Kim Kardashian's 20-carat engagement ring from failed marriage to Kris Humphries sells at auction for $620,000

Kim Kardashian's 20-carat engagement ring has sold at auction for a cool $620,000.

The enormous diamond ring, given to the reality star by ex-husband Kris Humphries, was purchased by an as-yet unknown buyer at Christie's in New York City on Tuesday.

Bidding for the 16.21 carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond began at $200,000 at the auction, entitled 'Bright and Beautiful', according to Us Weekly.

The ring, which features two 1.8 carat side diamonds, will end up costing the buyer $749,000 taking into account the auction house's mark-up.

It was confirmed last month that Kris was selling the ring which was originally reported to have cost $2 million.

But following the estimate of Christie's jewellery experts, it appears that he paid far less for the ring than reported at the time.

But bad publicity surrounding the Humphries-Kardashian divorce may have had an effect on the sale.

Christie's press representative Gabriel Ford previously told MailOnline that their team of experts 'estimate on what they deem it worth at this time (of the auction)'.

Kris proposed to Kim with the ring back in May 2011 and it seems she returned the piece of jewellery to him after their marriage ended.



Bling: The sparkler was used by Humphries to propose to Kim back in May 2011




Return: Kim Kardashian returned the ring to her former husband following her divorce





Same cut: The seller of the ring is known only as 'a gentleman' but the description exactly matches the ring Humphries gave Kim Kardashian (pictured left and right) before their 72-day marriage

The website reports that a portion of the proceeds from the sale will benefit a charity which has yet to be named.

'Kim has been waiting for the day he would auction it,' a source told Us. 'Everyone always asked what Kim did with the ring - she silently gave it back over a year ago. And Kris waited until the divorce was final to sell it.'

The source tells Us that the ring is 'definitely not worth $2 million' and is unlikely to have cost even half of that price.





Showing off: Kim proudly displayed the ring that Humphries paid for. It ended up going to him in the divorce because he argued that their marriage was a sham and she did not deserve to keep the ring as a result





The rock: the ring was designed by Lorraine Schwartz, a family friend of the Kardashian's, who reportedly gave Humphries a good deal, though it was not clear how good a deal that was



A family friend of the Kardashians said Humphries reportedly 'got a great deal' by working with jeweller Lorraine Schwartz - a family friend who has designed for the Kardashian clan for years.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was married to Kris for just 72 days before she filed for divorce at the end of October 2011.

Kim is now mother to baby North with her new beau - rapper Kanye West.





New man: Kardashian is now dating Kanye West, and the pair's daughter North was born on June 15






#usweekly
#dailymail

7 brilliant inventions that came from children

Anyone who’s gotten to know a child knows how incredible they can be. Sure, they blurt out embarrassing observations in public, but that’s because they don’t filter their thoughts. And yes, they occasionally ruin wallpaper with crayons or finger paint, but that’s because their creativity knows no bounds. Here are seven examples of children whose imagination and ingenuity produced something extraordinary.

Toy Truck




In 1963, 6-year-old child inventor Robert Patch created a convertible toy truck. Patch had two goals for his truck: one, that it could easily be taken apart and put back together; two, that it could transform into all sorts of different vehicles. After drawing up a sketch, the boy got a patent for his idea, and the rest was playtime history. Photo by Shutterstock.
Trampoline




In 1930, when George Nissen was a 16-year-old high school gymnast, he began tinkering with an idea for a bouncing apparatus to train on. But it wasn’t until 1934 that Nissen and his University of Iowa tumbling coach Larry Griswold built a device that actually worked. Then, in 1937, when Nissen was traveling the carnival circuit, he came across the Spanish word
trampolin, which means “diving board.” Adding an “e” to the end, he trademarked the name for what was to become a backyard family favorite. Photo by Shutterstock.

Snow Mobile




In 1922, when Canadian Joseph-Armand Bombardier was 15 years old, he was tinkering around with his dad’s old Ford Model T motor and decided to attach it to a sled to see if the machine could power through the snow. He enlisted the help of his brother to steer while he took control of the motor, and the first inklings of a powered snow machine were born. Fifteen years later his device, the B-7, was the first snowmobile to hit stores. Photo by Shutterstock.

Television




Just about everyone owns a TV, but did you ever dream that a teenager came up with the idea? In 1920, 14-year-old Philo Farnsworth first conceived of it, supposedly while he was plowing a potato field. In 1926, he and his business partner founded Crocker Research Laboratories (later named Farnsworth Radio and Television Corporation); only one year after that, the first-ever transmitted images were sent. Photo by Shutterstock.
Popsicles



In 1905, when Frank Epperson was 11 years old, he was trying to concoct his own version of soda pop. One particularly cold night, he left his beverage—a glass filled with soda water powder and water—outside on the porch by accident, with the mixing stick still in it. The ingredients froze overnight and Epperson was inspired. In 1924, after the young inventor had some success in the real estate business, he applied for a patent, naming his creation the Epsicle. Later, it was changed it to the now well-known Popsicle. Photo by Michael Rosenfeld / Getty.

Earmuffs



Chester Greenwood grew up ice skating in his native Maine. One day in 1873, the 15-year-old finally became so annoyed with how cold his ears became outdoors that he asked his grandmother to sew fur onto a two-loop wire he created. Soon he had a patented and approved model of what he originally called ear protectors. The state of Maine is so thankful for his invention that every December 21 is celebrated as “Chester Greenwood Day.” Photo by iStockphoto.

Braille



Born in France in 1809, Louis Braille was blinded by an injury when he was only 3 years old. In 1824, while he was a 15-year-old student at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, he created a type of reading that involved raised, imprinted dots organized in a pattern to facilitate learning. The first Braille book was released in 1829—and Louis Braille went on to become an instructor at the school where he had once been a student. Photo by Shutterstock.


#womansday.com

Police arrest man trying to get into Buckingham Palace with a knife

An armed man has been arrested today after he tried to get into Buckingham Palace with a knife.

The unnamed 44-year-old man was stopped by police as he tried to enter the Queen's London residence by the north centre gate shortly before noon.

The knife was found when officers searched the man outside the Palace at 11.30am.

The man was arrested on suspicion of tresspassing and possession of an offensive weapon.

Cops are currently questioning him at a police station in London.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen was not in residence at the Palace when the drama unfolded.

The security scare came just six weeks after a man was arrested on suspicion of burglary after climbing a fence to get into Buckingham Palace.

He was found at 10.30pm in an area which was open to the public on September 2.

A second man was arrested outside the Queen's home on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.

Less than 48 hours later, amid heightened security, two police officers confronted the Duke of York in the palace gardens demanding to know who he was.

Scotland Yard later issued a public apology to the royal, and in response he issued a statement to say protection officers have "a difficult job" and he was grateful that the force had apologised.

In March 2011 a car carrying the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall was mobbed by demonstrators who had split from a protest against higher university tuition fees.

Camilla was visibly distressed after being poked

in the ribs with a stick through an open window in the distinctive Rolls-Royce Phantom VI as she and Charles travelled to the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

In 2003, comedian Aaron Barschak managed to get into Prince William's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle.

The self-styled "comedy-terrorist" set off a series of alarms and was caught on CCTV before he joined 300 guests at the bash and was removed.

In 1994, student David Kang charged at Charles while firing a starting pistol during a ceremony in Sydney, Australia.

Kang was wrestled to the ground by New South Wales premier John Fahey and another man, while Charles was praised for his calm reaction.

In 1981, six blank shots were fired from the crowd while the Queen rode during the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

The Queen's horse was startled but she managed bring it back under control while police rushed to grab the shooter.

In 1974, Princess Anne was the target of an apparent kidnap attempt in The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

Four people, including her bodyguard, Jim Beaton, were injured after shots were fired when their car was forced to halt by another vehicle which blocked their route.

A police officer chased the driver, Ian Ball, and brought him to the ground before arresting him.


#mirror.co.uk

Excitement over unusual ram gift

Yesterday, what started like a child’s play at ram market behind The Muslim Congress (TMC), Dawah Centre, Ijeshatedo, Lagos State, turned a reality.

Like the late business mogul and winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, who reportedly signed for a man an amount of money on a piece of paper and the man was paid in a bank, yesterday, a little known Executive Director of Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, wrote, signed on the palm of a man (name withheld) and told him to go to a nearby market to collect a ram worth the amount he wrote.

The man, for the fun of seeing someone reliving the memory of the late Abiola’s exemplary humanitarian gesture, dashed to the place. Alas, he got the surprise of his life!

“Go there and pick any ram of your choice,” AbdulKareem Muhammad Raji, popularly known as Abu Abu, Head of TMC Ram Business, told the man.

Still in disbelief, the man picked his choice ram, got a receipt and went away.

“Just like that!” he exclaimed. “Yes,” one of the attendants replied him.

The scenario drama occured during at the monthly Fiqh Forum at the TMC Dawah Centre. The usually crowded gathering is a forum where deep understandings of Islamic jurisprudence are being taught.

“This is another history being made,” Mr Wasiu Amoo, a lawyer remarked. Amoo, the National Public Relation Officer of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), described the scenario as “unbelievable.”

“I thought it was a joke when he showed me his palm, now I see Nigeria is blessed with people who can do like MKO Abiola. As a legal person, a paper can be a legal document, but what do we say about this … palm? You cannot cut his wrist for evidence sake, but these people just let go like that. That man must be a credible person. I am proud to be a Muslim and a Nigerian,” he said.

How did it happen? The Nation asked the man, “I approached Imam Abdullahi Shuaib to exchange pleasantries. After exchanging tasleem (Islamic greetings), he immediately requested a pen and a piece of paper; before I could get one, he beckoned: “Don’t bother getting a paper, give me your hand,” and he wrote on my palm: ‘Please release now, N65,000.’ And he appended his signature.

“Immediately I got there, one of the attendants directed me to their boss who was holding a meeting. He (Abu Abu) usherd me in and read the note on my palm. After, he said: “Go there and pick any ram of your choice.” I still thought it was ‘a joke taken too far’ until I got the receipt and took the ram out of the place.”

“I wasn’t really surprised at the gesture, having seen on television and read in newspapers the humanitarian gestures of Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation, which the man heads, but this was not planned for. Besides, the manner the ram seller attended to the “note” still amused me. Imam Shuaib deserves a national honour for this singular act,” he said.

 

 

#nation

Christian Louboutin launches new collection of shoes that will elongate your legs by matching the color of your skin

Christian Louboutin is launching a collection of shoes that will elongate your legs by matching your skin tone.

Five classic Louboutin styles have been re-construvted in five shades ranging from a fair blush to rich chestnut, which aim to 'closely match the color of a customer's skin tone'.


'They disappear like magic and become a fluid extension of her legs, as in a sketch, elongating the silhouette,' said Mr Louboutin.



'The shoes are there to give the woman an extra lift, not to take attention away from the legs and what she is wearing,' he added.

The styles in the Nudes collection include the point toe Pigalle, the curvier Fifi and Simple Pump, as well as the Flo and the signature hidden platform of the Vendome peep toe pump.

They are sold exclusively at Christian Louboutin boutiques.


















The French shoe maker has launched a Louboutin Shades App which enables users to take a photo of their foot and match a shade of nude to their skin tone


To celebrate the arrival of the collection in stores this month, the Nudes will be featured in Christian Louboutin windows at the Madison and Robertson boutiques.

Interesting! There's nothing like a nice pair of good ol' loubies!