The Good Life

These are not your grandmother's pearls. With fresh designs and combined with dazzling jewels, modern strings have come a long way from the classic single strand. "For a lifetime, if not for centuries, the look of pearls was a straight strand around the neck with nothing else," says SalvadorAssael, chairman ofAssael International, whose collections are sold around the world. "We realized that the new generation wanted something different--something youthful, versatile and suitable for every day." With eclectic designs by Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, the House of Assael utilizes pearls of every type and color, mixing them with precious and semiprecious stones and mundane objects like wood. The Rope Necklace features 54 semi-baroque iridescent gray Tahitian pearls strung with oval-shaped moonstones and ruby beads, set in 18-karat yellow gold ($60,000; assael.com ).

The trend is being driven in part by the bounty of Chinese freshwater pearls, which come from mussels rather than oysters and now rival saltwater varieties in color, shape and luster. Of Bulgari's two new pearl collections, one--the Sapphire Flower line--features Chinese freshwater cultured pearls and a rainbow of multicolored sapphires. The Flora 18-karat yellow-gold and diamond ring boasts five pear-shaped sapphires forming a multihued flower set next to a single white pearl ($8,200; bulgari.com ).

Pearls are a centerpiece of David Yurman's spring collection, which includes a pseudo-traditional single strand of oversize, chunky South Sea cultured pearls as well as a sterling-silver and 18-karat-gold mixed chain necklace with turquoise and freshwater cultured pearls (strand $13,000- $80,000, chain $3,650; davidyurman.com ).

Tiffany shakes up its classic simplicity with the Dragonfly collection. The bracelet boasts white cultured freshwater pearls and 1.7 karats' worth of round diamonds melded into three rows of shining dragonflies ($9,750; tiffany.com ).

Laura Gibson mixes colored pearls with other jewels in her feminine designs. One signature necklace combines Tahitian keshi pearls, London blue topaz, aqua-marine, labradorite and morganite into a sea-blue beauty ($10,800; lauragibson.com ).

Cole Porter was so dazzled by the Brazilian city, the story goes, he wrote a song, which went: "It's Delightful. It's Delicious. It's De-lovely." Here's the short version:

Visit the Mosteiro de São Bento, one of Brazil's most splendid colonial churches, built in 1590. Austere on the outside, it has an ornate baroque interior lined with gold leaf and frescoes (Rua Dom Gerardo 68, Centro; osb.org.br).

Ride the cable car up to Sugar Loaf , a granite and quartz megalith rising 400 meters from the jade sea, for a panoramic vista of Brazil's fairest city.

Eat bacalhau (salted cod) baked in a cornbread crust at Antiquarius, Brazil's best Portuguese restaurant (Rua Aristides Espínola 19, Leblon).

Shop at Modern Sound , a spacious music store, for the best in bossa nova, samba, choro, MPB and all the other sounds that make Brazil Brazil (Rua Barata Ribeiro 502, Copacabana).

Indians crave Chinese cuisine (who doesn't?), but their capital suffers from a paucity of good Cathay eateries. Now there's reason to celebrate, thanks to the arrival of Hong Kong's artistic dim sum chef Yiu Wing Kan at this Taj Mahal Hotel restaurant.

Ambience: Diners are refreshed and soothed by the restaurant's yin character, featuring turquoise silk paneling embedded with antique blue-and-white china. Large windows overlook the manicured grounds, alive with a variety of birds.

Presentation: Chef Yiu is drawing crowds to marvel at his miniature rice-flour sculptures of bearded Chinese sages that grace each plate or table.

At lunch: The seafood dumplings, especially steamed Mandarin dumplings--translucent wrappers stuffed with scallops--and mouse-shaped shrimp dumplings are noteworthy. Perhaps most delicious are the fried spring rolls with a light, crisp skin filled with moist and tender squid.

At dinner: You can't go wrong with the succulent jumbo prawns with salt and pepper and Sichuan sauce, or the braised scallops in XO sauce with broccoli.

Wine list: To complement the seafood fare, try a nice Sancerre, Gewürztraminer or even a Tavel rosé from Provence.

Ban too boring for you? Arrid Extra Dry feeling extra dull? Now designers are starting to make their own distinctive deodorants. So raise your hand with confidence at the next staff meeting. New this month, Yves Saint Laurent's L'Homme citrus-woody musk deodorant feels cool going on, but like all clear gels takes a minute to dry ($24; sephora.fr ). Allure Homme Sport stick builds on the hallmark success of the best-selling Chanel cologne with the same name ($20; chanel.com ). Acqua di Parma makes deodorants in several unisex fragrances, including the cult favorite Colonia, which comes alcohol-free for sensitive underarms ($30; hqman.com ). Van Cleef & Arpels First Deodorant Spray is a light version of its original 1976 floral fragrance, with hints of black currant, jasmine and vanilla ($45; sephora.fr).

There's an incessant whisper from my driveway to come out and play. I don't want to be a bore, so I comply with the sweet little turbo coupe that's taunting me. I hop in for a ride or two (or 20) and the whisper becomes a scream. Is the noise coming from the car or me?

This engineering masterpiece, equipped with a sport button that turns this everyday driver into a passionate beast, goes from zero to 100 in a G-force-inflicting 3.4 seconds. When I push the button, the coupe tightens its shocks and hunkers down to scorch the road. Just imagine: 480 horses from a horizontally opposed 3.6-liter, six-cylinder, twin-turbo engine. But there's no fear on my part because this turbo exhibits surgically sharp steering. It's almost like I think about turning, and I do. There's perfect road feel and communication between car and driver. Paired with all this acceleration performance is an array of safety features, including traction control, ABS, a sophisticated stability management system, all-wheel drive and airbags-a- go-go. Think of it as a raucous amusement-park ride that's been pulled from its rails and readied for a road near you.

T.W.

Now and for the next few weeks, Napa Valley is in full harvest--the best time to visit. Check into Meadowood, the area's premier resort (rates from $525 per night; meadowood.com ), where many of the area's vintners hang out. Or just dine at the restaurant (from $60 for three courses) where you can mingle with locals and try to get invited on a private tour. Whether or not that works, pay a visit to Miner Family Vineyards (free tours; minerwines.com ) on the Silverado Trail for its delicious pinot noirs, Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons, and ask for a crush-pad tour. Here you'll see how grapes go from the vineyard, to the de-stemmer (you can work the line if you ask nicely), to the crusher and then to the fermentation tanks. There's a comfortable tasting room too. And at the end of the day, make a stop at Go Fish ( 707-963-0700 ), Cindy Paulson's newest café, featuring locally grown produce, prime sushi and an extensive seafood menu. Here you can forsake the sake for some of the local grape.