Dhamani Jewels
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, Dubai-based Dhamani Jewels couldn't have picked a better time to launch its exclusive partnership with Argyle Pink Diamonds. The jewellery house is the first Middle East affiliate and distributor for the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia, the only known consistent source of pink and red diamonds. Only 34 ateliers around the world offer rare pink diamonds from the mine, and Dhamani is now one of them, offering a 150-piece collection showcasing the glorious jewels. Whether the stone is set in a rose gold knuckle ring or in the centre of a necklace of brilliant white diamonds, the new DPink collection highlights the natural iridescence of pink diamonds. Argyle Pink Diamonds have previously been auctioned for between US$2 million and $4m (up to Dh14.7m) per carat. With the Australian mine scheduled for closure in 2021, this may be the optimal time to make an investment in the rare coloured stones. Seeing as 2017 is the Year of Giving in the UAE, Dhamani has pledged that it will donate 5 per cent of all sales from the DPink Collection to Al Jalila Foundation, the non-profit organisation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Boutique Le Chocolat
If dark, milk and white are the only terms in your chocolate lexicon, expand your knowledge by signing up for the Bespoke Chocolate Experience at Boutique Le Chocolat at City Walk, Dubai. First, choose a blend that appeals, from among semi-sweet Alunga milk chocolate, creamy Lactée Barry with biscuit notes, hazelnut Papouasie with a hint of caramel or Peruvian Alto El Sol dark chocolate, among others. Next, watch as your selection is tempered and moulded by master chocolatiers from Amsterdam, San Francisco, Switzerland, Tokyo, and even a former Buckingham Palace chef. They will also provide an insight into chocolate production, from in-store creations to the artisanal bean-to-bar process. Seal the deal with delectable toppings in chocolate, strawberry or salted caramel flavours from the Belgian Crispearls brand. The 45-minute session costs Dh350 and take-homes include the four bars you have created, as well as a personalised wrapper. If 20 minutes is all you can spare, sign up for the shorter Classic Chocolate Experience for Dh250.
Glassing
Founded in 2010 by Italian designers Alessandro Forte and Stefano Ottone, Glassing recently unveiled its second pop-up kiosk in Dubai, at City Walk 2. The brand has also just launched its new Base collection, which combines vividly saturated lenses with a minimalist construct, and is entirely in line with the brand's cool-kid, globetrotting vibe. Glassing was first launched on the Spanish island of Ibiza – fitting, given that these are sunglasses perfectly suited to vacationers, beach hoppers and life-of-the-party personas. It already has a high-profile client list that include the likes of Anna Dello Russo, Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. Frames in the Base collection are crafted from black, silver and raw steel, and the eyewear features voguish flat-mirrored lenses, which are wide-set, with eye-catching pigments. The Ayahuascha model appears almost rimless, save for a steel frame hovering above the colourful, reflective lenses; the Divinorum style offers a play on a classic round-shaped lens, punctuated with a subtle cat's-eye point; and the Peyote shades are loosely inspired by rectangular aviators. Each design is offered up in fiery red-orange, cool blue and pale peach-hued lenses, and is priced at Dh1,699.
Hermès
Those gazing upon the new Slim d'Hermès Quantième Perpétuel watch could be mistaken for thinking it is a thing of simplicity. But while the clean design gives an air of understatement, beneath this cool exterior beats a fiery heart. The numerals on the dial, for example, were first created by Paris-based graphic artist Philippe Apeloig, for the original Slim in 2015. The face, depicted in a deep blue, is airy and uncluttered, despite accommodating four complications, a moonphase at three o'clock, a second time zone, a day/night indication and the fiendishly technical perpetual calendar. Requiring a mechanical memory capable of dealing with the different lengths of months and leap years, this has the ability to self-adjust. Powered by the Swiss-made ultra-thin H1950 movement, itself a mere 2.6 millimetres thick, the Hermès timepiece is only 5mm thick, making it an ideal dress watch, sitting, as it does, so neatly under a shirt cuff. Additional details include hand-bevelled bridges, 29 jewels and a 42-hour reserve. Those who revel in details will savour the mother-of-pearl moonphase floating in a sparkly glass sky. The finishing touch is a rich blue alligator strap.
Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, February 2.
sdenman@thenational.ae