Penelope Cruz in Engagement Ring Bling?

A kuckle-sized sapphire and diamond ring was spotted on Penelope Cruz's ring finger at the New York Film Festival this weekend, but the actress refused to confirm the significance of the stunner, according to People Magazine.

As if impeccable genes, an uber-successful career and and Oscar weren't enough, Cruz has the audacity to get super sexy, Javier Bardem, as her longtime love and possible husband. It's a cruel, cruel world, jewelry hounds.

Despite my unattractive feelings of jealousy, I am loving the idea of the non-traditional engagement ring making another star appearance (Princess Diana made the sapphire engagement ring famous back in the day and the trend continues to this day).



Many couples are opting for colored gemstones instead of the traditional diamond these days. They not only make a unique statement, they're often less pricey than their diamond counterparts - especially if you opt for a treated gemstone. Good news for us all, right?

For more info on non-traditional engagement rings, check out the Jewelry.com education section. They break it all down - and then some.

Sex it up with Sapphires

Sapphire is September's birthstone, and there are all kinds of ways you can wear them - whether you're born this month or not. Many women are opting for less expensive creative sapphires these days - scientifically the exact same stone as those found in nature, but they're created in a lab instead of mined from the ground.

Check out Jewelry.com's extensive collection of sapphire gems - created and natural - in a rainbow of colors from blue and pink to white and green.

And here are the down and dirty details about the sexy sapphire for those of you who like to impress your friends with your uncanny knowledge about all things blingy. You know who you are.

Sapphire: The Jewel of the Sky

Sapphire has been sought after for thousands of years as the ultimate blue gemstone. The ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire that gave its blue reflection to the sky, hence the Latin name "sapphiru", which means blue.

The gem has long symbolized faith, remembrance, and enduring commitment. According to tradition, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of sapphire, making it the most sacred stone. This supposed "divine favor" is why sapphires often were the gem of choice for kings and high priests throughout history. In fact, the British Crown Jewels contain a number of notable sapphires. Prince Charles even gave Princess Diana a sapphire engagement ring.

Sapphire is not only the birthstone for September, it is also the recommended gem for couples celebrating their fifth and 45th wedding anniversaries.

Both sapphire and its sister stone, ruby, are part of the corundum family, one of the strongest minerals on earth. The stone is mined in many parts of the world, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Kashmir, Kenya, Madagascar, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Sapphires from Kashmir and Myanmar are rarest and most prized because of their vivid blue, velvety look.

Although sapphire is virtually synonymous with blue, the stone also comes in a variety of fancy colors that includes colorless/white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green and many shades in between (except red, because a red sapphire would be called a ruby). Some sapphires that are cut into a cabochon (dome) shape even display a six-rayed white star. These are called star sapphires, and the ancients regarded them as powerful talismans that protected travelers.

With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is harder than any other gemstone except a diamond. This quality makes it extremely durable for everyday jewelry pieces subject to repeated impact, such as rings and bracelets. In general, sapphire can be cleaned with soapy water or commercial solvent and a brush.

Shop Sapphire Jewelry

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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!