What do you get when a fashion darling collaborates with a contemporary fine jewellery artist? A one-of-a-kind “Ballerina Butterfly”.
The brooch, which will be auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale on 7 October, was the result of Sarah Jessica Parker’s eye for delicate, tasteful pieces and Cindy Chao’s expertise with rare gemstones and fragile jewels.
Made of titanium and 18-carat gold, the brooch features a 26.27 carats cushion-cut fancy brown diamond, three rough brown diamond slices at 47.71 in total and three conch pearls weighing 7.25 carats in total, surrounded by 4,698 diamonds and fancy-colored diamonds weighing 98.09 carats in total.
The 2014 Black Label Masterpiece “Ballerina Butterfly” brooch was completed two years ago and has since been travelling through Asia and New York before returning to Hong Kong for the auction.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
