Jewelry Style in TV Land

From Teri Hatcher to Loretta “Hot Lips” Switt, a gaggle of TV stars from today’s hits and yesterday’s favorites rocked the red carpet for the taping of the 7th annual TV Land Awards in Los Angeles last weekend.

You have to love an awards show where the likes of Greg Brady and Al Bundy rub elbows, Matthew McConaughey gives an award to the Magnum P.I. cast and Cyndi Lauper does a musical tribute to H.R. PufnStuf.



















You also have to love a red carpet full of women who still look smashing after a few decades away from the spotlight. The Knots Landing cast was honored with the “30th Anniversary Award”, and the show's stars - Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark and Michele Lee - emerged as if they had been frozen in time and de-thawed for the occasion.


















Yellow gold continues to shine bright on stars like Julia Louis Dreyfuss, ER veteran, Alex Kingston, and sister of Corky, Kellie Martin.

And diamond divas included Reba McIntyre, Teri Hatcher and The Cougar host, Vivia Fox (despite my vow to resist adding any more reality shows to the lexicon, I don’t think I can resist The Cougar’s pull).

This year's honorees also include Don Rickles, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, M*A*S*H, Married With Children, ER and Home Improvement, to name just a few.

While it’s impossible to highlight all the TV icons who showed up for the festivities, you should set your DVRs for Sunday, April 26th at 8 p.m. on TV Land where you can catch all the stars in action.

And if you need a dangling carrot, I’ve got six words for you:

Cyndi Lauper in a Witchiepoo costume.

Are You A Gold Digger?

Jewelry hounds, we’re entering the busy season. With Mother’s Day, weddings, prom, graduation and beach weather right around the corner, we’re faced with a perfect storm of jewelry gift opportunities. And let’s not forget about our favorite verb: “self-gifting”.

Thankfully, some major players in the industry have thought about our plight and are giving us a glittering break. The World Gold Council and Jewelry.com celebrated the sixth anniversary of May Is Gold Month last week and launched a whole slew of programs offering gold jewelry savings starting now through the month of May.

From a gold cross for grandma to gold hoops for your graduate, Jewelry.com has hundreds of gold jewelry styles available at the price points we love to see these days. And their stash comes from the most trusted retailers around (Kay Jewelers, Zales, JCPenney to name a few).

One last tip: Jewelry.com launched a May Is Gold Month sweepstakes - it’s the kind you can enter every day to better your chances (like the HGTV Dream Home – Why I didn’t win this year is beyond me). There are nine gold jewelry pieces on display – all very cool – you just click on the image you like, bing bang boom - and you’re in there.

So check out the May Is Gold Month bonanza on Jewelry.com and let me know how you make out. There’s nothing wrong with gold digging, Kanye. If you do it the right way.

Anatomy of a Jewelry Crush

Jewelry crushes come into my life every so often. My most recent bout was with glamazon goddess, Charlize Theron. From the first row at fashion week to her high falutin’ party wear, the woman rocked my jewelry world every time she stepped out for a while there. But my heart has been missing something now that she isn't making the rounds much these days.

Enter: Drew Barrymore.

Jewelry crushes are fickle, folks, let’s face it.

I don’t know what that Grey Gardens shoot did to the woman, but she appeared every bit the refreshed focused fashion maven on everything from morning talk shows to red carpet round ups. The hair, the make-up, the dresses – it’s all working for her right now. And she’s sporting some fantastic jewelry looks every step of the way.


So I just wrote about Drew’s Grey Gardens premiere ensemble in New York. Not a lot of jewelry here, but you don’t need it when you’ve got hundreds of Swarovski crystals intricately sewed onto your couture Alberta Ferretti gown. AND you have a bejeweled clutch and a little diamond hair clip with a net.

You have net? You go with ‘less is more’ in the jewelry department.


Then I spotted pictures of the star at the taping of David Letterman. Again. Stunning. On any other person this black Giambattista Valli ensemble might have been too much. But on Drew? Perfection. And the gold flower earrings are the right amount of sparkle for the occasion.

Cardinal jewelry crush rule number one: Know when to tone it down and know when to bring it.

Will you take a look at the Los Angeles Grey Gardens premiere pics? Wow. Talk about statement jewelry. Some of you might query - Does she really need the huge jade earrings, the grapefruit sized turquoise cuff and its orange-sized ring sister with an Abdrew GN dress that already has a bejeweled neckline?




















I say 'yes', jewelry hounds. It isn’t diamond overload – it’s turquoise. It’s trendy, it’s fun, it’s LA, it’s fantastic.

And the bed head hair is totally working for me.

Ok. Big. Deep. Breath.

I’m not sure what I’ll do now that the PR push for Grey Gardens is winding down, but I do know that I’ll keep my jewelry crush to one hair shy of stalker proportions. Not to worry, Drew. Just don't be a drop out like Theron, and we're cool.

Are you guys with me on this? Or do I need an intervention?

Drew Barrymore Dazzles in Diamonds

The HBO film of the iconic documentary, Grey Gardens, had its premiere in New York yesterday, and the stars came out to celebrate in grand old Hollywood style.

Drew Barrymore has never looked more lovely in a crystal studded champagne Alberta Ferretti gown that was "inspired by Jean Harlow and Clara Bow and Carole Lombard," according to the star, herself.

She accessorized with a fur stole, a netted hair piece and a bejeweled Roger Vivier clutch with ex boyfriend, Justin Long, completing the look. It’s good to see them arm and arm again.

Co-star Jessica Lange appeared on the red carpet still healing from a terrible fall she took from the porch of her cabin that broke her collar bone (among others apparently).

Asked how she could get along on the red carpet, she joked, "I'm barely moving, but I am stumbling along."

She certainly didn’t stumble in the fashion department, looking wistful and stunning in a grey cap sleeved J. Mendel dress with gold and gemstone drop earrings to match.

And costar Jeanne Tripplehorn, who plays Jackie O in the film, was preppy perfection in a polka dot Carolina Herrera dress with diamond circle earrings to complete the look.

Based on the groundbreaking 1975 documentary, Grey Gardens follows reclusive mother and daughter "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale (Lange) and "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale (Barrymore) and their everyday existence living in squalor and isolation in a decaying, 28-room East Hampton mansion.

If you thought Michelle Obama knew how to wear a brooch, you’ve never seen Little Edie in action. I can only hope the period costumes are as spectacular as the source material. Mental illness, raccoons and blue blood never worked so well under one decaying roof.

Grey Gardens debuts on Saturday on HBO.

Bridal Jewelry Breaks With Tradition

From diamond engagement rings to pearl strands, bridal jewelry style is steeped in serious snoresville, I mean, tradition. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with flashing that round cut diamond ring on your ring finger or giving your bridesmaids tried and true pearl studs to go with the dress that they’ll die black and still never wear again, there are some refreshing new trends that are breathing new life in the jewelry category.

Maybe it’s the economy forcing folks to get creative or the big whiff of change in the air since the last election, but big, colored stones are making a splash in bridal circles - from the pricier precious stones (rubies, emeralds, sapphires) to the more affordable semi-precious gems (aquamarines, citrines, peridot, etc.)

Sapphire engagement rings have been in fashion since Lady Di got her big princess cut rock from Prince Charles, but I’m seeing more birthstone baubles decorating ring fingers these days in addition to gemstone statement necklaces and earrings to give that big white dress a good shot in the arm.

The Luxist highlighted a great selection of gemstone bridal designs by Anne Bowen today, a designer who is certainly coloring outside the lines when it comes to tradition.

And engagement rings are apparently not just for women anymore. A fascinating article on Jewelry.com details a rise in ring finger bling for guys these days as more women feel its only fair that both people in the relationship wear a symbol of their pending nuptials.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

So if you’re thinking about walking down the aisle soon, know that anything goes in the bling department these days. If Michelle Obama can go sleeveless in the halls of Congress and Carrie Bradshaw can wear that green bird on her head, you can have a black diamond engagement ring if you want it, sister.

Carpe friggin' Diem!

Bret Michaels Keeps His Rock of Love

The third season of VH1’s guiltiest reality show pleasure, Rock of Love, ended last night with a diamond ring and a whole lot of cleavage.

Poison front man, Bret Michaels, was hoping the third time was the charm as he narrowed his selection of skanky soul mates down from 20 train wrecks to two lucky contenders: Mindy, the insecure Ohio girl next door, and Taya, the self-promoting Penthouse Pet with perma-pout.

The show for the first time inserted a Bachelor-esque diamond engagement ring segment, where each finalist was escorted into a room where they could choose from a selection of “rockin'” diamonds.

I’m not sure if the look of horror on their faces had to do with the god awful diamond styles they had to choose from or the idea that they actually might have to marry the dude, but the segment felt more uncomfortably forced than a CC DeVille guitar solo.

Nevertheless, Mindy and Taya showed up on the Dominican Republic beach in dresses that would make a drag queen blush to face their bandanna-ed, hair-extension-ed main man.

I admittedly was rooting for Mindy, the girl next door (she’s from my home town – the second Bret Michaels girlfriend to come from the wilds of southern Ohio), but Bret chose to walk off into the sunset with the Penthouse Pet of the year instead. Go figure?

And the diamond engagement ring? Well, Bret said he wants to wait and see where things go first (i.e. they sleep together, he realizes she’s only after the publicity, she becomes a guest judge on next year’s show).

Every Rose Has Its Price.

The Rock of Love reunion special airs on VH1 on April 19th

Miley Cyrus Strikes Gold

Tween sensation, Miley Cyrus, has a little movie coming out today in case you’ve been living in a cave, and the marketing budget leading up to the debut probably equaled the GDP of most developing nations.

The Hannah Montana star attended three premieres, the ACMA awards, and many of the early morning shows – and her jewelry style has been fun, fresh and littered with gold along the way.













Miley loves to layer her chains, and yellow gold appears to be her metal of choice. Stacked bangles are also a trademark look and tasteful statement earrings make their mark when there is a more elegant event on the agenda.

While there has been controversy surrounding the age-appropriateness of Miley’s choices in the past (the infamous Vanity Fair photo shoot with Annie Leibowitz, her 20-year-old boyfriend), it’s refreshing to see the star steer well clear of the Britney/Lolita syndrome. It’s just not what her brand is all about.

Call me old fashioned, but I’m glad young girls have a role model who isn’t catering to the fantasies of emotionally stunted men by wearing school girl uniforms, loads of diamonds, pounds of make up and belly baring costumes.

There’s plenty of time for that later.

And jewelry looks for this generation – including Taylor Swift and the High School Musical set – never seem to take things to Paris Hilton levels. There is bling and there is bling.

So even though I’m just as sick of seeing Miley or Hannah or whatever her name is as the rest of adult America, it’s nice to see that overexposed in her case doesn’t have to mean her body too.

Am I right? Or do I need to loosen up?