Michelle Obama’s Bare Arms and Big Bling

The diamond divas came out to shine at the Washington Correspondents Dinner this weekend, but no one glam-ed it up more than the Divine Mrs. O in a shock of color and a hunk of jewels.

Gone are the pearls and pant suits of First Ladies past. Obama is bringing in bright colors, brooch bling and bare arms that have the fashion world buzzing – including her own husband, who poked fun at his wife’s toned appendages during his side-splitting dinner speech.

“She's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long, because no matter which party you belong to we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms.”

Who doesn’t love a Presidential pun, right?

While I know that Michael Kors is responsible for Michelle's pretty-in-pink floor-length dress, I’m still on the look-out for the designer of her flowery statement necklace (Twitterers, any hints?).

There are two jewelry designers the First Lady has often leaned on to make her look pop: Loree Rodkin, who supplied the diamonds for the Inauguration Festivities, and the eccentric California artist, Tom Binns, who designed the huge pearl and crystal look she dazzled us with at the first formal White House dinner in February.

What do you guys think of her sense of style? Shiny and bright? Or too over-the-top?

Take a Snooze on a Bed of Gold

If you think a good night’s sleep these days is worth its weight in gold, have I got a tidbit for you.

Italian mattress maker, Magniflex, is launching a new line made out of precious metals (gold and platinum), and if you’ve got a cool $24 thousand lying around, you can pick one up for your next slumber party.

The five-zoned memory foam core is thermo-regulating, anti-bacterial and odor proof and is covered with a sheath of 22-carat gold yarn. The mattress maker says the physical properties of gold act as a barrier to those unwanted dust-mite types. And if you want an even glitzier slumber, you can add on gold pillows for $1,000 each.


Not to leave anyone out of the golden opportunity, Magniflex makes their gold mattress line for pets too. Aside from the obvious glam factor, the gold is also a proven flea deterrent.

Eureka! Form AND function.

Prices range from $1,000 - $3,000 (or just a few year’s worth of Kibbles and Bits).

Feel Good Jewelry from JCPenney

Let’s face it. There’s a lot going on in the world that can dampen our spirits. The economy is struggling, global warming is on the rise, and Lil' Kim unfairly got voted off Dancing With the Stars.

So, I was thinking. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could always have something shiny and bright to remind us that better days are on the horizon? And wouldn’t it be even better if that 'something' was made out of diamonds and came in a little white box?

Well, fear not. JCPenney's new offering, The Hope Collection, is the perfect antidote to our sour mood. The fashion diamond line quite literally offers a message of hope in its designs and uses other ‘glass-half-full’ symbols like the rising sun and the flower-power peace sign to send a shiny smile our way.

Maybe you know someone who is struggling through an illness. Maybe your neighbor just lost their job. Or maybe you need your own glittering reminder that it’s time to turn that frown upside down.

No matter who might need a pick-me-up, JCPenney is giving us a brand-new way to show we care. And since their price points are always in the reasonable range, we get a lot of bang for our hard-earned buck.

So join me as I put away my snarky suit and get all warm and fuzzy with the JCPenney Hope Collection today. Lil' Kim? There’s a rising sun pendant in there with your name on it, sister.

Hope. Dream. Believe.

Diamonds, Yellow Gold and Bunny Ears Marvel at The Met

The jewelry, the gowns, the divas, the drama – all were present and accounted for at The Costume Institute’s gala at The Met last night in the Big Apple. And true to its reputation as the fashion world’s Oscars, anyone who is anyone in the fashion and celebrity circles got their grubby little hands on an invite.

Jewelry was - for the most part - an understated affair, with lots of diamond studs, cuffs and statement earrings. And model, Agnyess Deyn, sported a huge diamond necklace to rival the likes of those on the Hollywood red carpets.
But it was the clothes that took center stage last night with yellow gold and blue emerging as the colors of choice, hemlines ranging from ‘too short’ to ‘tutu-esque’ and the pants suit threatening to steal the girly gown’s thunder.

The winners for me were classics like Marion Cotillard in Dior and Chopard diamonds, Renee Zelwegger in olive green Carolina Herrera with a matching statement necklace, and a vampy Anne Hathaway in Marc Jacobs and Van Cleef. Love that she’s taking a page out of the Drew Barrymore bed-head playbook, right?














And my favorite jewelry look had to be on Jessica Alba, who sported Angelina-inspired emerald earrings to go with her Jason Wu bejeweled number.















And the losers? OK. You know how I loathe the misguided pants suit. And I would have made an exception for Rihanna, had the mini-mouse sleeves not put the look over the top. I just really wish I could embrace the D & G sleeve silhouette they've littered their spring and fall lines with – but it just looks silly to me. Am I right?





























Leighton Meister and Kate Moss in a Liz Taylor-inspired turban (yes, a turban) went a bit too far off the fashion trail for my taste.















And finally, a word (or a few) about Madonna. A part of me knows she is aware that the blue bunny ears are ridiculous. A part of me knows she wears the thigh-high boots and lingerie-inspired outfits because - well – she can.

But a part of me is longing for a Madonna fashion paradigm shift like she used to give us when she emerged with black hair or a kimono or a pointed bra. This is just feelin’ tired.

What do you guys think of the looks last night? Weigh in!

And don’t forget to Twitter with me and my sugar mamma, Jewelry.com for all the latest jewelry tidbits from the around the globe.

It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta Twitter it!

Madonna's Misstep at The Met

Madonna, don't be my new Paula Abdul, sister. Say it ain't so. Marc Jacobs really dressed you in this for tonight's Costume Institute Gala at The Met? You know, the gala where he is the guest of honor? Yeah, that gala.

What do you guys think? Is this just our funky, fierce Madge or a major faux pas?

More to come... (wait 'til you see who wore a misguided pants suit, who impressed in emeralds, and the oh so divine Marion Cotillard)

Paris Hilton to Win, Place and Show

How can one socialite drip in diamonds all the way from the blue grass of Kentucky to the blue bloods at the Kennedy Center in one weekend? Ask Paris Hilton, who was the belle of the ball at not one but two high profile social events in the past few days.

The first, of course, was the 135th Kentucky Derby, where a long shot came in first and Hilton dazzled the southern belles with her hunky arm candy and her chunky jewels as the co-host of the Barnstable-Brown pre–Derby event.

Wearing a poured-on Tadashi dress, the heiress sported serious caratage on her ears with a huge diamond cuff and right hand ring to top ‘er off.

And while Paris didn’t win any bets that day, she won a few hearts in our nation’s capital the next evening as she and her main man made a glittering appearance at the Kennedey Center’s Spring Gala, where Washington luminaries were entertained by the likes of k.d. lang, Lily Tomlin and other notable names.











Wearing a trendy gem-encrusted headband with yet another icy cuff from her treasure chest and a huge diamond ring rumored to be her grandmother’s, Hilton stole the show as the DC power scene scurried to fly in her orbit.

Thankfully, Michelle Obama entered the Presidential box to upstage her and bring everyone back to the real reason they were there – to celebrate women in the arts.

Which, of course, as a star of such worthy films as "The Hottie and the Nottie" and "Repo: The Generic Opera" our papparazzi-challenged reality star can so, like, relate to.

Mother’s Day Jewelry on a Budget

Let’s face it. No one really wants to skimp on mom, but these days spending serious cash on the occasion is a lot harder than, say, sending a nice card and calling it good.

But perhaps a better feeling than saving a few bucks is knowing that you’ll be shaming your siblings when you wow mom with a little bling this Mother’s Day.

Even if sis gets her that sweater set she’s been eyeing or your youngest sib gives her a framed picture of himself on the golf course (attention whore that he is), nothing beats a tiny little box with a bow, right?

Nothing – except knowing you’re, say, saving over 60% off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Or that you now have the secret code to get this kind of savings on jewelry anytime for anyone – especially yourself.

Now, we’re talking.

JewelClub is a top-notch Friends and Family jewelry site that I’ve befriended that has access to a jewelry manufacturer’s dreamscape of fine jewelry at prices you can’t get anywhere else. Here’s how it works:

1. Visit: www.jewelclub.com
2. Enter the code: INSIDER at the prompt
3. Enter your email:

And let the blingy blood bath begin.

And if you enter the code: MOM at check out, you can get an extra 15% off your total bill. And did I mention they have free shipping? Yeah, that too.

So if you want your loot in time for Mother’s Day, you have to order by May 3rd. Or you can opt for a faster shipping option for a few extra bucks.

It’s mom, people. She birthed you, put up with your awkward teen years and has an extra room in the house in case you lose your job.

Get on it.