Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, jewelry hounds. Turkey jewelry doesn't seem like a good idea, but these items just cracked me up.

Be sure to carbo load for that Black Friday blitz tomorrow!

Victoria's Secret Is A Diamond Bombshell

Ah, Victoria. That pesky lingerie mass marketer whose 'secret' is to lure us into buying overpriced skivvies by parading around those insipid angels is at it again.

This time, they're putting the impossibly beautiful Adriana Lima in their Bombshell Fantasy Bra - a cross-your-heart creation made out of 2,000 diamonds in a star-burst design. With a price tag of $3 million, it isn't the most expensive Fantasy Bra in their coffers (Gisele Bundchen wore a $12.5 million cup holder a few years back), but it will certainly make heads turn and wallets burn.

Ms. Lima's 'ice chest' will make its sparkling debut at the Victoria's Secret 2011 Fashion Show, which airs November 30th on CBS.

One angel who will be noticeably absent this year is Heidi Klum, who 'retired her wings' with the company earlier this month.

One day you're 'in'? And the next? You're free to eat again.

Lil' Wayne's Diamond Delay

So no one wants to go to prison - particularly if you're a gazillionaire rapper. But Lil' Wayne apparently has luck and bad dental hygiene on his side these days as the sentencing hearing for his gun possesion charge dating back to 2007 has been postponed twice - and for two bizarre reasons.

The first was emergency dental work - a whopping 8 root canals - scheduled due to decay caused by his signature blinged out grill - a diamond, gold and platinum masterpiece worth a reported $150,000! Weezy - get the floss out dude!

No word yet on whether LW will get to bring his bling in the big house (Riker's no less), as there are rules about bringing in valuables that can later be traded for cigarettes and the like.

So March 2nd was the re-scheduled sentencing date post oral surgery, but in a bizarre turn the courthouse caught on fire that morning causing yet another delay. According to Rolling Stone, it remains unclear whether Lil Wayne’s next hearing will be moved to another venue or postponed until a later date.

Katy Perry's Diamond Manicure

Katy Perry may have started a new trend by posting a twitter pic of the diamond manicure she wore to MTV's European Music Awards in Berlin last week. Her tweeps went wild with approval!

I have to say, I was on the fence about the style, but thought about all the fun we jewelry hounds could have with it during holiday season. In fact, manicurists have already been using diamond tools and powder to make our hands sparkle. And some crazy kids (and the dentists who indulge them) are putting diamonds on their TEETH!

Whatever trips your trigger...

I am admittedly late to the whole 'glitter toes' sensation that's taking the pedicure world by storm. You know - the pour glitter on your toes and cover it with acryllic technique that lasts for 2 months? But adding diamonds to the mix takes things to an entirely new level.

Word on the street is Katy's nails are really glittering with (gasp!) rhinestones - -but who am I to judge?

What do you guys think of her look? Would you wear it for a night on the town? Or is it something best left to divas and Vegas residents?

50 Cent Downsizes Diamonds

Whether your jewelry box is full of costume pieces or icy diamond jewels, the recession is forcing everyone to take stock of their stash with a discerning eye - including hip hop stars. In fact, rich rapper 50 Cent recently confessed that his diamond habit has taken a hit due to these tough economic times (the horror!)

Is he turning in his diamonds in for dollars? Putting the bling away for good business? Hosting gold parties at the mansion? Not really. He's just had to sell some of his old diamonds before buying new ones, according to The London Telegraph. Life's tough.

“The credit crunch has hit rap,” 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said.

“I buy diamonds on a very regular basis, but now I am selling my old stuff before I get something new. “These are times when you learn about the value of money.”

50 Cent said he has lost "a few milion." in the past year:

“If you don’t lose money in this recession, it means you didn’t have enough to start off with,” Fitty explained. “Sure, I lost a few million, but that’s because I have so much. This is a time that will sort out the strong from the weak."

I'm heart-stricken by his loss.

Victoria's Secret Diamond Bra Is Off the Hook

Diamond divas and jewelry hounds? It’s that time of year again. Victoria’s Secret has announced that model Marisa Miller will be the lucky angel to adorn their latest bling-filled B cup (ok, C cup), and the diamond details are as stunning as the pricetag.

We're talking $3 mil, folks. That's a lot of lingerie.

Designed by luxe jewelry house, Damiani, the bra features 2,355 white and cognac diamonds - each one set by hand in a feather outline, one at a time for a total of 150 carats. The centerpiece is a 16-carat heart-shaped champagne diamond (a big diamond color trend for the holiday season - stay tuned).

The detail is admittedly exquisite – with each feather mounted and sewn by hand (if lined up they would cover a distance of 3 feet) using a team of 15 artisans who worked over 800 hours in Damiani's workshop in Valenza, where the company was founded in 1924.

The bra will be featured in the Victoria's Secret Christmas Dreams & Fantasies Catalog in mailboxes starting this weekend. And for all you guys out there this one’s for you:

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airs Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 10 p.m. EST. on CBS. Set your DVRs, fellas.

(Who am I kidding? This entire post is for you)

Diamonds by Candlelight

Diamonds and candles are the perfect duo when, say, a certain question is being ‘popped’, right? But one candle company is taking the sentiment to ‘11’ by putting the two together for one whopper of a mood lighting instrument.

Welcome Home Candles is offering an earth-friendly soy candle with a Diamond Bow Necklace encrusted with 38 diamonds weighing 2.23 carats with a G color, VS clarity, and set in 14-carat white gold.

Indeed!

The candle and necklace set was designed exclusively for Welcome Home Candles according to Luxist.com by Bucci's Jewelry & Design, one of the Philadelphia area's top jewelry designers.

And the price? A mere $5 grand.

Seems a slight step up from tea lights and wall sconces, no?

Michael Jackson Memorialized in Diamonds

Now I’ve heard everything. Just when you thought commercially exploiting Michael Jackson’s death couldn’t get any more unseemly, news hit the wires today that Michael Jackson’s charred hair from that infamous Pepsi commercial is going to be turned into (drumroll......) diamonds.

Huh?

This may just beat Poppa Jackson’s disgusting self-promotion in the day’s following the King of Pop’s death and Jermaine’s chronic wearing of his Jackson 5 T-shirt. We get it, Jermaine. You're important too.


So Ralph Cohen, the Executive Producer for the Pepsi commercial, was apparently quick on his feet back then – not only saving Michael from his Jerry curl fire, but (eureka!) taking time out from the firey blaze to scoop up his charred hair to save for a rainy day.

Cohen eventually turned it in to John Reznikoff, one of America's most highly respected collectors, and now LifeGem, the world's first purveyor of diamond memorials, is creating high quality diamonds out of it for a limited collection.

No word yet on how much these little beauties will go for, but you can bet LifeGem is banking on at least high six, low seven figures.

I don’t know why I am surprised by this turn of events. The gold-plated coffin has barely left the Staples Center and folks are only seeing dollar signs.



What do you guys think? Is it OK for people to make money on the King of Pop’s death? Or have things gone too far? Would you buy a diamond made out of Michael Jackson's DNA if you could afford it? Weigh in!

MTV Movie Awards – A Jewelry Fashion Round Up

Yellow gold, blue gemstones and layered bangles were the top three jewelry trends emerging from the MTV Movie Awards last night, as teen idols from a sultry Vanessa Hudgens to a sophisticated Miley Cyrus rocked the red carpet

Teen vampire phenomenon, Twilight, took most of the top honors, with a gawky Kristen Stewart looking like she might vomit every time she took the stage – even dropping her golden popcorn statue when accepting her Best Female Performance award.


Maybe the spotlight is shining too brightly these days? (See Susan Boyle’s recent treatment for 'exhaustion' for further reference).

Laughs came fast and hard, with host, Andy Samburg at the helm (his reaction to Miley’s acceptance speech was priceless!).



But perhaps the best moment of the night came in the guise of a floating set of bare butt cheeks. Namely the ones Sasha Baron Cohen planted on a not-so enthused Eminem’s face. A pre-planned gag or a surprise attack? You be the judge.

Thankfully the fashion police didn’t much have their work cut out for them, as the MTV set rocked it out in sequined minis, cowl neck classics and a good amount of bling.

Vanessa Hudgins made her peach Max Azria shine with layered yellow gold pendants and bangles, and stars like Megan Fox and Paris Hilton followed suit with their own gold statements.


Blue gemstone made their way on the likes of Ashley Tisdale, Sandra Bullock and Malin Ackerman, and diamond divas included Stephanie Pratt, Hayden Panettiere and Leighton Meister, with diamond cuffs making a strong showing.


And while I could do without Cameron Diaz’s blue boots, Sandra Bullocks’s black tights and Kristen Stewart’s nervous tics, I’ll leave the freaking out to the Twilight fans. And Eminem.

























Check out the Jewelry.com Facebook page for more pics, including an unfortunate necklace look from Heidi Montag’s sis. Why is she famous again?

Earring Statements Shine at Fifi Awards

Golden chandeliers, diamond danglers, emerald drops and classic hoops all made a red carpet appearance on celebs attending the Fifi Awards in New York last night.

As if we didn’t have enough award shows.

The Fifi is the fragrance world’s equivalent of the Oscar, where important categories like: Best Celebrity Fragrance and Best Media Campaign share the stage with Best Packaging.

When we start giving out awards for boxes, folks, it’s time to take a good, hard look.

Celebs like Paris Hilton, Tim McGraw and Sean Combs brought home Fifis for their fragrances; and designer, Marc Jacobs, was honored with an induction to the all-important Fragrance Foundation’s Hall of Fame. For smelling so good all these years, I presume.

The red carpet featured a myriad of metallics, including Queen Latifah in Georges Chakra and diamond flower earrings, Paris Hilton in a bejeweled magenta Chakra and model, Hilary Roda, in gold with stunning chandelier drops.

The big miss here was Kate Walsh, whose shiny pink Hugo Boss number did nothing to accentuate the positive, despite a lovely earring statement. Word on the street is her divorce is getting uglier than the dress choice, so I’ll go easy.

I’m happy to report that hoops are still making a big splash in celebrity circles, with Dancing With the Stars, Samantha Harris, rocking a big yellow gold pair to add shine to her cute little tangerine number.

And while there were several solid looks that honored the Fifi like the important awards show that it is, the red carpet winner for me had to be Mary J. Blige in Roberto Cavali and emeralds.

By a nose.

The Journey of a Diamond

On this last day of our long Memorial Day weekend, it's time to put down the 'Jon and Kate' ranting and 'Will Adam Lambert sing with Queen?' wondering, and sit quietly to reflect on what's important in life. When you're done with that, I offer you a little learning on one of our favorite subjects: diamonds. Ever wonder where they come from? Here's everything you need to know, thanks to my all-knowing friends at Jewelry.com.

Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Journey of a Diamond (From Mine to Retail)

Everyone knows that diamonds are among the most treasured items on earth. But not everyone realizes the long, arduous journey a stone must take to become one of the beautiful faceted gems you see in the jewelry store. So here is a brief recount of a diamond's incredible trip from the mine to the market.

A diamond's story begins deep in the earth - 100-200 miles below the surface. These stones were formed up to 3.3 billion years ago as a result of unimaginable heat and pressure placed on carbon crystals.

Powerful volcanic activity formed what are known as "pipes" - openings in the earth - and forced the diamonds up through the pipes to the surface, along with other minerals such as kimberlite. Some of these diamonds made their way into streams, rivers and seas; however, these are only considered secondary deposits. Most of the diamonds forced up through the earth settled back into the kimberlite pipes - and it is these primary sources that have been the basis for the world's diamond mines. Only one in 200 kimberlite pipes will contain diamonds in economically viable quantities.

Once diamonds are found, they can be very difficult to mine. It is estimated that it takes more than 250 tons of ore to produce just one carat of rough diamond. This ore goes through many stages of blasting, crushing and processing, including advanced x-ray techniques, to release the diamonds. Over 120 million carats are mined each year - only about a quarter of which will be considered gem quality.

Although diamonds are found in numerous exotic locations around the globe, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, South Africa and Russia account for some 80% of the world's diamond supply.

Once the diamonds have been mined and processed, the next step is to sort, classify and value them according to their size, shape, quality and color. The DTC, the marketing and selling arm of De Beers, sorts some two-thirds of the world's diamond production, by value. DTC sorts rough diamonds into more than 16,000 categories. These diamonds are then sold 10 times per year at regular, invitation-only sales called "sights" to the world's leading diamond cutters, polishers and manufacturers. Sightholders may choose to cut the rough they buy themselves, or they many sell some of it to smaller manufacturers or wholesalers.

The next step for the rough diamond is cutting and polishing. This is a great skill, with meticulous techniques that have been practiced for generations. The main diamond cutting and trading centers are based in Antwerp, Belgium; Mumbai, India; Tel Aviv, Israel; New York; and Johannesburg, South Africa. China and Thailand have most recently developed their own centers.

Although some of the polishing process is computerized, most of the work is still performed by hand. First, the cutter uses cleaving, sawing or laser cutting to separate the original rough into smaller, more workable pieces. Then, the girdler uses a process called bruting that grinds away the stone's edges and provides its outline shape. Faceting follows, usually in two steps. The first 18 facets (table, culet, bezel and pavilion of a stone) are cut and polished by the blocker. The brillianteer cuts and polishes the final 40 facets, including the star, upper girdle and lower girdle. Finally, the cut gem is boiled in acids to remove dust and oil. Once polished, most diamonds are sold and traded in the 24 registered diamond bourses around the world.

At this point, the polished gems are ready to be set into finished pieces of jewelry, which is the manufacturer's job. They are then either sold to a wholesaler, who works as a middleman to sell the manufacturer's goods to the retailer, or sold directly to the retailer by the manufacturer.

Cartier Celebrates The Cougar

Diamonds, gold, sapphires, rubies – bless their hearts, they never discriminate. No matter how many crow’s feet, eye-lifts and hot flashes we women might get, they love us all with equal abandon. But these days it’s more than jewelry that’s taken a liking to women of a ‘certain age’.

It’s guys. Young, hot, guys.


46-year-old Demi Moore flaunts her 20-something Kutcher catch around like a proud feline and Sharon Stone’s 51 years haven’t prevented her from showing more glorious ‘gam’ at Cannes than a Vegas show girl convention. And let’s not forget about Madonna, Katie Couric, Ellen Barkin, Susan Sarandon – all cradle robbers, all fabulous.

So what better way for the Cougar to flaunt their prowess than with a big blingy cat worth beaucoup bucks.

Enter: Cartier.


They may call their coveted cats “The Panther Collection” but there’s no better way for the Cougar to shine in my book. Extravagantly priced (it’s Cartier after all), the line is made out of only the finest metals and purest diamonds and gems.

But you don’t have to have an Ivana Trump budget to nab a cougar-inspired gem of your own. Check out Jewelry.com’s collection of cat jewels and add a little shimmer the next time you flirt with the pizza guy.

Meow!

Barely There Bling at the Ballet

What gives? The jewelry stars and diamond divas in New York that weren’t already working it at the Cannes Film Festival were supposed to bring it last night to the tony American Ballet Theater Spring Gala. Either an allergic reaction to jewels spread through the blue bloods like Swine Flu on steroids, or the less-is-more police had their way with the ‘other half’ for the night.

Bummer.



















The Spring Gala celebrated the opening of ABT’s sixty-ninth season at the Metropolitan Opera House, which featured performances from the upcoming season and ended with an elegant black-tie dinner in the Tent at Lincoln Center.

So, OK. There were a few stars who managed to give us a 'little' eye candy. Not surpringly, jewelry maven and Donald spawn, Ivanka Trump, wore what I imagine is a statement piece from her signature jewelry line; a healthy Mariska Hargitay surfaced in a diamond bib necklace, and with hubbies that are richer than a giant box of Godivas smothered in butterscotch you can always count on Lynda Carter and Eva LaRue to sport some serious ice.

But the rest of the well-heeled crowd kept to a more subdued statement with lots of grays and blues and a rash of Carolina Herrera choices. She’s a stunning designer, but I would give my first born to see Renee Zelwegger in someone else for a change. Switch it up, sister. And there were those, like singer, Suzanne Vega, who needed a do-over altogether.











Everything is ‘not’ beautiful at the ballet when you show up in that, dear.



















So while the likes of Kelly Rippa, Iman and the ladies from Lipstick Jungle looked lovely in their Oscar, Carolina and Stella, here's to next year when Tiffany, Harry and Van Cleef can come out to play.

Jennifer Lopez Keeps Loaner Diamonds

It's gotta be rough being famous. You're given thousands of dollars worth of loaner jewels for public appearances, premieres and parties - and all you have to do is look fabulous. Oh. And return them when you're done.

But some celebs apparently mistake the word 'loan' for 'give', which is exactly what the New York Post reports Jennifer Lopez did to jewelry magnate Robert Mouawad.

Apparently the mega mom borrowed $50,000 worth of diamonds from Mouawad to wear to the launch of Andrea Lieberman’s fashion line, ALC, at Barneys in Beverly Hills but later decided to keep the loaner diamonds to add to her private collection.

“We received a call from [her manager] Benny Medina, informing us that Jennifer was going to keep the jewelry,” an insider blabbed to the NY Post’s Page Six. “As far as Mr. Mouawad is concerned, Jennifer can have whatever she wants, but a premature demand seemed presumptuous.”

Medina later countered their claim by insisting the jewels were a part of the deal to appear at the function.

"There was no demand whatsoever. There was an offer. It was very clear," he said.

"She was the only celebrity whose name was on the invite. She would have done it for nothing. But this was how it was presented. It was quite a generous offer," he added.

What's the lesson here? J-Lo's love might not cost 'a thing', but her personal appearances certainly do.