Summertime is party time, as any visitor to Spain will tell you.
Many coastal areas really come alive during the months of July and August, as the locals kick back and celebrate the hot weather and visitors arrive from Spain’s main cities and other parts of the world expecting to enjoy themselves in high style.
Continue reading…Dancing on water at the Arenal Sound Festival…
The original Fabergé Egg was created by Peter Carl Fabergé in 1885. Commissioned by Tsar Alexander III to create an Easter surprise for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna, the jeweller’s Hen Egg did not disappoint. Comprising a white enamelled shell that concealed a lush gold interior (the ‘yolk’), which opened to reveal a sparkling diamond depiction of the Imperial Crown hung with a miniature ruby pendant egg, the first Fabergé Easter Egg was a sensation.
Continue reading…A Fabergé egg isn’t just for Easter – it’s for life…
There once was a master jeweller whose reputation stretched far and wide. When the queen of the land came to visit his fair city of Valencia he was commissioned to create a masterpiece to be presented to her in a fabulous public ceremony that would do its people proud.
Though famous for the inspired artistry and masterful skill of his work, the jeweller took this instruction very seriously. He wanted to create something that would do justice to her highness and make her forever remember his town fondly.
Continue reading…Vicente Gracia and the book of tales…
Spanish music enjoys worldwide popularity, but now it’s also being heard in outer space, thanks to an innovative competition organised by NASA.
Music fans were invited to listen to the entrants online and cast their vote for their favourite act. The prize for the winning musician or band was the privilege of having their music played on the spaceship Endeavour during its final flight; after 24 years of service, this stalwart of the US space programme will be retired to the California Space Station.
Continue reading…Spanish band’s career given a stratospheric boost…
Famous for his simple yet elegant haute couture, Ralph Lauren is perhaps less well known as an aficionado of vintage vehicles, but this is soon to change as his wonderful collection of classic cars goes on display in Paris.
Forever connected to this most romantic of cities by his phenomenally successful store in St. Germain, Lauren has selected the Musée des Arts Décoratifs as the setting for this formidable display of automotive excellence. Curated by Rodolphe Rapetti, the exhibition guarantees to make the most jaded fan of classic motors turn green with envy.
Continue reading…Ralph Lauren presents his vintage car collection…
Vicente Gracia is a jeweller like few others. Not content to produce luxury pieces for wealthy clients, he is more of an artist that has chosen the sculpting of precious metals and stones as his medium. The result is a style that draws on ancient inspiration to redefine jewellery as we know it today.
Continue reading…The shaping of Romanticism…
Female wedding guests are traditionally placed in a quandary; they must look smart enough not to disgrace their family or insult the bride, yet not look so sartorially stupendous that they detract from the bridal dress.
This nicety of etiquette is even more important when attending a royal wedding, a very public event after which the outfits of the guests are endlessly analysed and criticised in every newspaper, from the sensationalist tabloids to the usually stolid and unexcitable broadsheets.
Continue reading…A right royal success…
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