Baubles, Bvlgari and Barbie

With all the diamonds, designer duds and dream homes a girl could want, what’s left for Barbie to do but wish Ken’s arms would bend and hope for a better blinking mechanism?

Well, luxury jeweler, Bvlgari, has a plan to get Barbie out of the house by putting her to work for their latest charity campaign, “Rewrite the Future”.

Babs along with other celebrity spokesfolks like Jessica Biel, Mischa Barton, Ben Stiller and Sting are working with Bvlgari to promote Save the Children International’s latest efforts by wearing a special ring designed to celebrate the company’s 125th anniversary. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the worthy cause.

Save the Children is one of the largest independent international organizations for the defense and championing of children's rights; they are present in over 100 countries around the world and are committed to providing quality education to 8 million children living in conflict-affected areas by the end of 2010.

The ring retails for $555 and you can nab one for yourself by visitng their website here.

In the meantime, I’m diggin' Barbie’s high fashion makeover for the ad campaign. Cheer up, Barb. Blinking is so last season.

Glorious Interlude- The Keybag

Joao Sabino, a Portuguese designer, has been producing the Keybag since 2004, but I think that this is one piece of technology that won't go obsolete.

Behold:

They can be bought here- pricey, but worth the splurge, in my opinion...

-Berit xo

I RETURNNNNN (and more importantly, PARIS)

HELLO MY LOVES!!!!

So obviously it's been AGES since I posted, but as you all know life can get a little crazy...

back in March (yes, MARCH) I went to France for a week with my mom. It was amazing, and despite my non-stop adventuring, eating, and art-appreciating, I managed to do a little shopping and take some notes :)



Those chicas in Paris know what's up. Their style is tasteful, classy, tailored, daring, and glorious with a baguette on the side!



I'm going to break it all up into a few different posts, but for right now I'd like to cover:



Boots

Everyone wears boots in Paris. Everyone. Big heel, wedge, flat, knee-high, ankle, thigh-high, black, purple, leather, suede... they've got it all! Obviously boots are a big deal in the U.S. as well, but it was truly a staple in Paris. Boots are great in inclement weather, with sundresses, out at night, out to coffee, and if you buy a good pair, they are comfy as hell and last a lifetime! I tromped all over in my Gee WaWa boots and didn't get one sore toe!

1) Bethany Strappy Softie $388.00

2) Nine West Buckle Detail Flat Riding Boots £120.00

3) Oasis Studded Boot £74.00

4) Target Xhilaration Kayden Utility Boot $17.48

5) Steve Madden Gesar $159.95

Knotted Chain Necklaces

These necklaces were abundant in all the shops I visited- knotted chain necklaces that were chunky, sleek, edgy, sexy... and easily d.i.y.-able!

1) Oasis Multi Row Knot Necklace £8.00

2) Forever21 Knotted Jewel Necklace $6.80

3) Forever21 Knotted Chain & Pearl Necklace $8.80

4) Majorica 'Baroque Love Knot' Lariat Necklace $145.00



Ahhh it's 2 in the morning!! Time to call it a night... but I'll be back! With LOTS more lovely fashion glories to discuss! Just in case your mouths weren't already watering:



Behold! La Galerie Lafayette- a popular "department store" that for my mother and I started as a curious peek turned into a two-hour expedition. The store was 5 stories and was organized by designer label. Nothing was affordable, of course... but oh, to drool over Lanvin, Betsey Johnson, and Christian Lacroix in one place?!



Dream of such places (except with dollar-store prices!) and sleep well, my beauties :)



-Berit xo

Free Pearl Jewelry from Helzberg Diamonds

June is Pearl Month, jewelry hounds, and there’s a glittering new reason to add those shiny oyster babies to your jewelry box. Trusted jewelry retailer, Helzberg Diamonds, just joined the Jewelry.com family as a Diamond Partner, and to celebrate they’re handing out pearl earrings at our favorite price..FREE.

Johannes Vermeer’s iconic painting made the Girl with the Pearl Earring famous in the 17th century, Scarlett Johansson brought them to life again on the silver screen and now Helzberg is adding to their storied allure by offering the perfect pair of pearl studs with any Helzberg purchase of $99 or more on Jewelry.com.


Whether you’re a bride-to-be searching for wedding bands, a devoted boyfriend jewelry shopping for your June birthday girl, or a fashion hound updating your summer wardrobe – Helzberg Diamonds is offering the perfect reason to do it all on Jewelry.com.

And now that they’re a valued Diamond Partner, you have almost 1700 new styles at your fingerstips from yet another retailer we all trust. Over 90 years in the business counts for a lot these days.


(Word to the wise: their diamond studs and Journey diamond styles are big sellers).

So take a cue from Helzberg and history this month and be the girl with the pearl earrings who just happens to be in on the best secret in town.

Click here to shop Helzberg Diamonds on Jewelry.com.

T Pain’s Big Ass Chain

There’s not much else to say about rapper, T Pain’s, latest jewelry statement that the diamond mega-chain doesn’t actually say itself.

Other than, “What recession?”

The rapper bought the 197-carat diamond dazzler for a mere $410,000 and debuted the piece at the Summer Jam concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey according to MTV.

"I just figured I had to shut down something, some part of the game," Pain said. "I thought I did it with Auto-Tune, and so I guess I gotta do it with jewelry ... just show 'em where the money's comin' from. You know what I'm sayin'?”

Mr. Pain., the money is most definitely coming from you.


T-Pain also shocked fans by appearing (with said Big Ass Chain) in a video with country music phenom, Taylor Swift (aka T-Swizzle), during the CMT Awards last night. An unlikely duo, but one that was actually quite cute. The softer side of T Pain, if you will...

If you want to see more Taylor Swift CMT style, check out the jewelry fashion wrap-up on Jewelry.com. Big Ass Chains, blondes and bling. Oh my.

Diamond Deadbeats

Diamonds have inspired the criminal mind to do some questionable acts throughout history – from intricate jewelry heists, to cunning catburglar antics. And Hollywood certainly loves to put a glamorous spin on the whole seedy operation (see the Ocean’s 11 and Pink Panther franchises for more).

But real life is definitely not as glamorous. Two disturbing news reports have me scratching my head this morning. One involves a lame attempt to pull a diamond fast one and the other involves stealing from a corpse. As if being dead wasn’t bad enough.

The first diamond deadbeat is 30-year-old Henry Floats of Hollywood, Florida. Authorities say this jewelry salesman reported that he had been robbed of $500,000 in diamonds on Interstate 95 while changing a flat tire. Unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate the fuzz taking a gander in his trunk - where they found the diamond stash just sitting there in a suitcase.

Henry. You gotta think these things through.

He told authorities he made the false report so that the company he worked for would be reimbursed by insurance and he would (eureka!) get to keep the diamonds. Instead, Henry finds himself charged with grand theft of over $100,000 and is being held on $40,000 bail.


More disturbing is diamond deadbeat #2 – someone who took it upon themselves to rob a dead woman of her 1.5 carat diamond earrings. Carol Arbit's family says she was wearing her favorite diamond earrings when she died suddenly, but that they disappeared after her body was taken from the house.

"How can you do this to a deceased person and to a family. We're sick over it, sick over it," Arbit’s daughter, Sheri Purdy, told reporters.

Purdy says the 1.5 carat diamond studs were her mother’s favorite earrings, and she wore them every day. But when her body was released from the State Medical Examiner's Office in Boston, the diamonds were gone.

While the family is resigned to never finding the earrings again, police are going to look for them at local pawn shops. According to an appraisal by the family the diamonds were worth $2,300 – but the meaning they held was priceless.

UV Protect in Style

Summer is right around the corner, jewelry hounds, so it’s time to start thinking about the tanning ritual. Whether it’s the beach, the lake, the pool or a folding chair in your front lawn, looking fabulous while you fry is always a must.

Now that you’ve Tracey Anderson-ed your way into a more worthy bikini bod, all that’s left is a little protection for your peepers. While we’ve all gone through our fair share of drugstore-bought options that you inevitably sit on or lose within a week, why waste your time this year when you have these supercool shades at your fingertips.


The Porsche P’8499 golden sunglasses are made from 18 carat gold with platinum accents, and the lenses themselves are mirrored with no less than 24 karat gold. The pricetag? A mere $6700 smackers.

Now that’s some serious UV protection.

Only a limited number are available – 911 to be exact – in honor of the Porsche 911 sports car we all need in our driveways. If you're still trying to live out your Risky Business fantasies (you know who you are) , this is certainly one way to do it.

So set the summer season on fire with a quick little trip to a Porsche Design Store near you – before Kanye West wipes out their entire stash.