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One of the biggest diamonds in history has been discovered in the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa.

Gem Diamonds Ltd. found the 910-carat stone, about the size of two golf balls, at its Letseng mine in the country. It’s a D color Type IIa diamond, which means it has very few or no nitrogen atoms and is one of the most expensive stones. The diamond is the fifth-biggest ever found.

The Letseng mine is famous for the size and quality of the diamonds it produces and has the highest average selling price in the world. Gem sold a 357-carat stone for $19.3 million in 2015 and in 2006 found the 603-carat Lesotho Promise.

“This exceptional top-quality diamond is the largest to be mined to date and highlights the unsurpassed quality of the Letseng mine,” Chief Executive Officer Clifford Elphick said in a statement.

Gem did not say how it will sell the diamond or what it could be worth. Its value will be determined by the size and quality of the polished stones that can be cut from it. Lucara Diamond Corp. sold a 1,109-carat diamond for $53 million last year, but got a record $63 million for a smaller 813-carat stone it found at the same time in 2015.

“The pricing of diamonds is hugely variable and driven by a multitude of factors,” said Ben Davis, an analyst at Liberum Capital Markets. “But assuming that there are no large inclusions running through the diamond, we initially estimate a sale of $40 million.”

Gem’s mega discovery follows news last week that it had found 117-carat and 110-carat stones. It will be another boost for the company that dropped to a record low last year after prices for its stones fell and it was forced to close a new mine in Botswana. Gem rose as much as 18 percent, the biggest intraday gain since 2010, and traded at 93 pence by 9:06 a.m. in London.

The three large discoveries will raise investor confidence that the company has overcome a shortage of large stones and that it can recover the biggest diamonds without breaking them. Gem found at least seven stones bigger than 100 carats in 2017 and five the year before. It recovered a dozen exceeding 100 carats in 2015.

The biggest diamond discovered is the 3,106-carat Cullinan, found near Pretoria, in South Africa, in 1905. It was cut to form the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa, which are set in the Crown Jewels of Britain. Lucara’s 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona is the second-biggest, with the 995-carat Excelsior and 969-carat Star of Sierra Leone the third- and fourth-largest.

The City of Aliso Viejo rolls into 2018 with a head of steam, a plan for smart, responsible growth and a host of lessons learned from the prior year. From the AV Ranch to the Town Center to our newly created recreation classes, we look forward to providing a safe and vibrant environment for our residents well beyond the new year.

On Jan. 20 at 8 a.m., the Joyful Child Foundation will host a 5k race and 1k child Fun Run at Aliso Niguel High School to bring awareness to the Foundation’s “BRAVE” program aimed at protecting children from crime. As a dad with five kids, two adults and three teenagers, I know firsthand the stress of preparing kids for the real world. You cannot talk to them enough about every topic under the sun. Parents, talk to your children, even if you don’t think they are listening. Talk to them, they’ll get it through osmosis, trust me. Teach them to be aware of their surroundings and to not be afraid to say something if they see something. That goes for you parents, too, if you see something out of place, do not rationalize it away, report it!  Please join me at Aliso Niguel on Jan. 20 in sending off the runners and bringing awareness to an extremely important issue.

I speak frequently about the AV Ranch because it is going to be an amazing amenity for our community and the surrounding area. The City Council did incredible work to bring this plan to fruition. We are aiming to sign off on the final plans and award the construction contract later this year.  I want to give special thanks to our City Manager Dave Doyle for his efforts.

The city embarked on a new endeavor in 2017 bringing recreation classes to our residents. These classes continue this year with offerings ranging from TechKids to Tai Chi to CPR, with a Senior Mobility Program to top it off. Please go to the city’s website at cityofalisoviejo.com and click on “recreation” for more information on available classes.

One of the requirements of serving in an elected capacity is to safeguard the public’s money, a fiduciary responsibility I take seriously. I introduced a council policy requiring the city to maintain an 80 percent funding level for the retirement obligation of the non-contract city employees. The purpose is to keep an eye on our obligations and to not find ourselves in an unfunded position we won’t be able to recover from without raising taxes. The Sheriff’s Department contract is another area we are watching closely. We look forward to a positive partnership where our concerns and ideas for improvement are taken seriously and we can maintain a level of fiscal certainty in our public safety costs.

Happy New Year, Aliso Viejo, and I am ending this message in the words of John Wayne: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes to us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

Dave Harrington is the mayor of Aliso Viejo.

The city of Orange will apply for a federal grant that could help open the city’s first outdoor pickleball courts at Hart Park.

The proposed project, nearly $3.4 million in all, includes six lighted outdoor pickleball courts, a walking and jogging path, exercise equipment, a shaded exercise area and other irrigation and infrastructure work at the park, city staffers said in a report.

The city has received several requests to add courts for the game, and now sees an opportunity on the south side of Hart Park, staffers said.

Pickleball is a racquet sport for two to four players with elements of tennis, ping pong and badminton. Players use a solid paddle to hit a ball – similar to a wiffle ball – back and forth over a net.

The city is seeking funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a federal grant program administered by the state Department of Parks and Recreation. A full award would cover half of the project’s cost, and the city could pay for the rest using park development fees, officials said.

If the city is awarded funds, it will be notified by the fall – development at the park could then begin in early 2019 with the courts being fully functional in 2020.

Pal Zileri’s newly minted creative director Rocco Iannone linked his first collection for the brand to the company’s roots in Italy’s Veneto region. Models walked the runway as images of storied sites in the region scrolled in the background, from the 17th-century Villa Valmarana ai Nani, ensconced in an expansive historical park and boasting frescoes by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo, to the Saint Celso Church, erected in the 4th century but rebuilt in the 11th century. There were many references to the architecture of the locations seen in the shapes and colors of the clothes.
Iannone, a Giorgio Armani alum, showed a sophisticated collection, designed with confidence. He re-elaborated the brand’s core tailored suits, updating them with on-trend elements such as check jackets worn over corduroy pants in soft pastel colors. The latter were also combined with embroidered damask jackets. Double-breasted jackets were cropped and boxy, and worn under long and roomy check coats with furry necks. Materials were precious, including cashmere and alpaca, and textures were rich. Corduroy in a twill weave came in a rusty color on a cropped jacket with toggle clasps and leather patches on the elbows, or in a dark gold-yellow hue as a buttoned vest with a

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For Rossignol’s Studio collection, Andrea Pompilio showed respect for the history of the brand and said he wished to “telegraph the precision and technicality” of the company’s expertise in the mountains for “daily, performing city pieces.”
The designer highlighted Rossignol’s down jackets, rendering them season-less and ultralight. Pompilio layered the pieces, designed to be combined freely. A standout look comprised a padded corduroy jacket with knitwear intarsia and a removable ecological shearling collar, worn over comfortable and loose pied-de-poule pants.
Functional details, such as snap-hooks and ski-lift badges, became decorative elements for the city, as did mesh pockets, applied on the sleeves of a checkered shirt in vivid and contrasting orange and blue.

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Alessandro Dell’Acqua cited the sophisticated and intriguing Catherine Deneuve in the iconic film “Belle de Jour” to summarize the attitude he injected into his chic Rochas pre-fall collection (one prepared long before the French actress stirred a storm of controversy over her comments regarding sexual harassment, for which she later apologized).
A precise, vertical silhouette defined the lineup, where polished collarless coats worn with midi skirts were juxtaposed against mannish suits paired with sporty logo turtlenecks and oversized furry shearling coats.
Mannish fabrics were cut into hyper-feminine long vests and flared skirts infused with a charming yet subtle elegance, while a shimmering textured silver brocade was used in a lovely evening dress with a sweetheart neck.
While the collection was strong on solid outfits, Sixties graphic motifs were rendered in jacquard patterns on a pencil skirt with a sensual front slit, as well as in prints splashed on silk shirts and fluid open-back gowns.
Everything exuded a sense of discreet luxury, which perfectly fits the heritage of the Parisian brand.

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The team at Ralph Lauren knows what it’s doing when it comes to castings: Models at the brand’s grand palazzo had matinee idol looks, with more square jaws per square foot than in any other showroom — or runway — in Milan.
Dressed in the fall collection’s clothes, they had a cinematic look, as if they were extras plucked from the party scenes in “Downton Abbey,” or even “The Crown,” what with all the military tailoring and shiny buttons and buckles.
It was a handsome collection — if a bit too literal in its military references — and hit all the right moments — evening, great outdoors, seaside and city. There were velvet collars and tartan cashmere suits for evening reels in Scottish stately homes, dark jackets with frogging and a naval officer jacket, complete with a buckled belt.
More military references popped up as red chevrons on the sleeves of a navy peacoat while a greatcoat came with epaulettes and shiny brass buttons. Sturdy sweaters had buttons running down the shoulder or toggles at the front, while trousers flashed with anchor belt buckles. An aviator-style shearling added another layer of military reference.
Suits were done in suede — an olive one was particularly nice

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Oh, the comfort! Tomas Maier melded references from the great outdoors and the city streets for this laid-back collection, which was packed with lumberjack and tartan checks, cashmere, corduroy and gray flannel.
“As always, the idea of casual and ease and a notion of escape set the tone for the collection,” said Maier, adding that he was also going for a strong visual impact with graphic, colorful patterns that he wanted to mix and mismatch.
Ease was the big word here, and came in the form of a gray flannel bomber with soft eco-leather black sleeves, wool cargo pants and lightweight corduroy trousers with an elasticized waistband. How comfy for that 14-hour flight from New York to Tokyo, or a sofa supper with Netflix.
Knitwear was sharp and colorful and featured a sweater in faded red with buttons tracking down the shoulder, a coral cashmere crewneck and a snow-white turtleneck.
Pattern came via quilted jackets, a plaid peacoat and a black-and-blue lumberjack check shirt, which Maier paired with white corduroy trousers in a fine match of country and city.

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BELLE AND BOLLE: Too bad Roberto Bolle couldn’t do one of his Grand Jetés at Tod’s chaotic presentation, held once again at the exquisite Villa Necchi in Milan. The Italian ballet star was literally squeezed between buyers, the press and TV cameras trying to see the new men’s collection — not to mention hordes of revelers sipping the free drinks and nibbling the canapés — with almost no room to breathe, let alone dance. Ever the pro, Bolle took the sardine-like conditions in stride and calmly and politely talked about the shoot of Tod’s spring campaign in Malibu, Calif., with Kendall Jenner, as images from the video were projected at the entrance. Jenner opened and closed Tod’s women’s spring runway show in September.
“It was fun and a pleasant break from a very intense period. It gave me a breather from the hours of training and tension, an escape from the daily sacrifice and sweat theater life requires,” said Bolle, who is seen dancing on the beach and warmly embracing a fresh-faced Jenner in the video. “These are fragments of Italian inspiration and we want to show the Italian style in the world.  It’s a joyful campaign and I think this

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NEW DELHI, India — Sabyasachi Mukherjee has achieved many milestones over the last decade, but 2017 was exceptional — and he has even more planned for this year.
In addition to global collaborations with brands and retailers including Christian Louboutin, Pottery Barn and Lane Crawford in the last nine months, Sabyasachi launched a jewelry line and broke the mold with a new flagship in New Delhi. The 13,500-square-foot store with 57 chandeliers, 112 carpets and more than 300 pieces of art brought in a series of unique concepts in fashion retail. His Kolkata store was relaunched in November.
The Kolkota-based designer’s shows are studded with Bollywood celebrities who swear by him, yet he inspired regular women to return to a “Sabyasachi style” simplicity, which was almost severe in its approach, with a focus on textiles. “I admire the woman who has the guts to come out without heels, and simply be herself,” he said.
Describing himself simply as a “recluse,” and stating matter-of-factly, “I am first a businessman,” Sabyasachi spoke with WWD about his success, the evolving market and the changing Indian consumer.
WWD: As 2018 begins, is it time to take a breath after the numerous collaborations and launches in 2017?

Sabyasachi Mukherjee: At a

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