Mahoney Fashion

Archive for March, 2011

De Beers is the head of an extremely large diamond company, dealing in various facets of the diamond market, including mining and exploration, manufacturing, selling and trading. The company was founded in 1888 by Cecil Rhodes, and for over 100 years, it has been an essential player in the diamond market.

They’re active in every major category of mining, like underground, large-scale, deep sea, and other mining exploits in Namibia, Canada, South Africa and Botswana. The company employs roughly 20,000 people and it earns an estimated $6 billion annually.

This diamond company basically controls the flow of diamonds in many countries around the globe. They’ve been labeled as a cartel and even viewed as cruel in some circles. This is no doubt due to their founding principles.

The group of producers behind the company had a goal to fix the prices in the diamond market, driving them up as far as the market would allow. They set out to control the supply and keep competition extremely limited. Historically, they have succeeded and, outside of a few competitors, operate near monopoly status.

The company takes its name from the two founding brothers, Diederik Arnoldus and Johannes Nicholas De Beers. In the 1800s, the brothers discovered diamonds on their farm. Unable to keep their farm safe from various diamond raiders, the brothers sold their home and land to Premier and Kimberly mines. With the money the brothers accumulated, the purchased the controlling interests and attempted to reclaim their land, and far beyond.

In 1888, De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited was formed and the brothers owned Premier and most of Kimberly, as well as several other mines. A little over a decade later, the brothers joined forces with other prominent players, including the Barnaato Brothers and Anglo American, and began acquiring mines to drive up the prices by limiting supply sources and competition.

During the 1930s, the group owned around 90% of all diamond mines on the planet. The company operated out of London and found the United States to be their biggest importer. People paid handsomely for the gems De Beers ensured were kept rare.

However, since it was illegal for cartels to operate within the US borders,they had to deal strictly with small businesses on a state-to-state basis. When the Great Depression hit, the diamond market crashed along with everything else, and De Beers was forced to shut down major mining operations.

In 1939 with the company now being controlled by Harry Oppenheimer, the group decided to campaign in the US on a broad scale. They met with Frances Gerety, a writer, and the slogan “A Diamond is Forever” was born.

Diamonds were now appealing to everyone with enough money to afford them. De Beers changed the way they did business in the states, so they wouldn’t be considered a cartel, but their stronghold over the industry remained.

Although De Beers has been accused of investigated for human rights violations, conflicts and price fixing, the company is still the top player in the world. In 2005, they were allowed fully expand in the US and they set up shop in New York. Because of De Beers, diamonds are the highest-priced gem in the world.

It’s common practice for a well-known sports car manufacturer to take the leap and attempt to release the ultimate supercar. All the big names have done it: Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mercedes, and in 2004, Porsche did it too with their Carrera GT. Porsche’s version of a supercar is a long time in the making.

They went completely outside of their comfort zone and delivered an automobile that has the body style of a Ferrari but offers the reliable performance that clearly screams Porsche. Through two years until 2006, the company produced 1,270 of these cars. Its predecessor was the GT1 – a supercar in it’s own right, although built strictly for racing.

Porsche’s supercar is a bit contradictory. For starters, they used some serious state-of-the-art technology in a lot of aspects of the automobile; however, in other aspects, the Carrera GT operates much like a standard Porsche.

With a pure carbon-fiber monocoque and subframe, the car is light and easy to handle. It also features inboard suspension and an extremely large radiator. However, separate from other supercar rivals, the Carrera GT features traction control instead of the latest dynamic stability control. But all in all, Porsche has over 75 technology patents for their Carrera GT alone.

The Carrera GT might be a supercar, but its sleek exterior and comfortable interior make it a sought after roadster as well. The interior is completely decked out in soft leather, and for a two-door, it boasts a lot of room inside. It also has state-of-the-art navigation system and a Bose audio system to provide entertainment.

Keeping with the Porsche tradition, the ignition of the car is found on the left-hand side, enabling the driver to simultaneously start the car and put it in gear with his or her right hand. No one needs to start out of the gate that quickly on the road, but the design feature is more of a carry-over from the days of racing.

The Porsche Carrera GT engine is no joke. It climbs to over 125mph in only 10 seconds and can achieve 0 to 60 in 3.5. Its maximum speed only takes it up to 205, but that’s still faster than many competitors sharing the road.

The GT gets its speed and power from the 5.7 liter V10 engine under the hood. Putting out 612 horsepower, the Carrera is a real piece of monster machinery. The transmission isn’t very detailed. The straightforward design is a basic six-speed manual gearbox.

Although Porsche’s supercar can compete with other models on the road without giving up an inch of leeway, the Carrera GT does better on price than the entire lot. Of course, it’s still rather expensive, coming in at around $440-thousand, but in comparison to some supercars, that’s a virtual steal.

For those who love the ultimate vacation, The Rania Experience is well worth checking out. Rania offers one of the most luxurious and exclusive vacations you can possibly take, and it’s all set around a very private resort that only accommodates 9 guests at any given time.

Rania is actually the name given to the 86-foot yacht which carries you through the beautiful waters of the Maldives to the exclusive, 7-acre Water Garden Island. Rania is also used to provide guests with cruises to other nearby islands. As a guest, you will travel through some of most pristine waters on the planet and beaches more beautiful than you can imagine. Anyone vacationing with Rania can divide their time between land and sea, and there are plenty of activities to occupy the time.

The vacation is happening all around, but your stay starts on the yacht. Once onboard, there are four bedrooms which are fully equipped with lavish amenities, such as a king-sized bed, en-suite bathrooms, plasma HD TVs with satellite, and more. The yacht is also complete with an open-air barbeque, a huge Jacuzzi, and indoor and outdoor lounging areas. This ship is as luxurious as it gets.

The awesome power of the motors is only evident when the captain decides it’s time to make way. Other than that, your ride is smooth and whisper-quiet. At most, you’ll only be joined by a few other guests. This makes Rania a perfect time for a romantic getaway. And we’re not even on the island yet.

Once guests are on the island, they’re invited to stay in a luxurious private villa. The villa is exquisitely designed and every conceivable detail has been painstakingly perfected. The villa’s entertainment pavilion has a state-of-the-art home theater, laptops, iPods, board and video games, and more. The panoramic views leave you looking out on a perfectly blue setting. The sparkling water and the vibrant sky play in perfect harmony. You’ll be mesmerized by the time you leave.

Your “experience” includes the use of the yacht and everything on it. This includes a personal chef who will prepare gourmet meals at your call. You will also have full access to a bar which includes the most expensive champagne and a rare wine selection. You can also use the yacht to take you around the different island so you can explore, snorkel, dive, fish, and more. Guests can indulge themselves in lavish spa treatments even. While you’re taking part in The Rania Experience, the world is yours.

Of course, the world comes with a price tag. If you’d like to take this journey by yourself or with a loved one, it will cost $9,500 per night for one couple, with and additional charge of $500 per guest. And this is the low rate. The high rates come during the high season, when the charge is $12,500 per couple, with guests costing an extra $750 per guest.