We at the Perfect Gentleman get invited to quite a few events over the course of the year. We try to attend whenever we can and sometimes we will write a report. We have decided as part of our website redesign and our commitment to giving you more content and a more well-rounded picture of a gentleman, to write more event reports and other experiences that we encounter. We hope you enjoy them.
Last week, we were kindly invited by the BSquare team of Justin and Victoria to attend an afternoon of gentlemanly education which combined cigars, brandy and diamonds. Now, cigars and brandy have an established tradition of being paired together, but diamonds? Aren’t diamonds a girl’s best friend? Well, as we discovered, it does behove a gentleman to garner his knowledge.
On a dreary grey London afternoon, I went to the new Sautter’s cigar store in Knightsbridge, which is tucked away down a quiet back street next door to the infamous Zuma restaurant. Sautter’s second store in London is markedly different to it’s older Mount Street brother. It has a sleek modern interior and a table around which the regular ‘samplers’ of cigars sit. It was at this table that our merry band of bloggers, journalists and influencers sat whilst we were educated.
We were greeted warmly and handed a glass of Remy Martin Cognac, the Centaure de Diamant to be precise. Well, I am teetotal, so sadly it was wasted on me, but according to the others at the table it was a fine tipple that raised the spirits, so to speak. We were given a brief talk about the history of the bottle and then our dear friend and former partner of Perfect Gentleman, Nic Wing, was on hand to give us some education on the fine art of Cuban cigars.
Although I am teetotal, my one vice in life is cigars and was delighted to be given a wonderful Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Nic then guided the table through the process of choosing, cutting and lighting the cigar. He also spent some time going through the fascinating process of growing and making the cigar.
As we continued to smoke our cigars, it was the turn of the Vashi expert Maria to talk us through the basics of diamonds and some wonderful tricks and tips to make your buying experience easier and more affordable. Vashi Diamonds is the online retailer founded in 2007 by Vashi Dominguez, a regular TV expert on diamonds in the UK.
Maria, showed us the key elements of carat, cut, colour and clarity, which are core to choosing the perfect stone. Maria gave us some tests on weight, clarity, price comparison and finally to test for a fake. We all seemed to pass with flying colours after her expert instruction. One of the tips that I will remember is that a slightly underweight diamond can save you a large amount of money, although you might not be able to tell by sight. There were other tips, but we will save them for our ‘Becoming the Romantic Gentleman’ book next year.
An exceptionally pleasant evening was had by all and I have to say the traditional pairing of cigars and cognac was certainly enhanced by the sparkle of diamonds.
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