An overview of the design, preparation and properties of metal-containing molecular triangles, squares, rectangles as well as boxes and cages is described. The metal-directed self-assembly of the discrete supramolecules from molecular building blocks is discussed. The properties and preliminary applications of the metallomacrocycles are also described. The ability to tune the size and chemical composition of the metallomacrocycles permits them to function as selective hosts for guest molecules. These supramolecules are an unusual class of compounds having tremendous potential in the areas of catalysis, sensor design, molecular electronics and molecular recognition chemistry.