(3) Kalifano Gemstone Globe-Topped Wine Stoppers in Original Animal Skin Case. The skin is reptilian, dyed a bright red. The globes are all modeled after Earth, with the land areas made of iridescent stones and chalcedony, and water areas in three different color stones: red, white, and blue. Discontinued product, not available from the company since the late 2000s. 

Size: 3 1/2 x 1 in. 

#5142 . 

Alexander Khalaf was born in 1976 in New Mexico. His grandfather was a Palestinian immigrant who had opened a company called Kalifano selling jewelry, watches, and objets d’art, and his father and three uncles had all continued the family business, immersing Khalaf in the industry from an early age. He began working in the shop when he was 12, particularly fascinated and inspired by Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi art. When he turned 18 he took full control of the business, by which time they had expanded to open stores in Arizona and Colorado as well. On a trip to visit extended family in Palestine he met and fell in love with a woman named Fahima, and they married when they returned to the United States in 1995, eventually having four children. In the next decade Khalaf expanded the company even further, with multiple branches in Las Vegas selling their signature item, gemstone globes. In the late 2000s they introduced an eclectic selection of fossils, minerals, crystals, and recycled metal art to complement their original inventory, and today their children are all involved in Kalifano as well, coming up with the next generation of unique arts and crafts.