Sweet! The Tweet Towel Dries With 140 Custom Characters.

The other day I received a great little gift in the mail. A Tweet Towel from We Are What We Do, a global movement that inspires people to use their everyday behavior to affect big environmental and social issues.



The woven white dish towel had a personal embroidered Tweet to me from the folks at the London-based We Are What We Do, which showed through the clear window of the mailer:




When unboxed, I saw that the 42 X 60 cm absorbent white woven cotton towel had a diagonal hanging hook on reverse corner and embroidered detailing along with the personalized or custom "tweet".




I cannot deny it. It is hip, fun and functional. And a brilliant idea for marketing and branding a company or product. Not to mention that the proceeds from the affordable and clever gift go to fund a worthy cause.



The idea came from mashing up traditional crafts and digital communication. For those less tech-savvy, a "tweet" is a 140 character message that you can send via the website Twitter. And a tea towel is... well you probably know what they are.



All profits go to the We Are What We Do Charitable Foundation, funding their digital inclusion projects to get different generations talking more, sharing more and spending more time together.



Tea towel details:
* 42 X 60 cm
* Absorbent white woven cotton
* Diagonal hanging hook on reverse corner
* Satin taffeta label
* Packaged in an A4 gift box with clear panel to view personal messages

Machine wash at 40 degrees max. Do not tumble dry. The tea towel is shipped from their responsible suppliers in Turkey and is embroidered in the UK. All the packaging 100% recyclable and they ask that you recycle it as well :)


Get your own Tweet Towel (and one for a friend) here.

Learn about We Are What We Do here.
Shop for their other products here

Mosaic Portraits Made From Real Gemstones: The Ultimate Custom Luxury

Looking for an incredibly personal and decadent gift to give someone special? How about a custom portrait made of diamonds and sapphires and set in 18k gold? Too much? Okay, then how about some semi-precious stones set in sterling silver? Either way, Gemstone Creative of the UK can make it for you.

Whether it's a photo, artwork, a company logo or anything special to you, they will turn the image into a very valuable and unique piece of art. Talented and skilled artists and craftsmen hand-set gemstones to recreate the image in a bespoke wall mountable piece for you.

Here are some examples of their work:

Marilyn Monroe:


Jay-Z:


Queen Elizabeth:


David Beckham:

President Barack Obama:

Tiger:



Almost any kind of gemstone can be used from diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies, to semi precious stones such as amethysts, peridot, tanzanite, and quartz. All the stones are brilliant cut (round) so as long as the stone can be properly cut to size and ordered in volume (if applicable) then there should not be any problems.



Since each piece uses anywhere from two to tens of thousands of 0.25ct gemstones, the final price can not be determined until the type of gemstone and required quantities are decided on along with the precious metal they are to be set in.



As you'd expect, precious gemstones will be more expensive than semi precious stones, and 18k gold will be more costly than sterling silver. The prices are based on current market values and hence will fluctuate accordingly. They will provide you with a final price prior to starting any work on your design, and upon acceptance of this, payments will take the form of three separate installments.

All of the pieces are produced in London, England, where many of the world’s best jewellery craftsmen are located and having them made here ensures the highest level of workmanship. In fact, all the members of their team are based in or around London which prevents lag time delays occurring which is crucial for a business where each piece can take months to produce.

The Artists
Adrian Firth, Tessa Hunkin, Claire Milner and Ed Chapman, some of the world's most acclaimed mosaic artists, have all been commissioned to produce international mosaic projects at the highest level. They have honed their expertise in the ancient and delicate art of renovation of intricate mosaics in landmark cathedrals and important cultural heritage sites, as well as developing contemporary installations in public and private spaces.

The Process:

above: clockwise from upper left, Byzantine mosaic as inpiration, peacock artwork, peacock set in gems and detail.

The Craftsmen:



detail of the final product:


Their craftsmen have between them over 100 years experience in creating magnificent pieces of jewellery for acclaimed designers, celebrities, royalty, and private clients. Each Gemstone Creative piece is intricately assembled, and depending on size will use anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands of gemstones which are all individually set in precious metal, be it gold, silver, or platinum. Gemstone Creative has spent a considerable amount of time sourcing, developing, and perfecting the artistic process.

The final product:



Ethical Sourcing (No blood diamonds!):

They only source quality gemstones and precious metals. Their suppliers follow the guidelines laid out by the Responsible Jewellery Council which is committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social, and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry.

All their suppliers are members of the following trade associations:
• British Jewellers Association (BJA)
• International Coloured Stone Association (ICA)
• London Diamond Bourse and Club
• World Federation of Diamond Bourses


As far as how long it takes to get your custom product, it entirely depends on the size of the piece and the materials it is made from. Our smallest piece, 20cmx20cm, will take approximately 2-3 months to complete and this may increase slightly as the size of the piece gets bigger.

Gemstone Creative is an ambitious collaborative project that has opened a new chapter in the history of mosaic art. The idea is the brainchild of co-founders Sarah Sultman and Mark Hirschel who have spent over one year attentively assembling a team of renowned mosaic artists, specialist jewellery stone setters, and skilled craftsmen whose combined talents have made it technically possible to create complex, contemporary, luxury mosaic pieces.


Gemstone Creative

Special thanks to Luxury Launches!

When Gucci Isn't Luxe Enough As Is, Go To Republica

above: Republica adds a diamond and platinum buckle to a Gucci belt



If you're at all familiar with Stuart Hughes and his company Goldstriker, you know him as the ultra luxe purveyor of the world's most luxurious mobile phones clad in gold, diamond and platinum as well as some outrageous gifts like diamond studded golf balls and diamond chess sets.



above: some of the items available from Stuart Hughes and Goldstriker include a gold plated Bang & Olufsen Beo remote



His latest venture, along with his wife, Katharine, is a very high end fashion site called Republica in which they are customizing already luxe clothing and accessories with diamonds and precious metals.

With brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Cavalli, they are creating limited versions of some of their products by adding platinum, diamonds, gemstones, exotic skins and more in limited numbers to make them even more exclusive..... and expensive.




The site just launched on October 5th and there are very few items being offered so far (3 to be exact), but here's a peek at the first items being offered by Republica.

Gucci Belt with Diamond and Platinum Buckle:
The Gucci belt below has a buckle recreated by Stuart Hughes in platinum and diamonds and there are only 3 available.



The price? a whopping $168,709.00 USD

The Dolce and Gabbana belt shown below is also limited to 3 and has 53 indivually set diamonds of VVS1 quality totalling a carat weight of 26.5.


The price on the above D&G belt is $91,879.00 USD.

Python Skin Blackberry


The python skin blackberry has lots of VS1 diamonds on the front at the bottom as well as on the back and will run you $9,658.54 USD

If you've got that kind of coin (and God bless you, if you do) start shopping here.