Kate Gosselin Ditches the Wedding Ring

Well, she's not 'ditching' her wedding ring really, but rather 'switching it'.

Reality TV's Kate Gosselin admitted in a Today Show interview that she finally put away her wedding ring and exchanged it for the ring she received during the taped Hawaiian vow renewal ceremony that gave us all hope this TV couple might just make it after all.

What a difference a year makes.



I'm still not sure why Kate is hanging on to rings that symbolize a relationship that has decidedly gone very, very south, but I really like the idea she shared with Meredith Viera about ditching the wedding bling altogether and instead creating a ring to symbolize her commitment to her kids - a design with 8 diamonds (one for each spawn) and one mother-of-pearl stone.

Kate could be on the verge of creating an entirely new jewelry category for single mothers - and there are plenty of them out there, right? What do you guys think of her idea?

I think she's really on to something. And if she's smart, she'll start her own jewelry line instead of relying on TLC to bread her butter now that Jon is refusing to allow the kids to be a part of her show.

Just a thought. What are yours?

The Sweetest Things (a post about nothing in particular)

Today is the most lovely day. It feels for the first time like I am really at college-the leaves are turning and the sun is shining and the air is chilly. Went to lunch with a classmate today and had a great conversation with a professor.

In the spirit of feeling good

who says this isn't an art form!?

happy list-

*having pet fish-

my roommate Danielle and I have a

fish named John Michael Bubbles John Michael

(thats his abbreviated name)

*skinny dipping

*mojo (if you don't know what this is, figure it out soon!)

*red barns

*shoe shopping

*finishing an essay

*banana pancakes

*decorating your dorm room with white christmas lights

*rocking chairs

*david after dentist

*cute noses

and

AMAZING MAKEUP

well blended blush

perfectly matched foundation

moisturized lips

amazing eyebrows

On an unrelated note:

MEGHAN FOX LOOKING CLASSY?!???

miracles do happen.

you are so very lovely

kissies mucho

Claire

AZN PRYDE

HEEYYYYAAALLL!!!

Its raining in Walla Walla :D

While keeping up with the recently adjourned 2009 New York Fashion Week, I was enthralled by how many asian designers are finding their place among the world of high fashion. Who says us asians are just good at math and making cars?!!!!!!

Here are a few of my favorite boundary-pushers:

Phillip Lim

This Chinese American, creator of 3.1 Phillip Lim, exploded onto the fashion scene in 2004. He has been making waves, known for his subdued color palates and easy-wearing designs.

His fashion week collection, soooooo lovely and luxurious

Thakoon

So short! Born in Thailand, Thakoon is known for his intensely feminine designs.
Soooo lovely!
Michelle Obama LOVES Thakoon!

Jason Wu

This young taiwanese american designer got his start making doll clothes, and later interned with Narcisco Rodriguez. His 2006 debut collection launched him to immediate fame. No fair!

This seasons collection was especially colorful. Love the silhouettes.

He designed her INAUGURAL BALL-GOWN. This guy is a bro.

Vera Wang

Yeah yeah, I had to stick her in here. This lovely, talented Chinese American former figure skater is THE QUEEN of wedding dresses. Nuff said.

PIE!!!!!

Derek Lam

My personal favorite, Derek Lam is Chinese American from New York City. Former Vice President of Design for none other than Michael Kors, he launched his own line in 2003. His use of raw silk and linen paired with his clean lines and simple designs are AMAZZINGGG

Rockin Fashion Week

My favorite dress by him, made with a SINGLE sheet of raw silk, uncut. The best toga ever.

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang is Chinese American from San Francisco, who launched his first collection in 2007. In just two short years he has become a figurehead of the fashion community, and is acclaimed for his tailoring skills as well as his masculine touches.

Plus, how can you not love this guy?!

Old-school Football inspired Fashion Week Collection

So there you have it!

Hope you all missed me as much as I missed you!

stay classy

and remember to think of pineapples when you are sad

*.*

kissies galore

Claire

(here is a picture of berit and i on the beach in hawaii!)

Jewelry Explodes on the Paris Catwalks

Jewelry hounds, we’ve got ourselves another jaw-dropping bling display courtesy of Paris Fashion Week.

Last year, Christian Lacroix blew my mind with his Alice in Wonderland-inspired runway jewels. And this year? The torch has successfully been passed to Lanvin.


What began as a rather restrained display of bling on frocks that ranged from the simple little black dress to the pleated jumpsuit, slowly evolved into an over-the-top fashion fiesta complete with dazzling carnation red dresses, dripping gold bracelets and bejeweled statement necklaces that had tongues wagging well after the show.


Critical darlings like John Galliano for Dior and Jean Paul Gauliter got solid reviews from the Paris onlookers earlier in the week, but it was the Lanvin runway that sent the sartorial tastemakers into a tizzy.


According to Style.com:

“Every Lanvin show has had a bijoux component in varying degrees, but yesterday, Elbaz amped it up like never before with a crescendoing glitz factor. There were wide enameled cuffs stacked over black leather gloves, slinky gold chains dangling Byzantine-inspired pendants, fat chain links studded with stones, and dramatically twisting Medusa-worthy snakes.”


Thank you, Lanvin, for finally giving me something to gawk at this year. And check out Jewelry.com's Facebook page for more Paris fashion fodder. You won’t want to miss Gaultier’s gold links and denim overall cone bras!



In the meantime, what do you guys think of the Lanvin jewelry display? Weigh in!

The Hope Diamond Gets Naked

The Hope Diamond, one of the world's most famous gems, is getting naked to celebrate 50 years at the Smithsonian. To honor the rare 45.52-carat blue diamond, the museum is designing three possible new settings for the stone, inviting the public to vote for their favorite by visiting:

http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/hope.

The winning setting will be announced this fall, and the gem will be shown in its new digs starting in May to celebrate the premiere of a Smithsonian Channel documentary on the diamond.

In the meantime, The Hope will be hanging out in the buff - a first for the storied gem.

"This is a rare and exciting opportunity for people to see the Hope Diamond as it has never been seen before," said museum director Cristian Samper.

Formed more that a billion years ago, the diamond was mined in India and is believed to have been part of the French crown jewels. It later came into the possession of Henry Philip Hope, whose name it carries.

The Hope Diamond was long thought to have a curse, bringing bad luck to its owners, but Smithsonian officials say it has been kind to them, drawing throngs of visitors.

Here's to another curse-free half-century!

Brooch Diplomacy - Madeleine Albright Communicates with Jewelry

If Michelle Obama is ushering in a new era of power brooch diplomacy, she wouldn’t be the first. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a tenacious negotiator, loved to communicate her mood and intentions through her brooches, and now the Museum of Arts & Design in New York will exhibit 200 of her favorites.

Albright "found that what she wore and how she presented herself had a lot of interpretive meaning to those she was with," said Holly Hotchner, the museum's director. "The pins became an added way that she communicated as secretary of state."

"Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection," scheduled to open today, comes 10 years after the museum presented "Brooching It Diplomatically," a show of pins created by contemporary artists inspired by the ones Albright wore.

"She started acquiring pins because of their inherent messages, their whimsical and pictorial quality," said David Revere McFadden, the museum's chief curator. "It's not about jewels and gems, it's about jewelry as a communication device."

The collection is diverse, ranging from Americana styles — including flags and eagles — to ones with flora, fauna and insect themes. She always brought a selection with her on her travels so she could be ready for any situation.

For instance, Albright chose to wear a bee pinwhenever she felt talks amounted to "something like a sting," McFadden said.

"It's a very gentle way of saying to whomever she is speaking to: 'Listen carefully because I'm kind of telling you where I think this conversation is going,"' he said.

When she thought negotiations would likely go well, she would wear a balloon pin. Another pin, made of stainless steel, shows the head of Lady Liberty with two watch faces for eyes, one of which is upside down. The pin allows both her and others to check the time.

I wonder how many times Albright said the word ‘pinhead’ during the Bush administration?

The exhibition, running from Sept. 30 though Jan. 31, 2010, will be accompanied by a book, "Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box," written by Albright.

Mariah's New Record and Record-Breaking Diamond

With all the buzz about Khloe Kardashian's 9-carat diamond ring cluttering the airwaves, it's easy to forget about other celebrity bling that made our hearts skip a beat.

Now that Mariah Carey is running around on all the talk shows promoting her latest album, I am reminded that this diva has a rock to rival them all.

Do you remember the 17-carat pink diamond ring she got from Nick Canon back in 2008? The impressive sparkler from Jacob & Co is valued at a whopping $2.5 million and with a center stone weighing in at 10-carats – a little smaller than a dime.

"I wanted to do something extremely special, something that Mariah would really appreciate," Cannon told PEOPLE back in the day. "We got the pinkest stone we could find, surrounded by other diamonds."

Carey definitely approved. "It's so clear, you can see my finger through it," she said.

According to Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co., Cannon "was very involved," in picking the ring, which has an emerald-cut fancy light pink center stone surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds, flanked by two half-moon diamonds.

Stop! It's too much to bear...

Who wears your favorite celebrity enagement ring bling? Weigh in!