The Florentine firm Baldi, which specializes in transforming precious metals and semiprecious stones into ravishing dream objects, has made the fantasy of bathing in a water-filled quarry a reality. For an average price of $925,000, it will extract a massive chunk of rock crystal from the Amazon and hand it over to the master craftsmen of Pietrasanta—the world-famous Italian source for marble since the time of Michelangelo—to carve into a tub that surely sets a new barometer for extravagance. The first 10-ton block was cut in two, and the initial tub was quickly snatched up by a Russian magnate. After adapting its design for the American market, the bathtub will be exclusively available in this country, beginning May 1, through Hydrology, a high-end distributor in Chicago. Each piece is unique. (312.832.9000, www.hydrologychicago.com)
