The Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a revolutionary Che Gevara, politicians Winston Churchill and Bill Clinton, writers Somerset Maugham and Mark Twain, the actor and the political figure Arnold Schwarzenegger – these names are well-known and these figures are best known to the world for their political, social, literary and other achievements. Moreover, the abovementioned people highly esteem cigar smoking and, thus, they come as people who own the greatest number of tools and accessories so requisite for this leisurely process and among others there are cigar lighters.
In the light of a variety and availability of glass items, glass ware is still appreciated by plenty people, especially when it comes to cut glass. The cut glass produces a long, lingering and musical tune when you put your finger at the cut-glass edge. So, in Japan the craftsmen make unique musical instruments. A crystal violin, completely transparent, is estimated for fifty thousand USD. Crystal glass tableware is not so much expensive though it is able to produce the charming, unique and so brittle music providing it is properly cared.
Wealthy persons are mostly known for their fortune only. However, despite they make billions, these people possess some personal features that attract people when estimating them. While Warren shovels up money, he has to do with quite conflicting image he created: he is known to be the proved miser and at the same time he privately donates huge amounts for charity purposes.
Khokhloma is
a settlement in Russia,
district of the Nizhniy Novgorod. Handicraft from various places was sold there
brought from the neighboring villages, including the wooden tableware painted
with fascinating patterns. The tableware was bought in the village and spread
throughout Russia
and to other places. The consumers never sort out the way the tableware was
manufactured and who made it and very soon the painting was named after the
settlement it was marketed.
Khokhloma is
the decorative painting of tableware and furniture. The painting is made in
black, red and sometimes in green paints on the golden background. The choice of
color used for painting comes from the ancient legend. They say that once upon
a time a painter lived in old Russia
who was a court worker. He dreamed about creating something unusual that threw
back in the core of the native land which is familiar to every person. And trying
to make his dream come true, the painter escaped from the desired life at the
court of the Russian king and settled in the forest. He built the house of logs,
made wooden tableware and started painting it in the way he liked. His
followers came to work by the painter and a rich settlement grew in the forest.
As for colors,
the point is that the establishment of the settlement is not the end of the
story. The king caused to make the painter back to the court, yet, he was
revolted with the ingratitude of the painter! The master shared the secrets of his
skills with his fellow villagers when he was warned that a troop was sent to
take him back to the king. The guards saw just the log house in the red fire on
the black dead ground and some greenery around. The painter disappeared. Though,
the gold of the flame, the black of the ground and green of the grass was then
realized in Khohloma items.
The Khokhloma painting is different from others since it is made on the wood but the wood is
not seen, as if the metal articles are painted. This effect is achieved by a small
very smart technological approach.
The
painters from Khokhloma were willing to have the rich and noble tableware the
royal family used in palaces. The royal tableware was decorated with the gold
leaves (thin golden sheets to attach to items) or silver gold (the gold diluted
with the special powder which is applied to the articles as the plain paint).
Gold is gold and it costs a fortune. The icon-painter used to cover the silver sheets
with the drying oil with the purpose to have the gilding reduced in cost which
brings the effect of gold finally. The peasant masters of the painting improved
their skills and practiced using drying oil instead of silver.
The gilding
was not applied to the whole article and only some particular elements were
gilded, and the pattern was very simple. When the glazed pottery and metal
tableware affordable to the public appeared in the market, the Kokhloma
craftsmen improved the painting to survive among the competitors. They
practiced gilding the entire article and the herbal patterns were first introduced.
As a result, the Khokhloma painting did not survive the competition; it became
more demanded and popular in the world. To the end of XIX century the painting
exhibited at world shows, and it was the real feat of the Khokhloma style at the
world exhibition in Paris
in 1889.
Nowadays,
the technology of the Khohloma painting has not undergone sea changes, Aluminum
is used currently instead of the tin which is cheaper and affordable, and the tableware
is dried in electric furnaces. This is the difference when in total the technique is thesame as earlier.
The key
secret of the beauty of the painting is not the technology. The artistic skills
of painters work here. The floral and animal patterns and the legendary herbal
ornaments appear to be the major attractive element of the painting. Every item
is unique and fascinating. All the items are hand-made, and the patterns are
not replicated. The Khohloma painting is what refers to genius Russia. This is
what we call the old ancient traditions and customs. The Khokhloma painting is
the frozen Russian beauty as well as music, though alive and magnificent for
ever.
Lingerie for women was just the plain underwear until the 20th century when it became the mean self-expression, as the subject of esthetic admiration. A piece of lingerie seen in between the women wear looked quite shocking to be shame and no one thought of designing luxury items based on lingerie, leaving alone works of art. Today every woman dreams of having a pair, or even more, of luxury and high quality lingerie to associate with sexuality, sensibility and attraction with male.
Today the knitwear is presented in so many styles and
it is so popular that no single autumn and spring collections can do without
hosiery. Knit
women's coats are offered in classic, sporty, romantic, vintage, casual and
ethnic styles. The demand for knit coats
grows in line with the more increasing range of color and texture of woolen
yarn as merino wool, angora, alpaca, Kashmir. Globally known brands launch knit
coats for women in their latest collections and most celebrities today appear
wearing knitwear for many occasions and that's hard to picture that some time
back it was something different.
First established in 1980, the brand by Carolina Herrera is one of the well-known fashion brands; collections by Carolina Herrera make a conquest for the public love and demand due to elegance and delicacy of the fashion wear models. The collections were successful, though Carolina Herrera opened its perfume line first in 1988 presenting Carolina Herrera for Women. Carolina Herrera 212 is known to be the bestseller first launched in 1997, and today this fragrance takes its niche among the most recognized perfumes of the world.
First established in 1860, Chopard is one of the reputed watch and jewelry houses producing incredibly beautiful, fascinating jewelry items and watches of dream. The house also launched a number of celebrated fragrances as Casmir, Wish, Madness and Infiniment. Despite the long and solid history of the brand, it appeared only recently in the market of fragrances with the first fragrance Chopard launched only in 1992. Six years later, in 1996, the Chopard House presented its Mira-Bai, the fragrance which is still in favor among women keen on oriental scents. Mira-Bai shows no intentions to compete with such a fashion-setter in the sphere of oriental compositions as Guerlain Shalimar, though the fragrance by Chopard takes its niche among the classic perfumes in the market of oriental perfume.
