In my humble opinion, you can tell a novice billiard player by how they first approach the cue:  Grab it from the rack, look it

Custom billiard cues by Hercek.

over, and then roll it along the felt before they start to rack the balls.

I always feel a slight wave of disdain when I witness that happening.  You see, first and foremost is the weight of the cue.  I am notorious for looking away from the cues as I simply take them between my thumb and second and middle finger to quickly gauge their weight.   And that’s what seperates you from the novices.   Novices don’t understand that the cues will vary greatly in weight from 16 ounces to 21.  Personally, I like a nice heavy cue that feels solid in my hands — then I’ll be concerned if it’s warped or not.

Don’t even get me started on the felt and the perfect wool / polyester blend.

So with this in mind, Hercek makes billiard cues for people like us; however, I do caution you that it can take up to 10 years.

Each cue is hand constructed from elephant ivory that was harvested before the banning, exotic hardwoods, precious stones and metals and you have yourself a cue to write home about!

Only thirty cues will be made each year and start at $20,000.

~~ Raine Devries

During a visit to England in 2005, Mary Oswald, the owner of CollierLeeds.com, visited Leeds Castle and was particularly enthralled with the dog collar museum at the castle grounds.  Being a lifelong dog-lover, Mary was enthralled with this unique aspect of historical artifacts and wanted to adorn her own dogs with something similar.  Alas, despite a search of high and low, Mary was unable to find comparable collars so naturally the entrepreneurial spirit kicked in.    

Each collar is handcrafted in Mary’s studio in the Pennsylvania countryside.  Begining with high quality English bridle leather, they shape the collar and then attach buckles, dee rings and “medallions”.

Much care is taken to ensure you receive a high quality dog collar. Before leaving the premises, each collar is finished with protective coating. However, the leather will mellow and patina with age because of its natural tendencies. Collier Leeds recommends that your collar be used for decorative purposes and even though it will stand up to your dog’s antics, should be kept dry and clean.

Contrary to popular belief, exquisite footware does not soley belong in the realm of women.  Men also enjoy fine shoes – they like having an outline of their foot done, choosing the types of soles, leather and lacings and wait with baited anticipation for that call a few weeks later from the cobbler to let them know the day has finally arrived.

It’s an amusing yet touching sight to see a man sitting and looking with love at his handmade shoes much with the same look of love he bestowed upon his first million dollar$.

In today’s world, it doesn’t get much better than Stefano Bemer shoes.

Bemer, who once worked for Gucci, is an Italian master cobbler who hand-makes truly unique shoes. Using materials such as toad and camel, his bespoke shoes take about three months to produce and start at around $2,000.  Considering these shoes will last a couple decades with good care, they are an absolute bargain.