A model holds up a ring mounting a rare translucent pink diamond during a Sotheby's auction press preview in Geneva. Mounted in a ring the 10.99-carat, emerald-cut stone that is classified as "fancy intense pink" sold for a price of $10.8 million(7.6 million Euro) during a Sotheby's auction in Geneva on May 17. (Yonhap News)GENEVA (AFP) - An extremely rare translucent pink diamond fetched a price

Two government ministries and the Seoul local administration agreed Wednesday to join forces to promote Korea’s fashion industry. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Seoul Metropolitan Government pledged to cooperate on fashion-related projects under the agreement signed at Seoul Palace Hotel. The three governmental organizations will run a Fashion Indust

CAP D’ANTIBES (AP) ― Two days before the Cannes Film Festival opens, the glamour got pumping on the French Riviera at Chanel’s 2011-12 Cruise show ― worthy of a screen siren from Hollywood’s golden age.Would-be Marlene Dietrichts sauntered the catwalk Monday in bias-cut gowns of ivory silk that twinkled at the neckline with oversized pearls, their sultry gaits reflecting the very easygoing getaway

I‘ve long been an admirer of Greg Mortenson, the author of the phenomenal best-seller “Three Cups of Tea.” The book tells how he began building girls’ schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan after making a pledge to the villagers of Korphe, who had rescued him from a failed attempt to summit the world‘s second-highest peak, K-2.To see his work, I traveled with Greg in 2007 to visit schools he’d built

Han Song marries hanji and natural dyeing to create eco-friendly jeansThe following is the second in a series of articles on the contemporizing of Korean culture -- Ed.In the fickle world of fashion, where trends come and go every few months and new items fill the store racks virtually every week, a designer who devotes years to a singular vision is a rarity.Han Song whose eponymous Han Song Jeans

LOS ANGELES ― Jeans for this spring and summer have gone from basic blues and intense indigo to Technicolor versions of playful Crayola shades. It’s all very 1980s a la Esprit or Benetton, but this time there’s nothing junior about colored denim. It’s coming in sleek skinny shapes and cropped lengths that liven up simple T-shirts or button-downs and work well with neutral sandals or flats rather t

NEW YORK (AP) ― Teenage girls largely live in a lookalike culture, wearing the same styles that they got in the same stores as their friends. On prom night, though, the idea is to stand out, making sure no one arrives to the big dance in the same outfit.To ensure their uniqueness ― after they’ve shopped in faraway malls and tapped into store registries ― girls are using social media to claim dibs

Used toys are notoriously difficult to recycle; most end up in trash binsLOS ANGELES ― Americans bought 2.9 billion toys last year. As I stumble through the house after play dates, it sometimes feels as if my 8-year-old son owns all of them.Our living room is exploding with Lego bricks, Nerf weaponry and rubbery bounce balls. My son’s bedroom is, more often than not, carpeted with Pokemon cards an

BALTIMORE ― At first glance, Whitney Morris’ second-floor walk-up resembles most bachelor pads. An office has been converted into a “man cave” filled with a keyboard, a couple of guitars and a computer. The kitchen looks virtually untouched. It isn’t until you walk into his bedroom that you realize Morris has a serious addiction to shoes ― Nike Dunk SBs to be exact.“One hundred sixty-something (pa

Brides’ choice of wedding gowns inspired by what others wearNEW YORK (AP) ― When Kate Middleton walks down the aisle this month to marry Prince William, watching would-be brides almost certainly will home in on her dress.Bridal industry insiders expect her gown to be copied many times over as soon as the public gets its first glimpse.Some wedding dresses leave a legacy beyond the next-day knockoff

ANCHORAGE, Alaska ― Who knew those blue-black clusters of crowberries mingled into blueberry patches across the Chugach range could be the key ingredient in an expensive, antioxidant-packed, wrinkle-fighting serum?That’s right. Look out, Oil of Olay. Forget Vitamin C and green tea. Make room for beauty products made with the essences of crowberries, fireweed and Arctic sage. Arctic plants are tren

Biker club cares for safety, fellowship while enjoying majestic countrysideDriving a motorcycle in Seoul is an enthralling real-life trip into the depths of one’s resolution, courage, patience, motor skills and coordination. In a country with one of the highest traffic death rates in the world, the challenge becomes a daunting case of one near miss after the other.Putting all that aside, very few

Shorter, more focused event includes new program that concentrates on inking deals abroadIt is finally spring, but for the fashion-savvy it is already fall. 2011 F/W Seoul Fashion Week kicked off its six-day run Monday at SETEC in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul. Started a decade ago, Seoul Fashion Week is now one of Asia’s biggest fashion fairs, having showcased about 900 designers and promoted over