The nearly flawless, colorless diamond unearthed from a mine in Angola is the largest to ever come from the southwestern African nation and the 27th-largest diamond ever recorded.

Measuring about 7 centimeters long (about 2.75 inches) and weighing a little more than 404 carats (about 2.8 ounces), the diamond is classified as a Type IIa, a category of clarity that includes less than one percent of the world’s diamonds. Australian-based Lucapa Diamond Company’s Lulo Diamond Project excavated the gem in th…

The English poet John Keats coined a term, “negative capability,” that aptly applies to the peculiarly Italian brand of genius we celebrate from cover to cover in this month’s special issue. This capacity for “being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason” perfectly encapsulates the Italian gift for accepting and embracing contradictory ideas and impulses—and nowhere is this national penchant for paradox more readily apparent than in the competing Italian affin…

BMW’s M brand is big business. In 2015, the German automaker saw a 40-percent increase worldwide in sales of M-badged vehicles over the previous year, with the biggest demand by far here in the United States.

It is no surprise, then, that the Bavarians are scrambling to offer high-performance versions of vehicles that heretofore did not wear the mighty letter. The latest of these is the BMW X4 M40i (starting at $57,800), a member of what BMW calls its “M Performance” lineup, which bridges the gap betwee…

Cognoscenti of sophistication and style, Italian artisans infuse beauty and craftsmanship throughout all genres of creativity, including one of their leading categories—boatbuilding. Italy, which is the world’s most prolific producer of yachts, has indeed built some of the most spectacular pleasure craft to ever grace the open seas. Here—in honor of Robb Report’s March “La Dolce Vita” issue—we present 10 of the Most Incredible Superyachts Ever Built in Italy, all of which capture the culture’s flair for dashing design. B…