Book of Eli Bling

Gold jewelry lit up the black carpet at last night's Book of Eli premiere in Los Angeles. The Denzel Washington-starrer is a post-apocalyptic drama which centers on a lone warrior named Eli, who realizes his destiny is to save humanity. Oh, is that all?


A MUCH easier task is just gawking at the black carpet beauties - many who showed in yellow gold including Eli star, Jennifer Beals, and Kimberly Elise in traditional hoops and a layered necklace.

Continuing the simple elegance was Mila Kunis in diamond and onyx drop earrings and The Karate Kid star, Taraji P. Henson, who made the ubiquitous diamond heart pendant somehow look new.
And the lone statement piece was worth the wait - a stunning turquoise necklace worn by castmember, Lora Cunningham. Does she need the earrings? Notsomuch, but overall the look is a nice surprise...in my book.

Barbie Bombshells

Jewelry lovers, I've got big news. Forget about health care reform, global warming and White House party crashers - this tidbit is going to blow. your. mind.

In a 'which came first' bombshell, J-Lo's New Year's Eve catsuit controversy has apparently trickled down to the taste-makers that influence every young girl in America - the brains behind Barbie. Not to let a good body image lesson go unlearned, the Barbie folks are bringing us their latest entry into the 'I Am Woman' lexicon: Cat Burglar Barbie.

Not only is her skin-tight black bodysuit the perfect outfit to don when young girls fantasize about stealing Paris Hilton's family jewels, Cat Burglar Barbie (like J-Lo) has a stash of Louboutin shoes to wear while sashaying her way into infamy. Eureka!

Cat Burglar Barbie comes with (count 'em) FOUR pair of Louboutin shoes including gold sandals, Miss ankle boots, Claudia peep toes, and Altameche knee-high boots - perfect for wall scaling, lock picking, and all manner of slinking. Conveniently, they each come with their own shoe bag and box, packaged together with a copy of Barbie's travel journal chronicling her adventures with Christian Louboutin, himself.

Oh the places they will go...
This limited edition Barbie can be yours (drag queens, get out your debit cards) for a mere $150. We've come a long way, ladies.


P.S. Not to be outdone, have you caught wind of this jaw-dropping Barbie entry Perez Hilton uncovered from a young designer in Beijing? It's Lady Gaga Barbie (!!!!) complete with Alexander McQueen reptile pumps and Kermit-wear. Now we're talking....

Tom Binns Gets Real

Jewelry designer, Tom Binns, is having a good run. He's Michelle Obama's go-to guy for big statement pieces and he's been tapped as one of the designers of the upcoming Alice In Wonderland jewelry line to debut when the film opens in the spring.


And while I love to drool over his over-the-top creations (he started his career working for fashion icon, Vivienne Westwood, to give you an idea) there's the small matter of 'price' when it comes to owning a little Binns beauty of your own.

Until now.

I just discovered the Binns 'Get Real' jewelry line set to debut in Paris next month is a response to the troubled economic times that cramp a jewelry hound's style. His solution? Cut out big jewelry from magazines, laminate it, wear it and call 'er good.


Yup. The tongue-in-cheek 'Get Real' collection is made from photographs of rings, necklaces, earrings and watches clipped from glossy magazines that Binns reassembles, laminates and affixes with safety pin closures to add the final touch.

If it seems a little like cheating, think again. I kindof love the idea, and with the Tom Binns name, well, you've got a great conversation piece as well as a collectible statement jewel to throw in the mix.

What do you guys think? Would you buy laminated paper jewelry? Would the Tom Binns name a factor in your decision? Would you make your own? Weigh in!

Jewelry Sparkles at the People's Choice Awards

It wasn't a jewelry blow-out like we diamond-obsessed folks hope for, but The People's Choice Awards did reveal some classy jewels, new color trends and a peak at awards show glamour-to -come.

Winter white, strapless cocktail frocks and one-shoulder gowns were the fashion trends that emerged (kindof a snore, but classic). A-list staples (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) mixed with the up-and-comers (T-Swift, Ginnifer Goodwin, etc.) - and Mariah Carey provided yet another cringe-worthy appearance complete with an unwalkable gown choice, diamond overload and rambling nonsense in the guise of an acceptance speech.

Nick Cannon? Make it stop.

Jewelry style was appealing and uneventful - with Tarji P. Henson providing the night's biggest lower jaw drop moment: a gemstone cocktail ring the size of a hockey puck. Love the color. Love the gown. Love it all.



Who wore your favorite look of the night? Sandra Bullock in a nude Vivienne Westwood number with barely there jewels? Taylor Swift in winter white and Neil Lane? Weigh in!

Mariah, Mega Carats, and (Too) Many Cocktails

Diamond jewelry was out in full force at the Palm Springs International Film Festival yesterday, which makes sense since the Opening Night Gala was sponsored by Cartier.


And while the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Oscar winner-Marion Cotillard, and the next Anne Hathaway - the divine Anna Kendrick (run, don't walk to see her in Up In the Air), graced us with their presence and sported stunning jewelry with their couture - you have to leave it to Miss Mimi to really class up the joint.

Mariah Carey, who was given the Breakthrough Actress Award for her performance in Precious, appeared on the red carpet in more diamond bling than a Liberace convention. Witness the wind-catcher earrings, the diamond cuffs, the butterfly right hand ring - AND of course her 17-carat pink diamond engagement ring from hubby, Nick Cannon.

But it wasn't her carat-count that had tongues wagging. Nope. It was her drunken, rambling acceptance speech that will now appear next to 'cringe' in the dictionary. You know it's bad when Sean Penn quipped before handing out a music award to songwriter-producer T Bone Burnett,

"Think anything's going to make YouTube tonight?"

Yup. It did. And you can see a snippet of the action here.

Ahhh, Awards Season begins again! Stay tuned for People's Choice Awards coverage here and on Jewelry.com tomorrow!

H2-Au??

Gold jewelry will always make my heart sing (despite the skyrocketing price these days), but there are some folks who take their gold obsessions to ridiculous heights.

Sure, we've heard of gold iphones, gold cars and gold fashion - but some folks want to trade in their Evian for a fancy bottle of gold-leaf spring water at a price you won't believe.

Billed by Exousia Luxury as an 'anti aging and anti-stress elixir', the company is putting natural spring water in a fancy bottle, throwing in some 24 karat gold petals and calling it the fountain of youth. Think Goldschlager for the health conscious.

So how much does it cost? Well, that's a big secret. You have to fill out a form on their website to qualify for that information, apparently. (Is this the Soho House or glorified tap water?). HOWEVER, this entry on the Luxury Insider site claims one bottle is $24,000! Seriously!!

I suggest staying young by indulging in a little gold retail therapy instead. These gold hoops from JCPenney are under $50 on Jewelry.com - just one example of many gold gems you can get without taking out a second mortgage to quench your thirst.

Lindsay Lohan To Show More Leg

Well, jewelry hounds, welcome to 2010. While it’s taking everything in my power not to write about Jennifer Lopez’s diamond-studded nightmare, I mean, catsuit on the Dick Clark New Year’s Eve special (I’ll let these hilarious bloggers do the work for me), there’s just no stopping 'The Lohan' from making my first post of 2010.

What this means for the New Year is anyone’s guess.

So news hit over the holidays that Lindsay’s 6126 legging line is going to expand into a full clothing offering with – you guessed it – a jewelry line due out in the spring of next year.

This means Lindsay, known for losing a purse full of diamonds worth 6 figures and ‘misplacing’ thousands of jewels from various photo shoots worldwide, is going to try her hand at jewelry designer for the masses??

But just when you think whoever is backing this venture must be as misguided as a Michael Lohan parenting attempt, think again.

Kristi Kaylor, chief executive officer of Los Angeles’ DNAM Apparel, which will manufacture the line under license, spoke exclusively to WWD about the expansion.

“We’ve had amazing success with the leggings line,” said Kaylor. “We’re launching the full clothing collection next year, and a cosmetics line, handbags, shoes, jewelry in spring 2011.”

That's over $3 million worth of overpriced legging succes, according to reports. Who knew?

The fall 2010 apparel line will include100 pieces (spring 2011 will be 150) with average retail price points running between $100 and $150. The 6126 leggings currently retail from $68 to $120.

While we'll have to wait to see details of the jewelry line, here are a few early drawings of the apparel offerings. What do you guys think so far?