What is it about diamonds?

 

 

 

 

It's flawless, rare and even pink   Surely it's a girl's dream to own one.  But to be able to show of this incredible piece of bling, you'll have to dig deep in your pockets.  As this sparkler is regarded as one of the rarest and most desirable ever seen and could sell for as much as £10 million at auction.   The flawless stone, which was mined by De Beers, is arguably the most desirable pink diamond to appear at auction in recent years.  +3 Rare gem: This dazzling diamond is regarded as one of the rarest and most desirable stones and could be sold for £10 million at auction The pear shaped 8.41 carat will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong.  It was cut in New York from a 19.54 carat rough and its internally flawless clarity is extremely rare in a pink diamond. Quek Chin Yeow, from the auction house said: 'Sotheby's has had the honour to bring to the auction market a number of truly remarkable coloured diamonds.'  +3 Rough diamond: This precious gem was cut in New York from a 19.54 carat rough and will be sold on October 7 at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale 'This colour is one of the most beautiful and concentrated shades of pink in diamonds that I have seen and, combined with the exceptional clarity, it is not surprising that it would command the highest per-carat pre-sale estimate for any pink diamond to date. 'With this exquisite pink diamond we continue Sotheby's tradition of bringing some of the rarest and most extraordinary objects to market.'  The diamond, which will be sold on October 7 at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale, is expected to sell for between £7 and £10 million.  The rare gem will firstly go on display in London next month. +3 Pink and sparkly: The diamond will go on display in London next month before being sold to a very lucky buyer   +1 Seeking a buyer: The diamond was unearthed earlier this year at Petra's South African Cullinan mine It is the size of a strawberry and weighs a bit less than three pound coins. But if you had this rare  blue beauty in your pocket you would be carrying around a diamond that could be worth more than £60million. The ‘exceptional’ 122.5-carat  blue diamond was unearthed at the Cullinan mine in South Africa which is renowned for producing giant gems. +7 +7 Rare gem: Petra Diamonds Ltd said it had recovered the 'exceptional' 122.52-carat gem (pictured from two angles) at its Cullinan mine in South Africa +7 Sparkler: The jewel, about the size of a strawberry (pictured), is so pure that it is expected to eclipse the current world's most expensive diamond - a 507-carat white diamond dug from the same mine that sold for £20 million in 2010 A blue stone from the mine fetched £508,000 per carat earlier this year. If this much larger one achieves a similar valuation, it would command a price tag of £62million – smashing the record price paid for a rough stone. Anyone who buys it, however, will be hoping for better luck than the owners of the famous deep blue Hope Diamond. It supposedly puts a curse on those who possess it, as the guillotined Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette discovered. The newly discovered diamond was dug up by Jersey-based Petra Diamonds at its mine near Pretoria. One industry insider said it was almost unheard of to find a blue stone weighing more than 100 carats. +7 Diamond mine: Other notable diamonds discovered at the Cullinan mine (pictured) are the 25.5 carat Cullinan blue diamond found in 2013 and sold for £10 million ($16.9 million), and the Star of Josephine diamond found in 2008 and sold for £5.59 million ($9.49 million) +7 Rough diamond: It comes months after Petra sold a 29.6 carat blue diamond (pictured) from the same mine for more than $25 million +7 +7 Rough to royalty: A miner holds the Cullinan Diamond shortly after it was found in 1907 (left) before it was cut in two and used for the British Crown and Sceptre (pictured on the head of Queen Elizabeth II in 2009) A carat is equal to one-fifth of a gram, so Petra’s 122.5-carat stone is about 25g. In comparison, the average centrepiece diamond on an engagement ring weighs about one carat and is usually white. Shares in Petra rose nearly 8 per cent on the find yesterday, adding some £66million to the value of the company in a day. THE CURSE OF THE BLUE GEM The 45-carat blue Hope Diamond, which is said to put a curse on its owner, is worth more than £200million. It is thought to have been stolen in 1653 in India from a statue of Hindu goddess Sita by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who was reported to have been killed by rabid dogs at the age of 84. The diamond is also known as Le Bijou du Roi, or The King’s Jewel, and was owned by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who were guillotined in 1793 by the French revolutionaries. It is then thought to have been smuggled to London. Lord Francis Hope, after whose family it is named, had to sell it in 1894 after going bankrupt. Another supposed victim, Prince Ivan Kanitovski, was killed by Russian revolutionaries. Today it is in the Smithsonian natural history museum in Washington. The current record price for a rough stone was set by Petra’s sale of the 507-carat Cullinan Heritage, a white diamond, in 2010 for nearly £21million. Blue diamonds get their colour from small amounts of the chemical element boron trapped in their crystal structure. The more ‘blue’ it is, the greater the value. They are the rarest diamonds after red, which are almost never found. Petra’s blue diamond is being kept under guard at a secret location in South Africa and will be sold in a private tender process in Johannesburg before being cut and polished. The Cullinan mine is recognised as the most important diamond mine in the world. It is famous for producing the world’s largest white diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which was found in 1905. The door-stopping diamond was originally discarded by a hasty mine manager who thought it was too big to be anything other than a crystal. It was recovered and presented to King Edward VII in 1907, and gems cut from it are centrepieces of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. Petra Diamonds believe the mine has another 50 years left in it.   Petra Diamonds is seeking buyers for an ‘exceptional’ 122.5-carat blue diamond, kicking off a tug-of-war between jewel enthusiasts with tens of millions of pounds to spare. The stone was unearthed earlier this year at Petra’s South African Cullinan mine. Now it is to be sold after Petra (up 2p yesterday to 195.3p) announced a viewing window between August 18 and September 12 for prospective buyers. Appointments to view the stone, to be displayed under heavy security in Johannesburg, can be made through Petra’s marketing and sales manager Greg Stephenson. While the sales process will determine the gem’s value, Petra sold a 29.6-carat blue diamond earlier this year for £15million. If the larger stone were to achieve the same valuation per carat, it would command a price tag in excess of £60million. Petra’s revenues were £282million in the last financial year. The current record price for a rough stone was set by Petra’s sale of the 507-carat Cullinan Heritage, a white diamond, in 2010 for nearly £21million.   A diamond worth £12,000 was shot into space this morning - and whoever finds it when it lands back on earth gets to keep it. The sparkler was mounted to a steel frame and attached to a helium balloon. It will rise above the earth until the atmospheric pressure at the edge of space causes the balloon to pop. The diamond will then parachute back down to earth in a giant orange parachute - and whoever finds it will be a cool £12,000 richer. +6 This diamond worth £12,000 has today been shot into space, and whoever finds it gets to keep it +6 It will rise above the earth until the atmospheric pressure at the edge of space causes the balloon to pop The diamond was launched just before 9am today from a field in Derbyshire and is expected to land back on earth around noon. A tracking device has been fitted to the diamond and the firm will be tweeting clues using #diamondinthesky for gem hunters to join in the race in the search for the gem when it lands. The potential 'drop zone', however, is estimated to cover a range of more than 60 miles - meaning it could be days before it is found unless it lands in the middle of a village, town or city. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and online retailer 77 Diamonds worked together to launch the jewel into space and are tracking its path. Chiefs at the website with the 'largest selection of natural diamonds in the world' hand-picked the diamond was for its 'brilliance and sparkle'. The gem is a 'modified cushion brilliant cut', similar to the engagement rings of Kim Kardashian and Jessica Biel. +6 It was launched just before 9am from a field in Derbyshire and is expected to land around noon +6 Jessica Biel shows off her 'modified cushion brilliant cut' engagement ring at the MET gala in May 2012 Bosses at 77 Diamonds, which takes its name from the first ever diamond engagement ring given by Archduke Maximilian I of Austria to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, say the stunt is to raise awareness of the firm's access to 80 per cent of the world's finest polished diamonds. It is also aimed at promoting its so-called interactive universe, called Diamonds in the Sky, which allows users to fill a virtual night sky with thousands of stars - each one unique and named after someone special. Tobias Kormind, co-founder of 77 Diamonds, says: 'We are very excited about the launch. 'What better way to raise awareness of our virtual universe than by actually making it a reality and putting a diamond in the sky for the first time ever. 'With Diamonds in the Sky, we wanted to explore the parallels between diamonds and stars in an imaginative and engaging way.' +6 The gem is a 'modified cushion brilliant cut', similar to the engagement rings of Kim Kardashian and Jessica +6 The UK Civil Aviation Authority and online retailer 77 Diamonds worked together to launch the jewel

What is it about diamonds?   They may be a girl’s best friend, but the bigger and more famous they are the more they seem to bring bad luck. This was certainly true of the Queen’s Necklace, probably the biggest diamond necklace ever made. The scandal it caused helped to bring down Marie Antoinette as Queen of France — though she never, in fact, possessed it. The extraordinary story of the necklace has been the inspiration for a novel by Alexandre Dumas, a play by Goethe and an essay by Thomas Carlyle, but historians edge round it nervously because the truth is so hard to establish. Contemporary accounts are unreliable and full of lies. +1 Downfall: Soon after the Diamond Necklace trial Marie Antoinette was executed Jonathan Beckman has tunnelled into the warren of misinformation like a badger digger and has come out with what must be as near the truth as we’ll get. At the beginning of the book he lists the characters most involved. Let us concentrate on four. First, the necklace itself: 647 stones weighing 2,800 carats. This monstrous lump of vulgarity was designed by Louis XV’s court jeweller for the king’s mistress, Madame du Barry. Unfortunately, the old monarch died before it was finished and the jeweller was confronted  with the new young queen Marie  Antoinette, who told him decisively that she didn’t want it. Marie Antoinette’s character has been dissected endlessly and usually to her shame. She was accused of every kind of sexual misdemeanour. It’s hard to reconcile the rumours of orgies at Versailles with her actual habit of dressing up as a milkmaid on her miniature farm in the grounds. People believed the worst of her, partly because her husband, Louis XVI, was known to be completely sexually incapable until, after seven years, doctors cured him. Even then he showed little enthusiasm for his marital duties: he entered, stayed for two minutes, then withdrew, without leaving a calling card. For all its absurd formality Versailles was a hot-bed of sexual liaison — marooned in empty country like a forerunner of Las Vegas, it was a combination of gambling den and knocking shop. Its main occupation was gossip and, of course, much of that was about the supposed adventures of the Queen. DOOMED BY A DIAMOND'S CURSE The Hope Diamond was supposedly cursed after being stolen form a statue in India. The first vicitm was diamond dealer Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who was apparently torn to pieces by wild dogs The Koh-i-Nor Diamond is said to bring bad luck only to its male owners, but good luck to women One of the gossipers was Cardinal Louis Rohan. He was popular, pleasant and witty and had success with women — but not with Marie Antoinette, who hated him partly because she learned he had spread a rumour that she was having an affair with her brother-in-law. To Rohan’s dismay, she either ignored or avoided him. He believed that her opposition was preventing the king from offering him a senior government post. Enter a female firebrand, who set this situation alight: Jeanne de la Motte-Valois. With her complacent husband, she had clawed a place on the fringe of the court. They could barely afford their lodging at Versailles, but she was determined to insinuate her way into the inner circle. Though she was not a beauty, Jeanne had immediate appeal to men. She was quick-witted, amoral, unscrupulous and very determined. To attract the Queen’s attention she staged a fainting fit in a corridor when Marie Antoinette was approaching. She soon persuaded people the Queen had later sent for her and she had become a royal confidante (they were the same age — 29). Dark history: A replica of the Queen's Necklace And there were letters signed by the Queen to prove it. Jeanne had secured the services of a forger. Her next conquest was of Cardinal Rohan, who took pity on her poverty. He took her interests to heart and possibly to bed as well. She promised to speak to the Queen on his behalf and ask forgiveness for him. But he wanted more, a meeting. So Jeanne obliged. She recruited a young Versailles prostitute who resembled the Queen in face and figure. The heavily veiled girl was given a rose to hand to Rohan and rehearsed a speech, which he believed conveyed that his future would soon be assured. Rohan was then told that the Queen was short of funds and would be grateful if he could oversee the purchase of the Queen’s Necklace from the court jeweller. Between them the sale was agreed. Price: 1.6 million francs (worth £30 million today). First instalment to be paid six months later. Rohan gave the necklace to a man he believed was a servant of the Queen. He was, in fact, an accomplice of Jeanne. She swiftly had the necklace broken up and the stones were sent to London to be sold. She and her husband were in funds and lived very well. But it couldn’t last. When no instalments were paid, a desperate court jeweller sought an interview with the Queen.  She was furious to hear Rohan had pretended he was acting on her behalf. Marie Antoinette insisted that she wanted a public trial. She was to regret that later. Months of evidence — lying, contradictory, unbelievable — came tumbling out, transfixing the citizens of France and all Europe. DID YOU KNOW? The wold's largest diamond - the Cullinan I - weighed 530.2 carats Though she played no part in the actual story, many believed she did behind the scenes. It all blackened her reputation further. Rohan was acquitted by a majority verdict. Jeanne was sentenced to be flogged and branded on both shoulders. Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine soon after. Napoleon said: ‘The Queen’s death must  be dated from the Diamond Necklace trial.’   If you're in the market for some $100 million bling, Fifth Avenue diamond dealer-to-the-stars claims to have the rarest 'super gems' on Earth. From the newly trendy $1 million 'Power Rings' popular on Wall Street to 100 carat diamonds for the mega-rich, David Birnbaum and his extensive network of contacts scour the globe for the most incredible rocks. His company Rare 1, located above New York's Fifth Avenue, are specialists in top-of-the-line goods - diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls, selling to 'VIP clientele types.' +7 Bling king: If you're in the market for some $100 million bling, Fifth Avenue diamond dealer-to-the-stars David Birnbaum, pictured, claims to have the rarest 'super gems' on Earth +7 Hunters: Birnbaum and his extensive network of contacts scour the globe for the most incredible rocks Fifth Avenue brands such as De Beers and Cartier sell their sparklers to the top 2 per cent of the population, on average. But Birnbaum deals with an even more elite slice of the market - the top 0.1 per cent only, otherwise known as the mega, mega rich. Fortunately for Birnbaum, these people are heads-of-state or genuine Hollywood A-Listers leading luxurious lifestyles with deep pockets and money to burn. Birnbaum, who lives in New York, said: 'What we do lies on the border between mission impossible and mission possible - we have to keep finding ever-more unique and ever-more special gems all the time. 'Our primary clientele are from the top 1/10 of 1 per cent of the global financial elite but over the years we have developed a dynamic and loyal client group ranging from young bankers to heads-of-state. +7 Rubies: His company Rare 1, located above New York's Fifth Avenue, are specialists in top-of-the-line goods - diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls, selling to 'VIP clientele types' +7 Elite: Birnbaum, pictured, deals with an elite slice of the market - the top 0.1 per cent only, otherwise known as the mega, mega rich 'But it's not all about money - a lot of things still need to align for the sale to go through. 'A Royal wedding or an Academy Awards show or a new Ambassadorship also help, of course.' Birnbaum and his contacts scattered across the globe track down the ultimate rocks - sometimes with a specific gem in mind and other times with the goal of finding a never-before-seen gem. While many are discovered in Russia some have only ever been found in more remote areas such as Africa - but he is always there to source the goods all around the world to beat his competition. Birnbaum was taught the basics of the diamond trade by his dad Andor Birnbaum and the father-and-son team started the current business in the 1960s. +7 Jeweler: Birnbaum was taught the basics of the diamond trade by his dad Andor Birnbaum and the father-and-son team started the current business in the 1960s +7 Rocks: Birnbaum and his contacts scattered across the globe track down the ultimate rocks - sometimes with a specific gem in mind and other times with the goal of finding a never-before-seen gem Today, he is the leading private jeweler in the U.S. 'People know we have the ability to move these incredible high-end goods so we get shown the product early,' he said. 'In business sellers have to find the right buyer and vice versa - it's exactly the same with super gems. 'Rubies and diamonds and not going to lose value, they are a solid investment. We were unaffected by the financial crisis. 'These days we are almost competing with ourselves to find even rarer gems which have never been seen before. It's all about quality, beauty and value - we manage to pull it off.'   The largest flawless vivid blue diamond in the world has sold for £14.1 million ($23.8 million). The pear-shaped diamond named The Blue is 13.22 carats and also set a world auction record of $2 million per carat for a blue diamond. The sale came as Christie's announced its spring auction has sold a world record of $154.2 million. Scroll down for video +7 The largest flawless vivid blue diamond in the world has sold for £14.1 million ($23.8 million) It announced today that a 1912 Cartier diamond brooch brought $17.5 million, which is 660 percent more than when it was first sold at Christie's in Geneva in 1991, while a pear-shaped and D-color flawless 75.97-carat diamond sold for almost $14.5 million. 'It is absolutely perfect, absolutely pure externally and internally. It is almost a dream,' said Jean-Marc Lunel, senior international specialist of Christie's jewellery department of The Blue. 'We are quite confident that it should sell towards the high end of the estimate or above.' In the past decade, only three blue diamonds of 10 carats or more with the same vivid grading for intensity have been sold at auction, all weighing less than 12 carats and none flawless, he said. 'It is most probably from a mine in South Africa known as Premier mine and now as Cullinan, where most of the blue diamonds are from. Probably in the last 30 years,' Mr Lunel said.   +7 The pear-shaped diamond named The Blue is 13.22 carats and also set a world auction record of $2 million per carat for a blue diamond +7 'It is absolutely perfect, absolutely pure externally and internally. It is almost a dream,' said Jean-Marc Lunel, senior international specialist of Christie's jewelry department Based on results from sales in Hong Kong and New York this year, the jewelry market is quite strong, Lunel said. 'The market for colored diamonds is really, really high, because they are so rare,' he said. 'For what is really exceptional, not seen on the market, there are really clients looking for such investments,' Lunel added. 'Chinese clients are not only buying in Asia but in New York and Geneva as well.' +7 Yesterday a 100-carat yellow diamond sold for 14.5 million Swiss francs ($16.3 million) to a private buyer, the star lot in a Geneva jewellery sale +7 The 'Graff Vivid Yellow', weighing 100.09 carats, set a record for a yellow diamond +7 A Sotheby's employee with one of the world's largest known round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 103.46 carats Today Sotheby's announced its Spring auction sold a world record $141.5 million in jewellery. The auction house says seven records in all were set at the Geneva auction including the highest amount ever paid for a yellow diamond - $16.3 million for the 100.09-carat Graff Vivid Yellow diamond ring. 'With its exceptional size and a superb daffodil colour, the Graff Vivid Yellow is a truly extraordinary diamond with immense presence,' said the chairman of Sotheby's Switzerland, David Bennett, said in a statement on Wednesday after Tuesday's sale. The auction house said today that the auction, featuring two diamonds over 100 carats, drew buyers from more than 30 countries. The second huge diamond, at 103.46 carats, is part of a Graff diamond ring that sold for $4.9 million. Mr Bennett said that '100 carats is a magical number when it comes to diamonds' and having two such rare gems at auction led to the record haul and intense bidding from around the globe Tuesday night. A smaller but stunning 31.34-carat white diamond, The Victory Diamond which belonged to Florence Gould, daughter-in-law of the American railroad magnate Jay Gould, had been estimated at $5-$8 million, but failed to sell. +7 A Sotheby's employee showing three exceptional diamonds during a preview at Sotheby's, in Geneva, Switzerland. Left to right: One of the world's largest known round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 103.46 carats, the Graff Vivid Yellow at 100.09 carats, and the Victory Diamond, a 31.34 carat diamond named to commemorate the allied victory in World War II

Leaving hometown never to return again: To the USA to France and the extremes of free living in the Carpathians and The Pyrenees

 

 

 

 

Leaving your hometown never to return again -   That's what happened in these ghost towns and lost cities. They were once thriving and home to many inhabitants but are now left deserted and forgotten. From sprawling cities that were home to thousands of people to a coal mine that is now occupied by just one inhabitant, these unique places are revealed as some of the most beautiful empty towns from around the world. The desolate medieval village of Craco, in southern Italy, has been used as the setting for many films, including Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, while Bodie, in California, has been preserved in exactly the same way it was when residents left there in the 1960s. The only way to get to China's Lion City is by scuba diving 130ft underwater and if you wish to visit the Pyramiden village in Norway you'll have to travel on a snowmobile from a town 31 miles away. Mandu in India was abandoned by its people and last inhabited over 400 years ago while there are still some people living in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Chinguetti in Mauritania in Africa. Craco, Italy +21 The ghost town of Craco, Italy is situated in the south of the country and has been left completely uninhabited +21 The medieval village of Craco, often described as the most beautiful abandoned city, was built so that its inhabitants could watch over the surrounding land +21 The beautiful and unique landscape means Craco has been the setting for many films, including The Passion of the Christ and Quantum of Solace   +21 The last of Craco’s residents left the city between 1892 and 1922 for America due to poor agricultural conditions, landslides, earthquakes and floods Mandu, India +21 Occupied between 1401 and 1561, the former capital city of Mandu is found in the south of India in Madhya Pradesh +21 Within the city, visitors to the can see the ancient royal palace along with a wide selection of other amazing ruins including temples, tombs, mosques and monuments +21 An elaborate mihrab sits in the Jama Masjid, a huge mosque that is part of the fortress complex of the abandoned city of Mandu Bodie, California +21 Wild west: Bodie, an abandoned gold-mining town in the US state of California, is now known as Bodie National State Park +21 Bodie general store: What still remains of the town has been so well preserved visitors can still find interior decoration of the time and items still on shelves +21 When the gold ran out all the mines were closed and everyone left to seek other work as there were no other industries to support the inhabitants Chinguetti, Mauritania, Africa +21 Founded in the 11th and 12th centuries, the ancient town of Chinguetti was originally built to serve the important caravan trade routes that began crossing the Sahara +21 Although Chinguetti is not a completely abandoned city there are beautiful examples of Sharan architecture and many ancient scientific and Qur’anic texts to be found +21 Due to the temperamental weather and ever encroaching desert several buildings to the west of the city had to be abandoned, creating the feel of a ghost town Lion City, China +21 Lion City in China is located beneath Qiangdao Lake in Zhejiang province. Built over 1,300 years ago in the Dong Han period (25-200CE), it was abandoned in 1959 +21 Beneath the surface of the lake in the eerie blue of the water, ornate lion statues continue to ‘guard’ submerged Lion City in China +21 The Chinese government chose to flood Lion City in order to use the area for the Xin’an River Dam project +21 The city was once a political and economic hub for eastern China but after authorities built the man-made Qiandao Lake in 1959, it is now nowhere to be seen Pyramiden, Norway +21 Built in 1910, Pyramiden, named after a nearby pyramid-shaped mountain, was a small mining town with a population of 1,000 +21 In 1917, after being bought by Russia, the village began to rapidly expand and the coal mining industry flourished, however by 1998 the island was deserted +21 Once home to over 1,000 inhabitants, the settlement was abandoned - apart from one Russian tour guide - when the last of the coal was mined in 1998 +21 Visitors can walk through a ghost town intact with high-rise buildings, the town’s indoor swimming pool, library and theatre These eerie pictures show the demise of an abandoned Grade II listed home, once lovingly cared for by a local historian. Situated in the leafy, affluent suburb of Moseley, Birmingham it was once a stunning example of a quintessentially English detached house. It has now been repossessed after its current owners were declared bankrupt, after they left it to decay for at least eight years.   +22 The front of the Grade II listed home, in Moseley, Birmingham, which has been left abandoned for eight years after its owners went bankrupt +22 The view from the back of the abandoned property shows the lawn growing out of control and trees and vines climbing up the side of the house +22 The gardens in the Birmingham property remain overgrown and don't appear to have been maintained at all during the eight years the home has been deserted +22 The loft inside the home was left almost completely bare. A local history group is growing 'increasingly concerned' about the state of the abandoned property +22 The fireplace inside the historic stately English home, which was first built in 1916 and once lovingly cared for by a local historian +22 Couches and mould-covered walls have been left to rot. The building has now been repossessed and remains unsecured after its owners left it about eight years ago The house tells the story of the changes in English society that have been felt particularly in the West Midlands. The exterior of the house still looks much the same as when it was completed for Albert Gosling, a butcher, in 1916. It maintains features such as the cupola on top of the garage, which allowed exhaust fumes to escape. Inside, many of the original wooden panels and stained glass windows remain. The kitchen has a distinct 1970s kitsch feel, whilst the living room has a picture of Mecca hanging. Fiona Adams, 67, Secretary of the Moseley History Society said: 'It was the home of Fred and Olive Price - the Moseley Local History Group had many meetings there. 'We’ve been increasingly concerned about the state of this charming Arts and Crafts house that Fred lovingly maintained.'   +22 Despite the fact the property has been ignored for a number of years, parts of the interior and living room appear to remain in relatively good condition   However, other parts of the home are in need of major repairs. Here the floor of the living room can be seen with holes while a spider has made a room its nest +22 A court order stuck on the property's window states the home has been repossessed, however the property still remains unsecured +22 The home is abandoned but little appears to have been done to clean up, with used teacups and cutlery left lying throughout the kitchen   Both the kitchen and one of the sitting rooms need major repairs, with building materials and mould visibly staining the walls +22 A large Sony television, along with newspapers and photos of Diana remain intact. Much of the house's exterior also remains as it was when it was completed in 1916 Still in the house were used teacups, a large Sony television, photographs of Lady Diana, newspapers, made beds and family photographs showing Fred Price. Javid Sattar, who was the last owner of the house, is believed to be the President of the World Council of Muslim Youth. A business card stating Mr Sattar's job title and contact details was found in the home. There was also a photograph of Mecca, the Muslim holy site in Saudi Arabia, and a copy of a book issued during the Pakistan National Defence College's 2002 visit to the United Kingdom. A letter from a law firm has been put up in the house notifying Mr Sattar that it is now in their possession. However, the building hasn’t been secured. The house has slipped a long way from it’s former glory giving concern to neighbours who blame the decay for burglaries on their own properties, saying that it has enabled thieves to gain access through the abandoned house’s garden. +22 These photographs show the former owner of the house, Fred Price (right with glasses), hosting a social gathering inside the Grade II listed family home +22 A copy of the Daily Mail from June 1, 2006, is left lying in the house - giving an indication of just how long the property has been left to decay +22 A large Sony television, with a thick gathering of dust on it, has been left in the living room. It was once the home of Fred and Olive Price, two local history enthusiasts +22 The home's dining area remains a mess, with clothes, rubbish, bowls and cutlery left scattered across the floor and dining table +22 These pictures show Fred Price, who once owned and cared for the historic property, prior to its latest owner abandoning it eight years ago +22 A photo of Mecca was left hanging on the living room wall inside the property. A business card found at the address states the former owner was the president of the World Council of Muslim Youth   A picture of Lady Diana remains the living room, while on the right is a book commemorating a Pakistan National Defence College visit to the United Kingdom. The former owner, Javid Sattar, is a property magnate who also owns numerous other properties in and around Moseley

Paco Park ( Manila). Visita Iglesia during vacation in the Philippines. Paco Park's Chapel of San Pancratius is where the remains of Spanish colonial Governor General Ramon Solano was interred. The park was originally designed by Nicolas Ruiz as a cementery of the Spanish colonial elite. It was built in the later years of the 1700s making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cementery in the Philippines. The GOMBURZA martys- Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, and Fr. Jose Burgos- were buried here after their execution in 1872. Twenty-four years later in 1896, the executed Dr. Jose Rizal was also secretly buried in the cemnetery. His remains were later exhumed in 1912 and moved to what his now his grand monument at the Luneta. Interment in the cementery was probihited in 1912 and most of the remains of those who were buried were moved out. The cementery became a national park in 1966. Paco Park, Manila. A cross now marks the burial site of the GOMBURZA martys inside the park. Paco Park (Manila) Dr. Jose Rizal was secretly buried in the park after his execution. His remains were later exhumed and interred beneath the Rizal Monument at the Luneta. San Juan, Metro Manila. Unique to the San Juan church is the massive buttress walls covering its facade. Butress walls are usually the side walls in the case of most Philippine colonial churches. San Juan, Metro Manila. The Dominicans built the first parochial buildings in 1602 that were razed during the 1639 Chinese revolt. These were rebuilt in 1641, burned down during the British invasion of 1763, and rebuilt again in 1774. The city of San Juan is unofficially the "Town of Philippine Presidents" having had 5 Filipino presidents as residents namely Diosdado Macapagal and his unpopular daughter Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Ferdinand Marcos, Joseph Estrada, and Elpidio Quirino. Leave home for France as it is crowned most popular country in the world with record-breaking number of tourists (and UK lags in eighth place, beaten by Spain, Italy and even Germany) The fact that I didn’t speak French wouldn’t have bothered me as much had I not heard that French people are rude to you if you don’t.  Actually, every person I knew who had been to France told me that they were rude no matter what you did.  There’s a saying I’ve heard repeated ad naseum.  Something like, “Wonderful country France…pity about the French.” Granted, I didn’t spend a long time in Paris–eight days–but I didn’t find French people rude at all.  They weren’t friendly in the same way North Americans are, which people from other cultures sometimes find superficial.  But in my experience, they weren’t rude.  I think that a bright smile and a friendly attitude can serve you well no matter where you go.  I’d like to think that my positive spirit was reflected back to me. So in that same positive spirit, today I’ve decided to reflect on a few of the reasons I love France–and the French.  I’m happy in my village and when I get right down to it, I wouldn’t really want to live anywhere else.  But there are some things that I appreciate about France so much that I wish they were bigger part of North American culture… France now is the most visited country in the world with 84.7m tourists in 2013 The UK attracted a record 32.8m visitors last year spending £21 billion French, German and American tourists account for one third of UK visitors France has been named the most visited country in the world, welcoming a record-breaking 84.7 million tourists last year. The European hotspot was streets ahead of the second most visited country in the world - the US - beating it by almost 15million visitors. While France, the US and Spain made the top three list of the most visited countries, the UK took eighth place, welcoming 31.2million visitors in 2013, a new record. Eh Voila!  La Tour Eiffel: France welcomed 84.7 million tourists across its borders in 2013 +4 A stony look: Paris observed from the top of Notre Dame with La Tour Eiffel in the distance THE 10 MOST  VISITED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD France - 84.7million US - 69.8million Spain - 60.7million China - 55.7million Italy - 47.7million Turkey - 37.8million Germany - 31.5million UK - 31.2million Russia - 28.4million Thailand - 26.5million But the UK is still losing out to European rivals, with Germany and Italy joining France and Spain ahead of Britain in the top 10 most visited countries in the world. Some of the surprising entries into the top 10 incllude Turkey, which took sixth place, with 37.8million visitors and Russia, which made it into ninth place with 28.4million tourists. Thailand rounded off the top 10 most visited countries in 2013. The latest statistics come after a study was published by France's government competitiveness agency, confirming how many visitors the country received in 2013. The statistics were referred to the World Tourism Organisation to be compared with statistics from each country.  A record 32.8 million overseas visitors came to the UK, with French, German and American tourists accounting for one in three tourists. The USA, France and Germany were also the biggest spenders in the UK, with their markets attributing to one quarter of the visitor spend pot - 'do visit again'.  The French surpassed their 2012 figure of 83 million foreign visitors and easily outstripped The United States with 69.8 million and Spain with 60.7 million foreign visitors.  The record 32.8 million overseas visitors who came to the UK in 2013 spent a record £21 billion. +4 The UK attracted 34.8m tourists in 2013, a record-breaking number, but not enough to beat European rivals +4 London calling: The capital accounts for 54 per cent of all UK inbound tourism In 2012 the UK ranked eighth in the UNWTO international tourist arrivals league behind France, USA, China, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Germany.  London accounts for 54 per cent of all inbound visitor spend, the rest of England 34 per cent, Scotland 8 per cent and Wales 2 per cent.   At the extremes other people will leave their hometown environment for simple living where there's no running water, no central heating - and certainly no supermarket for as far as the eye can see. These are the families who have chosen to turn their backs on the breakneck speed of modern life to become at one with nature, free from the rat race. Leaving city life for mountain ranges including the Carpathians and The Pyrenees, they pride themselves on living 'off the grid' without access to any of the mod-cons that the 21st Century may have to offer. French photographer Antoine Bruy has spent years travelling across Europe capturing men, women and children who have joined the so-called 'back-to-land' movement on their very own organic farms. Scroll down for video +11 At one with nature: French photographer Antoine Bruy travelled around Europe living with families who have turned their backs on modern civilization for a humble existence deep in the wilderness. This ramshackle house in Ramounat in The Pyrenees belongs to a German man called Peter who has lived there for the last 30 years. He moved to the area with his wife and children, but they left decades ago, it was reported by Feature Shoot +11 Rustic: Arriving by donkey 20 years ago, English woman Kate settled on some land near the village of Bayacas in Sierra Nevada, Spain. These are some composting toilets which she has built with her own fair hands +11 'Abandoning a lifestyle based on performance, efficiency and consumption': In order build trust and gain a deeper understanding of his subjects, Mr Bruy signed up to a movement which links volunteers with organic farmers. He then stayed with some for months at a time, helping out with jobs in return +11 Pyramid dwelling: Many of the people Mr Bruy met have no access to running water, central heating or any other mod cons +11 Wide open spaces: Mr Bruy took this image in Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park in Spain, where he encountered Amiro, a German who has been living in an area of the park where the nearest village is a three-hour walk away He said: 'Since 2010, I travelled throughout Europe to meet men and women who made the radical choice to live away from cities, willing to abandon their lifestyle based on performance, efficiency and consumption. 'The people and places depicted in my pictures display various fates which I think, should not only be seen at a political level, but more importantly as daily and immediate experiences.   +11 Humble existence: The French photographer has documented families who have chosen to turn their backs on the breakneck speed of modern life to become at one with nature. With no access to running water, these two girls take a bath in washing up tubs in the Carpathian mountains in Romania +11 Living off the land: Mr Bruy captured this picture of Olivier nursing a sheep while spending a month with the French shepherd. Here, Olivier treats one of his flock after it was bitten by a dog in Ardeche in France in 2010 +11 Shunned academia: Among the people Mr Bruy met was this former mathematics student called Vincent who has been living in the Pyrenees for the last seven years He said: 'I give them a hand for different kind of tasks, like growing vegetables, fixing a roof, building a straw bale house or taking care of animals if they have some. 'This time allows me, somehow, to connect to the land, understand the way it works, and know the people I’m living with. 'This documentary project is an attempt to make a kind of contemporary tale and to give back a little bit of magic to our modern civilization.' +11 Steam cleaning: Julian works on his bathtub in Sierra del Hacho in Spain. Mr Bruy has posted a collection of his images entitled Scrublands to the FotoFund website where he has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to continue his project in America Among the people he met was a German called Peter who has been living in Ramounat in The Pyrenees for the last 30 years. He moved there with his wife and children, but they left decades ago, it was reported by Feature Shoot. Others included Sabine, a teacher in philosophy and literature who now raises cows with her husband Christian. He has posted a collection of his images entitled Scrublands to the FotoFund website where he has launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to continue his project in America. 'I plan to come in the USA to make photographs of people who retreat in remote places in the Appalachian mountains,' Mr Bruy said. 'America can indeed be considered as the birthplace of these "back-to-the-land" movements.' +11 Life out of the fast lane: A boy who has grown up in the so-called 'back-to-land' movement poses with his dog in Urs in The Pyrenees +11 A lesson in simplicity: Mr Bruy also stayed with Sabine, a philosophy and literature teacher who now raises cows with her husband Christian