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.

The Steelers Show Off Their Super Bowl Rings

‘Oversized’, ‘blinged out’ and ‘just the right side of gaudy’ are words we might use when describing say, Elizabeth Taylor's or Beyonce’s jewelry style. But it’s the fellas in the football world that have them all beat.

This year’s Super Bowl champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, received their commemorative rings yesterday during a private team ceremony at East Club Lounge at Heinz Field, according to the Pittsburgh Gazette. And the bling fest was nearly blinding.

Former all-pro defensive tackle Joe Greene, one of five club employees who have earned six Super Bowl rings, and former linebacker Larry Foote, attended the event.

"It is a beautiful ring," said Greene about the 3.7-ounce, 3.61 carat beauty which contains no less than 63 diamonds.

Designed by Jostens, the ring's face contains six large, brilliant-cut diamonds, one for each franchise Super Bowl victory. There are seven other diamonds that represent the Steelers' seven conference championships and seven others below to add up to their 14 division titles in a football design.

On one side of each ring are six Lombardi Trophies with the 27-23 score of their victory against Arizona in the Super Bowl. On the other is the ring owner's name, the Steelers helmet logo, the NFL logo and the player's number.

While there have been many reports of former Super Bowl players pawning these prized possessions due to the current economic downtown, most players wouldn’t even think of parting with their blingy baby.

"Everybody's in awe right now," said backup quarterback Charlie Batch.

"When everybody opened his box, it was like 'Wow!' "This is the defining moment…”

JewelClub Cocktail Rings – Shaken not Stirred

With big, bold color emerging as the trend to watch from the mammoth jewelry show in Las Vegas last month, I did a little recession-friendly digging on my favorite Friends and Family site, JewelClub, to see what they had in the coffers. What I found was a treasure trove of ring bling that would make any cocktail queen swoon.


Here are a few pics of my favorite styles – all for less than a $100, no less. But you should do a search of only the ring category and scroll through the options to find the color combo that works best for your wardrobe.


For those who are new to JewelClub, follow these easy steps to get access to this Friends and Family site of a prominent jewelry manufacturer. The less-than-wholesale prices you get on sites like Overstock.com are ripe for the picking here too, folks.

1. Log on to www.jewelclub.com
2. Enter the code: INSIDER
3. Enter your email address

And you’re off and running. Did I mention they offer free shipping on their entire stash of fine jewelry styles – from engagement rings to diamond studs to gold hoops and more.

I’ll drink to that!

Vote for Your Favorite Tony Award Jewel

The Tony Awards were full of surprises last night, not the least of which was Bret Michaels' near-death run-in with a descending set piece during the opening number. Oh, Bret...

But my favorite part of the night was gawking at the red carpet jewels. From diamonds and gemstones to silver and gold - all categories were present and accounted for.

What's your favorite Tony jewelry statement? Is it classic Anne Hathaway in diamond clusters? A sultry Gina Gershon in vintage Fred Leighton? Or maybe you're partial to glam rock chic? Weigh in with your vote in the poll at the right, jewelry hounds!

And I couldn't resist putting the Bret Michaels moment from YouTube here for your viewing pleasure. Not to worry. He isn't seriously injured, but as the quick-witted host, Neil Patrick Harris, wisely cracked:

"He's given a whole new meaning to head banger"

ANNE HATHAWAY:

GINA GERSHON:



STOCKARD CHANNING:



JAMES CARPINELLO:



JANE FONDA:

Brad Pitt's Diamond Daughter

So you’re turning three. You’re thinking a doll, a stuffed animal, maybe a little cake might be nice from mom and dad. But if you’re the first biological child of the world’s most powerful couple – you don’t get a little party hat and a Sponge Bob DVD.

You get diamonds. And lots of ‘em.

Proud poppa, Brad Pitt, threw down a lot of cash at Neil Lane’s fab jewelry boutique in Los Angeles last week for his little blonde beauty, and walked away with not one but TWO diamond and platinum necklaces for Shiloh reportedly worth over $15,000.

Not to be outshined, US Magazine reports that Brad presented mom-gelina with a little bling of her own - namely a pricey Neil Lane charm bracelet decorated with mini gold and diamond jet planes.

To symbolize the emotional distance that now stands between them? Or maybe just to praise her piloting skills. Is there anything this woman doesn't do?

Apparently not. She's been listed as the most powerful celebrity in the world according to Forbes Magazine (yes, including the big O, folks), so it's probably best that Brad keep up with the...um...kissing up.