Birthstone Blowout

Winter blues got you down? How about this gem to lift your spirits?: JewelClub just launched their 20% Treasure Chest discount on 12 select aquamarine jewelry styles. That's 20% off WHOLESALE, jewelry hounds.

Whether you've got a March birthday girl to buy for this month, or want to partake in some shopping therapy for your own collection - there's no better way to do the deed in my book.

I think my favorite of the bunch is this aqua cocktail ring. With a suggested retail price of $629 you might think it's out of range for a bauble this size. But the regular JewelClub price puts you in the $170 ballpark and with the 20% discount, we're talking $135.

Or this ring is only $75! I mean, can you imagine the smile on her face when she gets this for her birthday instead of yet another bottle of perfume or itunes gift card or what have you? And JewelClub has free shipping and a liberal return policy to make things even easier.

Click here to shop from the Aqua selections on sale - or log in to JewelClub here with the code INSIDER and shop the entire stash of wholesale fine jewels. So many bargains to be had, jewelry hounds - and cool styles to choose from.

Spring fever, anyone?

Vanity Fair Oscar Party Brings The Bling

Not ready to let go of Oscar night just yet? Here are some fun shots of the folks that didn't make the Oscar red carpet but sizzled at the night's true big event - The Vanity Fair After Party. And the bling was still serious. This is Vanity Fair not Us Weekly, folks

The carpet featured a veritable Who's Who of Hollywood icons - Jodie Foster! Jane Fonda AND Peter friggin Fonda!?! Jackie AND Joan Collins!







And the ingenue factor went waaay up from the lackluster Oscar showing - Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, Anna Paquin, Jessica Simpson, Vanessa Hudgens, Emma Roberts the list goes on...

A surprisingly svelte Jennifer Hudson sparkled in navy with diamond chandelier earrings.

And Hilary Swank officially entered the 'trying too hard' club with this get up, no? But that diamond pendant is as stunning as the cleavage drop!

And finally - will you look at the ice on Joan, Joan Joan! I was called out by Kathy Ireland yesterday on Twitter for criticizing her gi-normous diamond bib necklace choice, which she pointed out was from Elizabeth Taylor, herself.

Point taken.

But it's only icons like Liz and Joan (and filthy rich drag queens) who can really pull off such extravagance in my humble opinion. I mean, LOOK at this diamond ensemble, will you? Not even Charlize could attempt such a display.

Bless you, Alexis. Bless you, Vanity Fair. My cup is no longer half empty - it runneth over..

Oscar 2010 - A Diamond Debbie Downer

Now that I'm re-hydrated from my champagne overload and Oscar 2010 has bid his farewell, there are a few lingering thoughts I'd like to get off my chest before we close the book on this awards season.

While many of the fashion gurus this morning threw around words like 'diamonds galore' 'daring' and 'out of the box' in their roundup coverage, I am wondering if we all saw the same telecast?

The jewelry tweeps and I were in full agreement last night as we dished our way through the red carpet coverage that not only was there little to NO jewelry to speak of - the styles we did manage to spot didn't do anything for us in the 'wow' department.

The telecast gave us Demi Moore in perhaps the night's most beautiful ensemble (minimal bling- of course), and ABC featured Kathy Ireland with the entire Cullinan mine on her chest as she screamed her way through their lackluster coverage, but I didn't gasp aloud like I did in years past. I didn't spit-take my bubbly. I didn't covet. Or croon.



And is it me or did everyone from Amanda Seyfried to Jennifer Lopez and beyond choose silver Armani Prive frocks? Silver is the new gold - I get it - but the look worked last year on Anne Hathaway and Gaga took it to the Grammy Awards this year. Let's move on, shall we?

Maybe there are just too many awards shows these days. It was hard to top this year's Golden Globes with all of the Oscar nominees plus red carpet stars like Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Marion Cotillard - not to mention all the TV folks we love to gawk at.

In short - I was afraid of a snorefest and - save for the Kathryn Bigelow win and a few diamond divas (Mariska Hargitay, bless your heart) - I got a flatline.

What did you guys think? I fear I am being a 'glass half empty' jewelry hound. Where's that champage again?

Oscar Jewelry Fashion - Is Less More?

Jewelry fashion and Oscar - they usually go hand in hand, right? But as I expected, jewelry hounds, there wasn't an Angelina Jolie emerald moment to speak of on the Oscar red carpet this year. My lower jaw didn't drop once, truth be told.

The big trend we jewelry bloggers agreed on appears to be the 'less is more' minimal earring look to complement the statement dress. From Jennifer Lopez in Armani Prive to Sandra Bullock in metallic Marchesa - the A-list worked the 'wow' factor with bejeweled dresses that could only support a small earring or a layered cuff in the ice department.


Sarah Jessica Parker worked Chanel Couture - with built-in diamond necklace bling. Cameron Diaz rocked gold bejeweled Oscar de la Renta with simple circles on the ears. And everyone from nominees Anna Kendrick and Mo'nique to awards season starlets, Diane Kruger and Amanda Seyfried, sported just a splash of diamonds to make their Oscar debut.


(insert rasping gasp for air here)

To make up for the diamond draught, we jewelry hounds had to turn to our gaudy goddess, Mimi, who sported 43 carats of Chopard diamonds on the ears, and the ageless Helen Mirren, who carried 125 Chopard carats around her neck.



The night's big award winners are still unkown, but the jewelry champs in my book are Kate Winslet in a gorgeous diamond pendant necklace and Rachel McAdams in Elie Saab Houte Cuture and statement chandelier earrings. Nicely done.


More jewelry dish tomorrow. But for now? Back to the champagne.

Will the Oscars be a Snorefest?

It's what we jewelry hounds wait for all year - the Oscar red carpet coverage on E!

I love every minute of it - from Guiliana Rancic's inappropriate use of 'honey' with A-listers, dames and sirs alike (Helen Mirren? Run don't walk) to Seacrest's cleavage-staring interviews. I will miss the wild card Kathy Griffin coverage - but I suppose I can wait for the Joan Rivers roundup this year to give me a good guffaw.

But I've gotta tell you, I'm a little worried at the potential for a serious snorefest this year. Avatars are replacing Angelina. There's no Brad/Jen red carpet bump-in to anticipate. And while Mo'Nique and Anna Kendrick are certainly worthy nominees - they just don't generate the excitement of, say, an Anne Hathaway or a Kate Hudson on the red carpet.

Penelope Cruz and Sandra Bullock are both stunners, but we've so 'been there done that' all year with them, I've got to admit - I'm feeling a little bored with both.

So who is left that's going to bust out with the bling this year? What ingenues are going to give us a good Gwynnie moment? Kristen Stewart will be too busy brooding with her black eyeliner. Inglorious Basterds', Diane Kruger, is a possibility - but she doesn't have the A-list star power to make a huge impact like, say a 'Julia' or a 'Nicole' did back in the day.

Perhaps I should be happy with the possibility of the first woman getting Best Director or the adorable Gabourey Sidibe living out her dream - but a jewelry hound needs her diamond drama at the Oscars! I'm afraid this year I might have to double down on the champagne to get the giddys.

What do you all predict? Weigh in!

Don't forget to Tweet with me during the red carpet on Sunday if you're in to multi-tasking! And stay tuned for all the follow-up coverage here and on Jewelry.com all next week.

Lil' Wayne's Diamond Delay

So no one wants to go to prison - particularly if you're a gazillionaire rapper. But Lil' Wayne apparently has luck and bad dental hygiene on his side these days as the sentencing hearing for his gun possesion charge dating back to 2007 has been postponed twice - and for two bizarre reasons.

The first was emergency dental work - a whopping 8 root canals - scheduled due to decay caused by his signature blinged out grill - a diamond, gold and platinum masterpiece worth a reported $150,000! Weezy - get the floss out dude!

No word yet on whether LW will get to bring his bling in the big house (Riker's no less), as there are rules about bringing in valuables that can later be traded for cigarettes and the like.

So March 2nd was the re-scheduled sentencing date post oral surgery, but in a bizarre turn the courthouse caught on fire that morning causing yet another delay. According to Rolling Stone, it remains unclear whether Lil Wayne’s next hearing will be moved to another venue or postponed until a later date.

The Bachelor Crowns a New Princess

How do I suffer for diamonds? Let me count the ways - not the least of which is having to sit through The Bachelor finale just to get a glimpse of the rock the dude chose for his soon-to-be- ex-pseudo-fiancee.

Celebrity fav, Neil Lane, is the jeweler of choice for this series - contributing diamond rings for wedded wannabes season after season. This time, the princess-cut won the day.

Bachelor hunk, Jake Pavelka, chose a 2-carat princess-cut diamond to bedazzle his beloved Vienna, with 70 smaller stones surrounding the setting. Not too shabby.

According to Jewelry.com, the 'princess cut' is called a square or rectangular modified brilliant in many diamond laboratory grading reports, as it combines the brilliance of a round cut with an overall square or rectangular shape.

Former Bachelorette Deann Pappas chose this cut for her reality show bling, and other celebs like Kendra Wilkinson can be seen with princess-cut diamonds radiating from their ring fingers.

What do you guys think about Jake's choice (in diamonds and faux fiancee)? A princess for a princess?