Some amazing and most expensive jewelery in the world

$ 7.98 Millions
Flawless Blue Diamond

This Sotheby’s blue diamond has 6.04 carats and it is mounted in a superb rings that was sold in a Hong Kong exhibition at the amazing price of $7.98 million.

Inde Mysterieuse

 The Inde Mysterieuse is a necklace set in platinum with 37,88 carat briolette-cut emerald and brilliants.

$8.5 million
Extraordinary Diamond Drop Earrings

 In 2006 the House of Winston shaped an ultra-elite pair of ‘Extraordinary Diamond 

Drop Earrings’ festooned with two pear-shaped diamonds of 60.1 carats fixed in a 

platinum form. The pricey pair of earrings is retailed at $8.5 million.

21,000 dollars each 
Classic Combination bangle

 These bangles adorned with diamonds are made of 18K gold and pearls from Tahiti and South Sea. Each Classic Combination bangle by Cellini costs about 21,000 dollars.

$7.036 million
Sotheby's bracelet

 This Sotheby's bracelet was recently sold at £4.5 million or $7.036 million. It was a part of a jewelry collection of King Edward VII and Wallis Simpson.

$14 millions

Heart shaped Burma Ruby Necklace

 The romantic shaped ruby necklace that has as a centerpiece a 40.63 carat Burma ruby belongs to an English jeweler. It is mounted also with 155 carat worth of diamonds.

$23 millions
White Diamond by Sotheby’s

The white diamond belonged to the Sotheby’s auction house and had 100.1 carat. It was initially sold for $16 million but the current value reaches $23million.

10 amazing and most expensive accidents of the world

TITANIC $150 MILLION

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today’s dollars).

CHALLENGER EXPLOSION $5.5 BILLION

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today’s dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today’s dollars).

CHERNOBYL $200 BILLION

On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl, including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.

EXXON VALDE $2.5 BILLION

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world’s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship’s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

METROLINK CRASH $500 million
 

On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.

PIPER ALPHA OIL RIG $3.4 BILLION

The world’s worst off-shore oil disaster. At one time, it was the world’s single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world’s most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion.
Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

PRESTIGE OIL SPILL $12 BILLION

On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia, Spain. Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.
According to a report by the Pontevedra Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion.

SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA $13 BILLION

The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA’s orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today’s dollars. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million.
In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

TANKER TRUCK VS BRIDGE $358 MILLION

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

B-2 BOMBER CRASH $1.4 BILLION

This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.

5 Incredible Works of Leather Art

Leather is one of the most versatile materials available to an artist.
Normally the preserve of clothing or sofas, artists have been using it for centuries as a form of decoration and self expression.

From the elaborate saddle covers of the 5th century BC Nomads of the Altaic Region to modern day contemporary wall hangings, working with such an unforgiving medium as leather requires a truly masterful skill-set to produce a work of art from what is basically tanned animal hide. Fortunately the advancement of both tools and techniques has enabled artists to do more with leather than ever before, most notably in the realm of sculpture and intricate pictures. Let’s celebrate the skill and talent of the master craftsmen and women with a look at five incredible works of leather art.

1. The Hunters (Painted Leather)

Unlike dyeing leather, when you paint on leather the paint isn’t absorbed into the material and therefore artists have to be very careful not to bend or twist the leather as the paint can crack or flake off.

This vibrant depiction of two traditional hunters with their quarry is a brilliant illustration of the intricate detailing that can be achieved when using paint on leather. The use of form, colour and texture makes this painting appear three-dimensional while helping to give an illusion of movement in the huntsman’s clothing.

2. The Guitar (Sculptured and Carved Leather)

This piece won a Blue Ribbon at the 2008 Tennessee State Fair and is a brilliant example of the possibilities that exist when using leather as an art medium. It is life-like and immaculately detailed with a character all of its own. The artist has even gone so far as to include the Tennessee state flag on the body of the guitar.

3. Tipping the Hat (Carved Leather)

This incredible picture of a man tipping his hat carved into suede leather is a superb illustration of master leather craftsmanship. Excellently proportioned, even the hand is perfectly formed. A three dimensional effect is created by the fine detailing of the man and the illusion of distance with the background images. There’s even a vague similarity with Michael Jackson!

4. Hidden Face (Sculptured Leather)

Leather is a great medium for sculpture, which if used correctly can be used to produce a dramatic visual effect as is the case with this Peruvian leather sculpture.

This particular example of leather art is exceptionally well moulded, giving the impression of a face framed by folds of the leather. The careful positioning of the creases leads the eye to the central focus point, the face.

5. The Wilderness (Carved and Dyed Leather)

A number of tools including a swivel knife, veiner and pear shader are used in the art of leather carving. The intension with this type of leather art is to carve a design or image into the leather and thereby to create a three dimensional visual effect.

This scene of deer in a forest is just one example of what can be created when combining the technique of leather carving with dyeing. The artist has managed to capture a feeling of tranquility in the wilderness on this particular leather wallet purely by the placement and actions of the deer set against a natural backdrop of sky and ground.