What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of cigars and cigar culture?  Is it fossilized mammoth tusks?  No?  Well now it can be.  XIKAR has combined the romance of smoking a fine cigar with the recovery of 10,000-year-old preserved mammoth remains. The Xi3MI Fossil Mammoth Bark Ivory Cutter is a fine piece of equipment that boasts stainless steel construction, powerful cutting action, and a striking teardrop design.  Of course the most unique feature is the fossilized ivory, which makes each cutter a one-of-a-kind. 

I was flipping through the pages of Town & Country magazine when I came across an ad for Paolo Costagli’s “Happy Rings.”  They certainly made me happy.  I’ve never seen a ring so brightly colored as these magenta and mandarin accessories.  And though I’m not normally accustomed to such bold statements of color (alas, my entire wardrobe is black and gray) it was refreshing to see apparel that you couldn’t wear to a funeral.  So of course I went searching on PaoloCostagli.com and found my favorite version of the Happy Ring, pictured.  The only thing depressing about this green and pink Happy Ring is that I don’t have one!  For those looking to add a little happiness to their lives, these Paolo Costagli creations are available at Bergdorf Goodman.

On another note, while perusing Paolo Costagli’s website I also found these very timely pumpkin-shaped salt and pepper shakers - perfect for fall holidays.  Finally, you can season your pumpkin soup in style.

I love the style of the Georg Jensen Vivianna watch.  Bangles are all over the runways right now, so this watch is right with the times (no pun intended).  The stainless steel goes with everything - and the diamonds around the face (.4 ct) add a luxurious appeal.  The whole thing is very sleek - no numbers, just elegant hands pointing out the diamonds (in case you hadn’t noticed them).

This Georg Jensen Vivianna Oval watch sits on the opposite end of the spectrum.  Sporty, bold.  The strap is made from red calf skin.  Even though it’s big and red, somehow it maintains its elegance.  No diamonds on this one, though - the sleek hands simply point out the big red calf skin strap (in case you hadn’t noticed).

Yes, as KC pointed out, it’s autumn again.  And though my fair city is currently in the midst of an Indian summer, the fact that October has arrived is giving me flashbacks to the cold temperatures of last fall and winter in Chicago.  I remember it now: standing on the platform waiting for the train, flimsy wool coat failing to protect me from the below-zero temperature and numbing wind.  I made a vow at that moment to make sure to get better coats for this year.  Determined to live up to this promise, I began browsing numerous catalogs today and came across the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. I couldn’t help but peruse. Because hey - maybe they’ve got coats for under $500?

It was on page 151 that I spotted this Teri Jon creation, and I thought, “That’s kind of a cool coat!” But upon further inspection, I realized it is not, in fact, a coat, but rather a dress.  Not really my style for a dress, but I thought someone else might be interested (hence this post).

I suppose it’s for the best - it wouldn’t stand up to Chicago’s winter even if it were a coat.  The search continues.

Back when I was a little younger, my friends and I would go camping quite regularly.  We’d load up our trucks with the essentials - tents, cookware, lanterns, hiking boots, fishing poles, etc. Everything we needed for an adventure in the woods; at least I thought we had everything.  How could we forget to pack the Platinum Swiss Army Knife?  Maybe it’s not that we forgot…maybe it’s the fact that at the time (or even now) my friends and I together couldn’t afford the $70,000 multi-tool.  The executive instrument has a shell of pure platinum inset with 430 diamonds.  All of the tools, with the exception of the tweezers, feature diamond engraving.  Hopefully in a future edition of the luxury multi-tool, the tweezers will receive the attention they deserve.

As I write this entry, my fingers are furiously typing away on an ancient keyboard with a multitude of dust bunnies trapped between the keys; there’s even some orange powder (possibly Cheeto dust) between the F and the G.  I suppose it’s time to invest in some Dust-Off.  Maybe I would take more pride in my keyboard if it was an Optimus Maximus.  Every key on this sleek device is an independent display showing its current function.  With the help of “Configurator software” each mini-screen can be easily changed from a traditional layout to any layout that suits your needs.

Art.Lebedev Studio is currently offering the keyboards for pre-order (at just over $1,500 each), with units set to be available in late December/early January.  Apparently, a lot of time and care is needed to craft this delicate keyboard; either that or the Optimus Maximus is busy slaying other gladiator keyboards in the Coliseum.

If it looks like a suitcase, rolls like a suitcase, and stores things like a suitcase, it must be a suitcase…unless it’s a HENK.  The genesis of this innovative suit- er, “personal carrier” came in the dead of winter, after Dutchman Henk van de Meene was forced to drag his luggage through a snowy New York City.  He designed his personal carrier and with the help of frog design, perfected his creation.  The HENK is remarkably strong and has a carbon-fiber exterior similar to the cockpit of a Formula 1 racecar.  It has far too many features to be listed here, but they include wheels and storage spaces that appear at the push of a button, a special briefcase compartment, and an anti-theft cable that you can attach to your person (because who needs the headache of having their $33,000 piece of luggage stolen?).

The limited edition HENK with purple leather interior shown here is available exclusively at 20ltd.com- only five were created.  Finally, something worthy of holding my dirty t-shirts, toiletries and complimentary hotel towels as I return from vacation.  Those towels (and glasses, hangers and ice buckets) are complimentary, right?

Storms have decided to pay a visit to Chicago the last couple days.  At the most convenient times, too - right around 5 o’clock as everyone is scrambling to get home.  Luckily, I’ve been able to get to my car and travel to my house without too many problems.  If I get stuck in the next deluge, I’d be lucky to have a quality umbrella from Pasotti (actually, I’d be lucky to have an umbrella that didn’t blow inside-out after a strong blast of wind, as my rain protection is usually bought hastily in a time of need).  The finest fabrics and special handles are used to create unique umbrellas that live up to Pasotti’s “Made in Italy” standards.

Oh, and some of their luxury umbrellas are adorned with Swarovski crystals on the exterior cloth.  I guess so the rain will be intimidated by your status and decide to fall somewhere else.

The sophistication level of my watches ends with those little dots that are used instead of numbers.  I guess dots have replaced the Roman numeral; and right after I had memorized them up to 12 (I mean XII).  The ww.tc (world wide time control) - Financial watch incorporates the trusty dots into its design, but also goes much further.  This unique watch from Girard-Perregaux allows you to read the time in all 24 time zones simultaneously.  In addition to time zones, the ww.tc-Financial is the first watch to display the openings of the world’s major stock markets.  I could try to go into detail about this remarkable watch’s operations, but I would probably go cross-eyed and get a headache; and anyway, there is this very clear demonstration on the watch’s web site.

Late last year KOH Cosmetics unveiled their Diamond Nail File.  Already well-known for their luxury hand and nail products, KOH raised the bar with the nail file that features more than 28 karats of diamonds set in an 18-karat white gold grip - valued at 39,950 Euros (nearly $54,000).  But this product isn’t all about the bling.  In my opinion, the greatest feature of this luxury item is the allocation of the profits it gains.  KOH has pledged to donate all proceeds from the sale of the file to Orange Babies, a charity that provides support to pregnant women in Africa who are infected with HIV.  The Diamond Nail File is the first in a planned line of diamond-studded products KOH will introduce over the next few years.  Sales of all products in the line will benefit Orange Babies.