« China Consumer Boom On The Way. | Main | Our New Diamond Blog Is Called 'Bling Bling'! »
Can You Make A Diamond Engagement Ring out of this? Yes!
When San Francisco artist Sidney Mobell gets through with an ordinary object, it is no longer ordinary.
It glistens with gold and dazzles with rubies, diamonds and sapphires.
What about:
A 14-karat gold sardine can adorned with 55 full cut diamonds.
A solid gold mouse trap plated with a wedge of pave diamonds.
This $2 million, 23-karat gold-plated Monopoly board features 18-karat solid gold dice. It is the work of San Francisco artist Sidney Mobell and will be part of the "Jeweled Objects of Desire" exhibit at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum.
A jeweled-encrusted gold cell phone.
An 18-karat solid gold pacifier with eight round-cut diamonds.
Something everyone relates to — a jeweled Nokia cell phone.
And his most famous - a $2 million, 23-karat gold-plated Monopoly board with 18-karat solid gold dice.
Mobell's works will glitter at "Jeweled Objects of Desire," an exhibit that begins today at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Shreveport.
It comes here from the National Museum of Natural History's National Gem Collection, part of the Smithsonian Institution. Mobell donated 19 objects to the Smithsonian in memory of his wife, Ronni Grant Mobell, who died four and a half years ago.
It also includes work by other artists.
The exhibit is brought here through the local museum's connection with the Smithsonian's Affiliation Program, said Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne.
"The works reflect the artists' emotion, passion and character from every facet of the pieces," said Dardenne.
He suggests that museum patrons wear their one best "jewel of desire" for the reception!
The public is going to love this exhibit, said curator Mary Zimmerman.
"I am tickled to death about it," she added.
It does sound like fun.
Mobell, 80, was a fixture on the San Francisco scene as a jeweler with his own store in the Fairmont Hotel for 30 years. (He sold the store, but still has an office he reports to every day.)
"I was good," he said with confidence in a telephone interview.
He created beautiful jewelry that he sold to the cream of local and international society. Christina Onassis and Nancy Pelosi's husband have been among his customers, he said.
But it is ordinary objects turned gold that attracted attention, especially after legendary San Francisco columnist Herb Caen wrote him up.
"He wrote about me and the national media picked up," said Mobell.
Mobell is noteworthy.
He once created a gold baseball with "Giants" in diamonds written across it. And threw it out as the first ball for the game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers at Candlestick Park on July 28, 1993.
The monopoly set is a full-size board, weighing 32 pounds and is encrusted with 165 gemstones. That includes 60 diamonds, 47 sapphires and 24 rubies. The 28 title cards are gold-plated and the tokens crafted in 18-karat solid gold, while 42 diamonds display the numbers in the dice.
It is in the "Guinness World Records 2007" as is a photo of Mobell with it and is valued at $2 million. "Most Expensive Monopoly Board" is its claim to fame.
Mobell got the idea for a sardine can while in the supermarket with his wife. His assistant of 30 years loves sardines. "My wife said, 'Let's get Ronny some sardines.' They were three for $1," said Mobell.
At home, he said, "This is going to be my next project." So he opened the lid with the key and took it the next day to his shop to have it created in 18-karat gold with 55 diamonds around the edge of the lids.
"My wife thought I was crazy," he remembered.
He made a gold fishing reel with diamonds, rubies and sapphires for a friend of his wife's who manufactures fly fishing reels.
The $100,000 reel is studded with 32 diamonds weighing 5.1 carats, 237 sapphires, and 253 rubies. The spherical inlaid design cast a kaleidoscopic effect as it spins, said Mobell.
By the way, it comes with a solid gold fish hook.
The solid gold mousetraps were first introduced on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon and seen in newspaper and magazines all over the world, said Mobell.
"I made five of those mousetraps," he said.
When the late Joan Kroc came to see Mobell, she told him she wanted a birthday gift for her husband, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc. "She said he had everything, what in the world could she give him."
"How about a solid gold mousetrap?" asked Mobell. ("You've heard the phrase, 'Build a better mousetrap,' but Ray Kroc made a better hamburger," explained Mobell.
Just the thing.
"She had it engraved, 'Happy Birthday, Ray. Thanks for catching me," remembered Mobell.
Can't afford the real thing? The Smithsonian is selling "Build A better Mousetrap..." computer mouse pad with a likeness of the gold one in a gift shop for $15, said Mobell.
Radio personalty Paul Harvey bought a hour glass that has diamonds shifting through the timer rather than sand. The glass section was constructed of scientific test tubes made for hospitals.
The hour glass is now part of the DeBeers Collection, said Mobell.
Works by other artists include a cob of corn made from gold with Chinese fresh water pearls for kernels created by John Hatleberg.
A diamond pomegranate brooch was designed and crafted by Martha Ann Gilchrist.
And, there are gemstones.
Among them: a flawless Brazilian quartz crystal ball measuring over 4.75 inches in diameter, weighing, 13.189 carats.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blogadmin.diamondvues.com/mt-track-back.cgi/6684
Comments
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I have truly enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Posted by: cheap jerseys from china on March 11, 2011 5:44 PM
Im a huge fan already, man. Youve done a brilliant job making sure that people understand where youre coming from. And let me tell you, I get it. Great stuff and I cant wait to read more of your blogs. What youve got to say is important and needs to be read.
Posted by: fluval filters on March 11, 2011 8:41 PM
Just keep making good content. Precisely what I needed!
Posted by: erotyka on March 15, 2011 4:49 AM
I am really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..
Posted by: como online on March 20, 2011 10:07 AM
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Posted by: mercado forex on March 22, 2011 8:44 AM
Fairly good posting right here,. I by no means thought about that I'll catch any info like that ,however your put up really assist me.Awesome issues are sharing here.I like your publish ,Now I am waiting to your next post.So maintain writing.
Posted by: flighs cheap on March 23, 2011 5:53 PM
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod's strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Posted by: where to buy paxil on March 31, 2011 5:28 AM
Thanks for taking the time to talk about this, I feel fervently about this and I take pleasure in learning about this topic. Please, as you gain information, please update this blog with more information. I have found it very useful. There have to be charging stations everywhere.
Posted by: ordering Paxil online on April 5, 2011 7:26 AM
I have to say that Im really unimpressed with this. I mean, sure, youve got some very interesting points. But this blog is just really lacking in something. Maybe its content, maybe its just the design. I dont know. But its almost like you wrote this because everybodys doing it. No passion at all.
Posted by: order Tegretol on April 11, 2011 7:42 PM
Sorry for the huge review, but I'm really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it's the right choice for you.
Posted by: strattera without prescription medication on April 11, 2011 7:42 PM
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it'll do even better in those areas, but for now it's a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod's strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
Posted by: augmentin mechanism of action on April 11, 2011 7:42 PM
The only place you'll find success before work is in the dictionary
Posted by: Diflucan without a prescription on April 11, 2011 7:42 PM
I'll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are considering an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)
Posted by: asics store on April 12, 2011 1:46 AM
Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
Posted by: Rosetta stone languages on April 12, 2011 6:45 AM
I found your site from altavista and it is eye-popping. Thank you for sharing such an incredible article...
Posted by: Flagyl no prescription on April 12, 2011 8:42 PM
I feel like you could probably teach a class on how to make a great blog. This is fantastic! I have to say, what really got me was your design. You certainly know how to make your blog more than just a rant about an issue. Youve made it possible for people to connect. Good for you, because not that many people know what theyre doing.
Posted by: Fluconazole on April 13, 2011 9:29 AM
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game.
Posted by: purchase no rx levaquin on April 14, 2011 4:12 PM
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Posted by: cheap cipro generics on April 17, 2011 8:06 PM
not certain if i am ready to go natural with my hair yet. Does it command a lot of tending to to keep it looking as nice as my hair does when i rock full laced wigs?
Posted by: african american Full lace wigs on April 18, 2011 8:14 AM
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game.
Posted by: order levaquin without rx on April 20, 2011 3:10 PM
You got fantastic nice ideas there. I made a research on the topic and got most peoples will agree with your blog.
Posted by: online diflucan on April 20, 2011 5:11 PM
Feel it really is spot on, and now that we??? ve commenced the launch I'm questioning what sits ahead of.
Posted by: Cheap Christian Louboutin on April 21, 2011 12:44 PM
Extremely good website!
Posted by: Christian Louboutin on April 23, 2011 2:29 PM
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Posted by: Christian Louboutin Pumps on April 24, 2011 10:19 PM
That can be a legitimate worry.
Posted by: rosetta stone levels on April 25, 2011 4:02 PM
Woh I your blog posts, bookmarked ! .
Posted by: spieren trainen on April 25, 2011 7:28 PM
It's appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it's time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some interesting things or suggestions. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
Posted by: black hair on April 27, 2011 2:46 PM
Personal computers
Posted by: asics running shirts on April 28, 2011 3:13 AM
There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game.
Posted by: buy zetia online without prescription on April 30, 2011 6:55 AM
This is your best post yet!
http://www.testedproxy
Posted by: Shirley on May 5, 2011 5:44 AM
Th is was informative
Posted by: asics hockey shoes on May 6, 2011 12:00 AM
I do accept as true with all of the concepts you've offered in your post. They are very convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are too quick for novices. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thank you for the post.
Posted by: ear infections in dogs on May 9, 2011 6:28 PM
I feel like you could probably teach a class on how to make a great blog. This is fantastic! I have to say, what really got me was your design. You certainly know how to make your blog more than just a rant about an issue. Youve made it possible for people to connect. Good for you, because not that many people know what theyre doing.
Posted by: prostatitis treatments on May 13, 2011 10:06 AM
I have to say that Im really unimpressed with this. I mean, sure, youve got some very interesting points. But this blog is just really lacking in something. Maybe its content, maybe its just the design. I dont know. But its almost like you wrote this because everybodys doing it. No passion at all.
Posted by: ordering zithromax online on May 20, 2011 7:54 PM
Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.
Posted by: cheap zithromax no prescription on May 20, 2011 7:54 PM
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like 'Mixview' that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you're listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of "neighbors" will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune "Social" is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Posted by: Hipolito M. Wiseman on May 22, 2011 7:49 AM
My husband and i have been so joyful Emmanuel could carry out his web research because of the precious recommendations he had from your very own web site. It is now and again perplexing to simply always be giving for free points that people today may have been making money from. So we figure out we need the writer to appreciate because of that. The entire illustrations you've made, the straightforward web site menu, the friendships you help engender - it's got mostly unbelievable, and it is aiding our son in addition to us believe that that matter is cool, and that's exceedingly essential. Many thanks for the whole lot!
Posted by: quit smoking on May 25, 2011 11:20 PM
WoW EU Leveling - WoW Leveling Guides, Tools & Gold Tips. Visit us at www.wow-eu-leveling.com
Posted by: WoW Eu Leveling on May 29, 2011 4:58 PM
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass' favor.
Posted by: purchase cipro online on June 4, 2011 12:15 AM
Excellent website you have here but I was curious if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I'd really like to be a part of group where I can get comments from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Appreciate it!
Posted by: Nakisha Bedoya on June 11, 2011 9:07 PM