - iolite
Lynx Sapphire - iolite
Sapphire Quartz - massive blue quartz or chalcedony
Sapphire Spinel - blue spinel
Water Sapphire - iolite
Uralian Sapphire - blue tourmaline

SIMILAR GEMSTONES
Iolite, indicolite tourmaline, and blue zircon may resemble blue sapphire, but are softer. The other color varieties of sapphire are commonly confused with many gemstones, but their great hardness distinguishes them.

George Clooney for Omega

2008-04-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Avenger Seawolf Chrono

2008-04-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

A body of steel, cutting-edge technology: Breitling plunges towards new records by presenting the Avenger Seawolf Chrono, the world's only chronograph to be both watertight and operational at a depth of 3,300 feet (1000 meters). Whereas most chronographs cannot be activated while diving so as to prevent water seeping in through the pushpieces, Breitling has achieved a major technical breakthrough by developing the magnetic pushpiece principle, involving controls operated through the metal of the case and thus avoiding any direct contact between the pushpiece and the movement. This exclusive Breitlingpatented device represents a peerless technical accomplishment that is matched by a powerful and functional design.The sturdy steel case fitted with a decompression valve features alternating matt satin-brushed upper surfaces and polished sides – as does the rider-tab bezel. The dials are adorned with large "stencil" type numerals, oversized hands and luminescent markers that remain clearly visible in the darkness of the ocean. The chronograph displays are both original and efficient, with an additional central sweep second hand for the minutes and a 1/10th of a second totalizer at 2 o'clock. The three registers feature a fine grid pattern that varies according to the angle at which the light strikes it.In a nod to its aquatic vocation, the Avenger Seawolf Chrono has a special "yachting" graduation serving to count down the ten minutes prior to a regatta start.Like all Breitling electronic watches, this champion of the depths is equipped with an exclusive SuperQuartz™ movement, ten times more accurate than a standard quartz movement.A new milestone in the epic saga of Breitling "instruments for professionals" – on land, at sea and in the air.

Caliber : Breitling 73

Movement : thermocompensated SuperQuartz

Chronograph : 1/10th second, 60 minutes, 12 hours

Calender : Dial aperture

Case : Steel

Water resistance : 1000m - functional pushpieces

Bazel : Unidirectional, ratcheted

Crown : Screw-locked

Crystal : Cambered sapphire, glareproofed both sides

Diametre : 44.0 mm

Cockpit - Cockpit for Lady

2008-04-10T06:30:00.001-07:00

A pencil stroke, a master stroke: Breitling gives its Cockpit and Cockpit Lady models a whole new face by redesigning their dials in a manner imbued with refinement and elegance.A dynamic move that further reinforces their character, while weaving particularly close ties between the men's model and the ladies' version.Conceived in a resolutely modern spirit, the hour circle is punctuated by large Roman numerals featuring an original design. The dial center is enlivened by a square-cambered grid pattern lending added depth and movement. The resized hands are both more imposing and more readable, while the date appears through a finely crafted applied aperture.Available in a broad choice of metals, dial colors and wristband types (bracelets or leather straps), the Cockpit and Cockpit Lady models will appeal to all those who do not necessarily need a chronograph, but are looking for an elegant, sturdy and reliable watch in the grand tradition of Breitling wrist instruments. Embodying an ideal blend of luxury and performances, they are endowed with all the assets of exceptional sports watches: screw-locked crown and screwed in caseback, scratchresistant sapphire crystals glareproofed on both sides, rotating rider-tab bezel, water resistance to 1,000 feet (300 meters) for the Cockpit and 330 feet (100 meters) for the Cockpit Lady.Both models are available in steel, in a two-tone version, in steel and rose gold as well as a precious rose gold version – with optional gem-set bezel on both steel and gold variations. Opulent design meets technical excellence, epitomizing the entire Breitling spirit – on land, at sea and in the air.

Zodiac Super Seawolf

2008-04-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

It was introduced at Basel in 1953 as one of the first professional sports and diver’s watches. The Zodiac Super Seawolf was very popular among Navy Seals in the US Navy.