Italian jeweler Bulgari has announced a campaign to support the "Rewrite the Future" campaign of Save the Children. Through the "Rewrite the Future" campaign Save the Children is committing to providing quality education to eigh million children living in conflict-affected areas. Bulgari wants to raise 10 million euros by the end of 2009, of which one million euros will be donated by Bulgari in advance. Bulgari has created a silver ring for the campaign which features the Save the Children logo engraved inside. The ring will be on sale from February 1 to December 31, 2009 in all Bulgari stores throughout the world, in some selected department stores, and on Bulgari's e-commerce website for $290, $60 of which will be donated to the campaign.

Bulgari will also create a collection of 15 pieces of high jewelry and eight high-end timepieces, valued at three million euros. This collection will be officially presented on in June 2009 in Rome, on the occasion of Bulgari's retrospective exhibition "Between Eternity and History" to celebrate 125 years of the Bulgari brand. This collection of jewels and watches will be exhibited at various events throughout the year and the auctioned off on December 7, 2009 in New York and proceeds will be totally donated to Save the Children.

[via Vogue UK]

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Francesco Trapani, chief executive of Bulgari Group, sold his 137-foot yacht, the "Christianne B." The yacht, a beautiful sailboat built by Perini Navi in 1986 was for sale for a while through Cavendish White, first for 9.25 mullion euros in 2007 and then for 8.75 million euros before it sold this year. For a while the yacht was known as "the Bulgari yacht" and Trapiani sometimes conducted interviews on board. A gallery of pictures of this elegant yacht can be found here. Trapiani has said that he is being more frugal right now, not buying any more homes (although he did rent a vacation home this summer) and generally cutting back on his expenses.

On the heels of Kate Moss' already impressive fall ad campaign successes comes news of more coups scored by the eternally gorgeous supermodel: two more major contracts and some serious magazine exposure. On the ad campaign front, her latest big bucks gigs come courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent's beauty line (above) and renowned jeweler Bulgari, both shot in classic black-and-white.

In addition, she appears on the covers of the latest issues of both Vogue and Interview; in the latter she poses totally nude, and she also appears topless (yet again) in a stunning spread for the September issue of W magazine. All this comes as she launches her new clothing line for British retailer Topshop, to great fanfare. We predict the Kate Moss brand will develop into an extremely profitable luxury goods enterprise, with many more product lines to come.

Wow, Madonna is finally turning 50. And what does the superstar music icon who has everything want most for her birthday? The one thing she's been denied, of course: a baby girl adopted from Malawi.

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie have had a strained marriage as of late due to Madonna's desire to adopt again and Guy's resistance to the idea. Apparently he's changed his mind, though, as reports are he'll be giving Madonna a love letter on her birthday with a written pledge in it to not only allow the adoption but to actively help her fight for it.

And that's not all! Other gifts will include a pledge to spend more time with her in New York, a rose named after her, a 45 minute video of their family put together by Guy, and a bespoke Bulgari necklace and earrings set valued at almost $500,000.

The rubies that are mined in the Mogok Valley in Myanmar are some of the most beautiful and prized stones in the word. The rich red color and uncommon clarity of the "pigeon's blood" stones means that they command some of the highest prices in the world. They are also coming under increasing scrutiny. Much as diamonds from certain African countries such as Sierra Leone have been used to fuel wars and have been labeled blood diamonds, there are worries that stones from Myanmar are helping to fund the country's military regime. In light of the protest which occurred last month in which people were killed as soldiers opened fire on monks and civilians calling from democracy, the focus on these gemstones has increased.

The concern is not just over the money fueling wars but also the conditions in mines in Myanmar. A recent article in the Scotsman offers a chilling portrait of mining in the area. Allegations include the fact that mine owners may get workers addicted to drugs so that they can control them better.

Bans on Myanmar gems are nothing new. There has been a ban in place for several years, since the Congress banned the importation of products from the country. Tiffany & Co stopped buying rubies from Myanmar in 2003 and Cartier and Bulgari have joined them. Also the Jewelers of America has asked Congress to amend the ruling of the original ban to specifically mention gemstones mined in Myanmar. A Reuters article mentions that the reason for this is because some gem dealers are not taking the issue seriously. A quick scan of eBay revealed many listing for "Burmese rubies." Some of these are likely not from the region, unscrupulous dealers often tag rubies as "Burmese" because the rubies have such a reputation for beauty.

For a counterpoint, check out this post from Gary Roskin who writes for JCK and is a gemstone expert. He is in contact with dealers in the region who say that the gemstone money doesn't go to the government and that instead of hurting the government, a ban could hurt the Burmese people.

Despite the controversy, Myanmar has said that they are going forward with a planned auction of gems and jade next month. Unlike the regimented world of diamonds, the colored gemstone industry is far less centralized and regulated. There is also no Kimberley Process that addresses the human rights concerns for gemstones.

The latest extravagant watch from Bulgari is a new Assioma model that has both a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon. The watch has a 48mm platinum case with double sapphire crystals. It uses the automatic in-house Caliber BVL 416 with 64 hours of power reserve. The watch is a limited edition of 20 pieces and sells for $155,000.

This is something I need! A cell phone strap. I know they sell them all over, but I never seem to see one when I'm thinking of it and inevitably my poor phone keeps hitting the pavement, the sidewalk, the tile, whatever! How many lives does a cell phone have, anyway? My little guy is well into the double digits, easy.

So anyway, Bulgari has come out with their own luxurious version of the cell phone strap, made of soft calf leather and palladium -- and a handy feature where the strap part disconnects leaving a cute cube pendant behind for easy reattachment (very handy). They also have other designs available on the website (I found them under "gifts") that come in other colors, along with some darling phone pendants as well.

Last year we wrote about the influx of new luxury hotels in Tokyo. Now the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, a 248-room hotel in the city's tallest skyscraper is officially open. The hotel starts on the 45th floor and is home to Japan's most expensive Presidential Suite, at $20,000 per night, and a 200-year-old Japanese teahouse. The design scheme blends European inspiration with contemporary details such as four bold and colorful works by American painter Sam Francis. The hotel's lofty location provides views of the city and Mt. Fuji in the distance. The Ritz-Carlton Club, accessible only by elevator key, offers multi-lingual concierge service and round-the-clock food and beverage offerings. The hotel is also home to restaurants that feature sushi, tempura and Teppanyaki as well as a restaurant that serves Asian and French inspired cuisine.

The Washington Post reports that the hotel also offers a very pricey drink. The Diamonds-Are-Forever Martini is a $16,000 cocktail with a one-carat Bulgari diamond at the bottom that you can take to any Bulgari store in Tokyo and have a ring fitted to the stone for free.

Bulgari is expanding in all directions. They already have watch, jewelry and handbag lines as well as a burgeoning hotel chain. Now , according to an Italian news report they plan to produce wine. Paolo Bulgari has purchased the 20-hectare Podere Nuovo vineyard, near the spa town of San Casciano dei Bagni and will have famous Italian winemaker Riccardo Cotarella to help produce a new super Tuscan wine. Bulgari reportedly will spend up to 15 million euros on the project. The vineyard is located next door to the Bulgari family country estate.The new wine will be based on Sangiovese grapes but there is no word on when the Bulgari wine will actually be produced.

Bulgari Hotels have opened their second boutique hotel, a 59-villa property in Bali. This resort is located near the village of Pecatu a full 40 minutes from Kuta, the more touristy part of Bali. The resort sits on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean and has a long beach is accessible only through the resort's inclined elevator. The resort is designed to reflect a luxury interpretation of the traditional Balinese design. The most luxury place to stay is the 1,300-sq.meter (nearly 14,000 square foot) Bulgari Villa. All rooms offer a plunge pool and patio with secluded tropical garden.

The resort also includes two restaurants, an all-day dining option with Balinese food and an Italian restaurant that is open for dinner only. There is also a bar located at the cliff's edge and an oceanfront spa with a swimming pool, yoga pavilion, hot and cold plunge pools and two private spa suites.

It's Bulgari, it's dripping with diamonds and precious gems. I should love it, right? Alas, this watch just seems somewhat off. Given that this new Bulgari watch is named Astrale and that the double diamond bezel seems vaguely orbit-like I was thinking maybe the gems represented planets. But if so this is not our solar system. The larger stones are all various cuts lending the watch an even more asymmetrical look. The Bulgari website is no help, they only say that it takes its "inspiration from the magic world of constellations" and that the jewels are various cuts that are seen in other Bulgari jewels. That's it? Having watched "Lost" and "The Da Vinci Code" in the same week I think that everything should have a secret meaning. Underneath all those jewels, the 18K gold watch has an ETA quartz movement.

[via EuropaStar]

Another year older already? It's time yet again for the birthday of Posh Spice, otherwise known as Victoria Beckham. The Beckhams are infamous for their lavish birthday fetes and this year is no different. Last year they partied in Paris, this year Victoria is having a Japanese-themed party at the Beckham manse in Madrid. The walls will be covered in Japanese silk and chefs from Nobu will prepare the food which includes lobster tails served in martini glasses and exotic fruits and sorbets. But the big news is Victoria's gift. Rumor has it she will be given a copy of the necklace that Keira Knightly wore to the Oscars this year. The massive vintage collar which drips with diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds has been said to cost around $12 million. After the big day, the couple will enjoy a vacation in the Italian lakes area. What a way to turn 32.

When Kiera Knightley, the spokesperson for Asprey, wore Bulgari to the Oscars, rumors began to swirl that the English luxury jeweler had hit hard times. According to this article in the Times, Donald Trump knew before that, when the jeweler changed the look of their distinctive purple bags. Either way, Apsrey has lost a bit of sparkle lately, recently pulling out of a $1million lease at Trump Tower.  Edgar Bronfman Jr,a Warner Music chief executive, and three other shareholders lost their investment of about $500 million in Asprey.The retailer seemed to be on a roll in recent years, bringing in Jade Jagger and splashing out on big ads in major fashion mags. But the losses didn't scare off Sciens Capital, a New York private-equity firm, and the American hedge fund Plainfield Asset Management who will invest $80million-$100million in the company. What will it take to get Asprey back in the spotlight? They've already tried the luxe store route and  the celebrity ad campaign, maybe some movie placement ala Chopard?