As I was browsing a home magazine I was stopped by an ad for Sherle Wagner doorknobs, I mean, "hardware." They were so beautiful, I wanted to know more. So now I share ... Sherle Wagner International, headquartered in NYC but with eight U.S. showrooms and one in Kuwait, offers a number of home accessories in these categories: finishes, stones and patterns; bath fittings; bath fixtures; accessories; hardware; lighting; furniture; textiles; linens; and wall coverings. All Sherle Wagner products are originals, made by the company from the design inception stage to completion. The company uses "old world artisans and timeless techniques, so that every piece is a true original." And the staff is experienced in working with architects, designers and clients on projects of any scale. If you browse the catalog, be sure to check out all the categories on the lefthand nav bar; there was much more on the site than I noticed the first time around. No prices, however, but I'm going to guess on the high end.

Despite her recent public apology Sharon Stone's comments about her belief that the earthquake in China is possibly linked to "bad karma" haven't finished causing her embarrassment yet. Now she's losing her advertising gig with Dior over the incident as they've issued their own apology for Sharon's comments and are pulling her from their suddenly very unpopular Chinese advertising campaigns.

It's amazing how fast things can change, considering Sharon was previously fairly well-received in China and is now considered by them to be "the public enemy of all mankind." That's never good.

To me, granite counter tops are the creme de la creme of kitchen spaces but adding matching knobs is a little much. At first glance, the knobs not yet attached to the cabinetry look like pretty chess pieces but fashioned to the woodwork they make for a busy and cluttered look. The only one I think that may bring an element of sophistication to a kitchen or bathroom are the dark slate colored knobs. But I still feel like less is more.

And who would have thought to chisel granite or stone to fit a light switch? Most granite has a mottled, colorful look and in my opinion only the purist color palette would work on a wall (unless your wall is granite too which would make for a blended look). Then again I don't wear animal print or plaid so maybe my tastes lean towards monochromatic schemes. In any case, I would leave the granite and stone to counter tops and quarries and keep it off the cabinets and walls.

Talk about a unique combination of materials, this Steel and Stone Cello Sculpture is created out of (yep, you guessed it!) steel and river stones. It's an amazingly life-like, free-standing, and full-sized rendition of the instrument complete with a copper-stringed bow. The fact that it's only the outline of the instrument keeps it a light and airy piece without sacrificing any of the the musical essence the artists (Nerio Festa and Heidi Hummler) wanted to capture. Can be placed indoors or out, made in California. $3800

This sounds just heavenly: the Cleopatra Classic Heated Lounge Chair. Cut from a single piece of high-density limestone, the entire chair emanates radiant heat for the ultimate "warmth therapy" experience. Ergonomically designed for comfort (yes, a large slab of stone can be comfortable), it can be used indoors or out and is easily cleaned just by wiping it down with a cloth. It also comes in a variety of colors, although I like the plain and natural stone pictured -- looks very "spa-like." $14,650


Via Gizmodo

I've seen a lot of very pretty sinks in my surfings around the net, and I have to say this amber Rivenrock Terra Acqua Stone Vessel is one of my absolute favorites! Cut from boulders found in riverbeds in Yunnan each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. The full Montecito Stone collection includes vessels of all shapes, sizes, and colors created of stones from around the world. The Miramar basin of natural queen stone also strikes me, with varied bands of contrasting color streaking throughout. Priced at $1,195 and up.

Ambient lighting has more power over the atmosphere and mood of a room than almost anything else, in my opinion anyway. Designed for outdoor rooms, Oluce Stones Outdoor Lamps will definitely bring a unique ambiance to your outdoor patio and backyard. I have to agree with ShinyShiny that these look a little like something that fell from space, but the soft white glow is actually very pretty. These stones could be the perfect thing to illuminate a dark path or gently light an outdoor area without casting unattractive shadows. Available in two sizes, $316 each.

A fire pit is one of the best outdoor accessories you can have on a cool night, whether you want to cozy up to it with a loved one or gather around it with friends. Pits that use real wood have an authentic feel to them, but the smell and smoke often keep people away, rather than inviting them in . The River Stone Gas Fire Pit has the look of a real wood-burning fire pit, but is powered by gas and turns on a roaring blaze (40,000 BTUs of heat) with the touch of a button. The aluminum frame and fiberglass body require no maintenance and make the fire pit safe for all types of yards, patios and decks. Price: $800.

When I came across a press release from The Pink Emerald Company today I was a bit confused. I have never heard of a pink emerald. I checked my gem reference book which stated emphatically that emeralds are always green. So what to make of a press release touting the world's largest heart-shaped pink emerald? A little research reveals that the "pink emerald" is actually Morganite, a stone I mentioned earlier in the week.

The story of the fight over the pink emerald name is quite an involved one. Over the past few years, Dr. Christopher W. Hartnett has bought up mass quantities of the pink beryl and wants to increase public awareness and price for the stone. He's got a pretty decent start, this 169-carat near flawless, intense vivid fancy stone is priced at $2.6 million. But I think that it may take a while before the public is ready to spend big bucks on the pink emerald.

It may look like an ordinary rock, but this rock is actually the fossilized cast of a dinosaur brain and the closest you can get to a real dinosaur brain without buying an island and making your own Jurassic Park. The rare fossil, discovered in Sussex, is 135 million years old and shows "finely preserved impressions of nerves blood vessels and other soft tissue" from the brain of an Iguanodon. The auction entry suggests that it would make a great piece for a museum looking to expand their collection, though it would certainly be a conversation starter for a private home. The bidding starts at £50,000 and 60% of the final sale price will support Children's Brain Tumour Research Center.

[Thanks, James]

Ever since I saw the light-up tables from Thiessen Design at CA Boom, I've been on a light-up kick. PebbleArt does light-up onyx coffee tables but they also do cool chess set tables  that use back lit translucent onyx with a shadow square design. The chess sets come with glass pieces and are available in a variety of onyx surfaces and woof finishes. The tables sell for $174.95.

Shlomo Cohen, who is credited with the 1982 development of the Princess Cut diamond, has created a new cut known as the Vinci Diamond. Based on the "divine proportion," a golden ratio that was studied intensely by Leonardo da Vinci, who inspired the diamond's name, the diamond features a 62-facet pentacle cut. By contrast, a standard round-cut diamond has 57-facets. The perfect proportions of the diamond include three pentacle stars and give a stone with this cut unprecedented brilliance. The design is patented in Japan, Israel, Belgium, and the United States, and Cohen already has marketing plans in place.

[Image Israeli Diamond News]

We've covered fossil countertops from Wyoming before and let's check out Maison Sijilmassa, a New York-based company that sells stones from sourced from 450 million year-old prehistoric Sahara sea fossil stone found in Morocco.Their latest collection includes floor tiles and slabs as well as sinks and tables. The fossils are available in five general tones ranging from black to bordeaux red. The fossils are quarried from ancient seabeds of the prehistoric Paleo-Tethys and Tethys seas that are now part of the Sahara desert. The stone features a wide variety of fossilized orthoceras (rocket-shaped remains) and ammonites (spiral shapes).  Their website has more pictures of the new designs available for Spring 2006.