How to Spend $100,000

5. Diamonds Are Everyone's Best Friend

One caveat should dictate the purchase of a diamond: Big is better. At a very minimum, you want a diamond to be large enough so onlookers can at least tell what it is. Rings are fairly mundane jewelry -- virtually every man and woman wears one at one time of their life -- but a pendant is more the ticket if you want to make a statement. We shopped online and found this rock at William Noble in Dallas for $84,000. To quote Marilyn Monroe in All About Eve: "Now there's something a girl could make sacrifices for."

6. Rembrandt, Here We Come

Well, not quite. If you want an art piece by an old master, 100 grand won't even get you the frame. So, it's best to settle with a recent name brand, even though some of your guests may have no idea what they're looking at. The major auction houses -- Sotheby's and Christie's among them -- routinely auction masterworks of contemporary art. Andy Warhol is a name worth dropping, and his pieces will surely demand attention. Take this one up for auction at Christie's: It's called Eva Mudocci, a piece Warhol whipped up in the early 80s. Christie's estimate for the high end of the bidding: $68,950.

7. A Man's Home Is His Castle

You don't need us to tell you that 100 grand doesn't buy much in the way of houses these days. But even though you can't buy a castle for 100 grand, you can certainly rent one, and for quite a long time at that. Castles are European inventions, so to get a real one, you must travel to the continent. And there you can have your choice of medieval brick and mortar (or medieval-looking, anyway). Take a gander at this palace in Scotland. You can rent its spacious apartment for three months. The price for this short-term fiefdom: Around $93,600, not including taxes or airfare.

8. Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Once you invest in fine red wines, you won't care so much about what food you eat. Several vintages of recent years have gone down as some of the best ever, and your recent check is enough to buy several cases. Wine experts bicker politely on which wine is truly the ultimate, but one that always makes the short list is the 1982 Chateau Latour. It is indeed fabulous, and unfortunately, it's also expensive. With your new windfall, a full 38 bottles are yours, if you can find them.