Sandra Bullock’s Fashion House of Horrors

Despite Sandra Bullock’s A-list status, jewelry, fashion and taste were not present and accounted for at her All About Steve premiere in Los Angeles last night.

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Sandy Bullock, in spite of her giving us the Miss Congeniality franchise and a few other clunkers. And until recently, she generally showed off her tasteful fashion sense in age-appropriate gowns with classic jewelry and a sense of fun thrown in for good measure.

So I have one question: What happened to you last night, Sandy?

This Lanvin dress is just all kinds of wrong, made even worse by (gasp!) ankle boots and a bedhead hairstyle that just isn’t red carpet-worthy. The jewelry is non-existent - just some simple diamond drop earrings – and to make matters worse, her bad fashion vibe trickled down to most of the other choices on the carpet like some primordial ooze contaminating everything in its path.

Actress, Beth Grant, graced us with a hideous Mrs. Roper-esque mumu with layered pearl strands that made a busy look even busier. And, I’m sorry, but this onyx and diamond jewelry statement on Luelle is just gaudy, doll, not glamorous.

The horror. The horror.

Bullock's co-star, Bradley Cooper, was the only saving grace from what I can gather, showing up in a simple suit and a winning smile. Let’s hope their film is better than the garments and gems that showed up to celebrate it.

I think it's best we just turn the page.

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Lead a Charmed Life

Forgive me, jewelry hounds. I forgot an important fall jewelry trend in my post last week: charm bracelets!

Most of the hot celebrity jewelry lines are featuring them this season – from Paula Abdul to Tori Spelling – and top designers like Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs and Betsey Johnson have special charmed creations in their collections as well.

Even Brad Pitt got shiny additions for his beloved Angie's bracelet - as if they didn't already lead a charmed life!

Charm bracelets are one of those timeless jewelry categories that work for all ages and styles. The fun isn’t about a one-off bracelet purchase – it’s about collecting the charms that represent who you are. And it’s a great way to get gifts that really mean something to you come birthday-time and holiday season.

One hotspot for charms is Reeds Jewelers on Jewelry.com. The retailer, in business since 1946, just joined the Internet juggernaut with over 4,000 (count em!) charms ripe for the picking - in addition to their extensive collection of fine jewelry styles.

Some of my favorites border on the bizarre, but you’ve got to hand it to them: they’ve got every whim and whimsy covered.

How much do you love this bathtub charm? They’ve got everything from a minivan and a gas pump to a spider web and a camera! Anything you can imagine.

So take some time to troll the Reeds coffers on Jewelry.com to add to your charm collection or to start a new bracelet just in time for the fall season.

And let me know how you make out! Which charms best suit your personality? They've got it ALL, I'm telling you. Surprise me!

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Lindsay Lohan Robbed in Hollywood

Maybe diamonds aren’t Lindsay Lohan’s best friend after all. After several high profile diamond jewelry debacles – including a lost purse carrying thousands of dollars in jewels and rumors accusing her of stealing diamond jewelry from a photo shoot - La-Lohan is making diamond jewelry news again.

Maybe her bogus tanning products and lackluster legging line angered the fashion gods, but the papparazi darling found herself yet another victim of a celebrity-targeted break-in a la Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.

Her upstanding citizen of a father reported the robbery, telling TMZ that he believed it to be an inside job. Reports state that the alarm system was dismantled and Lohan’s safe was ripped off the wall. Bags, shoes and diamond jewelry were taken, but no word yet on how much the loot is worth.

It seems trouble follows Ms. Lohan wherever she goes these days. With plans already underway to move Lindsay out of her Hollywood Hills home, let’s hope the gods will be satisfied with a simple return to the movie industry where she belongs. Sans diamonds, patterned leggings and the perma-tan.

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Jewelry Trend Alert!

Jewelry fashion is a fickle beast. Just when you think you can retire your statement necklace (or day-glo bangles, as the case may be), the trend-setters bring them back to catwalk another day.

This fall, there are a few relics from bygone eras that are trending big for the new season, but there are also some tried and true jewelry categories that are holding steady for us too.

Here are my four top fall jewelry trends to watch – at least until we get a look at what Fashion Week has in store this October.

Tell me about it, Stud:

Break out your bedazzlers, studded jewelry and clothing is back! From bracelets and belts to shoes and bags, bejeweled fashion is polka-dotting its way back into our hearts and jewelry boxes. Tori Spelling actually has some cute studded styles in her collection. Who knew?

Black and White (and Green all over):

Black and white jewelry may bring to mind the mod days of the 60s, but its making Fall 2009 fashion shine bright this year. Find black and white with a splash of green, and you’ll get high marks from all the sartorial looky-loos.

Yellow Gold:

Summer’s favorite metal has staying power well beyond poolside BBQ season. Gilded, golden, over-the-top jewelry is a major ‘do’ for trend setting fashionistas and Rachel Zoe followers alike. ‘Gaudy’ is no longer a bad word.

80s Glam:

Just when you thought it was safe, shoulder pads, day-glo and leg warmers are showing themselves again - and punk rock 80s jewelry is joining in the renaissance. Think Duran Duran meets The Ramones.

So stay tuned throughout the season for my updates to the fall jewelry fashion evolution. I'm secretly happy to know that even though the economy still blows, there is still whimsy and imagination to be had out there - and jewelry trends we can all participate in no matter our wallet size.

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Alyssa Milano Weds in Special Diamond

Who's the Boss? Alyssa Milano, clearly, who wore a designer Vera Wang gown and a huge custom-made diamond engagement ring for her weekend wedding.

Celebrity weddings are full of designer diamonds, but Charmed actress Milano, 36, got hitched in a unique diamond engagement ring created by her very own husband - with a little help.

Mr. Alyssa, Hollywood agent David Bugliari, designed the diamond ring with Jim Lavi at Daniel Jewelry in La Jolla, California. The huge cushion-cut diamond solitaire rests on an 18kt gold band, but the jeweler refused to reveal the carat weight to reporters stating only that, "It's a big one."

Indeed.

According to People, the bride wore a Vera Wang gown and walked down the aisle to John Lennon's, "Imagine". Wedding guests attended a rustic-style reception after the ceremony, which Milano, who is of Italian descent, said was meant to create the essence of her family's Sunday dinners.

"We wanted a wedding that was reflective of who we are as a couple," said Milano, who met her husband in 2006.

But Alyssa isn't the only one with a cushion-cut diamond lighting up her ring finger. Cushion-cut diamonds are all the rage these days with Ivanka Trump, Anna Paquin and Mark Wahlberg's wife, Rhea Durham, sporting the style, among others.

Check out the Jewelry.com bridal boutique for over 600 diamond engagement ring styles from all the retailers you trust, including some stunning cushion-cut sparklers that rival any celebrity bling.

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60s Jewelry Fashion: Mad Men Maven or Flower Child?

Woodstock may be turning 40, but the jewelry it inspired still lives on. Jewelry.com reports today that the Boho Chic stylings of Nicole Richie and Kate Hudson evolved from the muddy flats of that Woodstock farm 'lo those many years ago - and they've got a bevy of hippie chick styles in their coffers to prove it.



But with buttoned-up Mad Men 60s fashion taking the media by storm these days, many of us forget that there was quite a different fashion revolution going on at the same time. Bell bottoms, roach clips, peasant-wear and beads, beads, beads were as prevalent as sweater sets, pearls, and tailored suits.


Which 60s-era style do you prefer? The pendants, pearl strands, and vintage brooches of the three-martini lunch era? Or the layered necklace, love bead, bangled look of Janis Joplin and her acolytes?


I'm torn. I've lived in Manhattan for years - so consider myself a New Yorker at heart, but I've also spent enough time in California to own a pair of Birkenstocks and go to more than a few Grateful Dead shows before Jerry Garcia became the inspiration for an ice cream flavor.

What's your preference for the jewelry style of this era? Grace Kelly glam? Or Hippie Chick chic? Or are you content to leave the 60s well in the past where it belongs?

Weigh in!

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Yellow Gold Continues to Shine for Fall

Gold jewelry was all the rage this summer, with stars sporting it to red carpet events and fashionistas adding yellow gold sparkle to their spring collection selects. Now, InStyle is predicting that the sunny hue has serious staying power right into fall.

Claiming that jewelry mavens should focus on pieces that are "glossy, gilded and gorgeous", InStyle picked a selection of 18kt yellow gold items that illustrated their point, including a gold pendant from Sophia Flore and a striking gold butterfly brooch from celebrity jeweler and Christina Aguilera BFF, Stephen Webster.

But not all of us have gold record royalties to use when snapping up our jewels for the fall season.



Enter: JewelClub.

You Jewelry Insider veterans are well aware of this great Friends and Family site that I’ve been sharing with my readers for the past year. Trust me: you’ll be hard pressed to find prices this low out there in the real world.

Just enter the code: INSIDER when you login to www.jewelclub.com and shop hundreds of fine jewelry styles – from diamonds and gemstones to silver and yes, yellow gold – all at prices well below retail.

Check it out for yourselves. If you’re not a ‘trendy’ shopper, it's a perfect way to stock up on staples. I, personally, need some diamond studs like pronto – and am snapping up a pair for less than $100. Seriously.

So grab your yellow gold, your diamond studs, whatever jewel is calling your name – and let me know how you make out. Summer is almost over but that doesn’t mean the sparkle has to stop, right?

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Porky Pig Gets a Diamond Dessert

And you thought swine flu was our biggest pork-related concern?

The Daily Mail in the UK reports today that a large pig has swallowed the diamond from a woman's $2500 ring.

Ginger, a Kune Kune pig, clamped her jaws around the jewel after Anne Moon put her hand into its pen at Easingwold Maize Maze in North Yorkshire, England.


When Mrs. Moon pulled away, the diamond was nowhere to be found. Now farmer Paul Caygill, who owns the attraction, has been given the task of sifting through Ginger's sty to find the glorious gem.

Caygill told the reporter, “It wasn't malicious or anything, it didn't take her finger off but took the central stone of her diamond ring.”

“So far it hasn't turned up, but we are still hoping. I don't know how long it takes for nature to take its course.”

I don’t know what’s worse, losing the diamond or having the illustrious task of finding it.

Mrs Moon, from Thirsk, had been visiting the farm with her husband Les, 63, who bought the ring for her about 30 years ago, and their grandchildren Josh, four, and Emilia, aged 20 months.

She isn’t hopeful the gem will turn up, but you can bet she’ll be dreaming of old Ginger there on a platter with an apple in her mouth if the diamond is gone for good.

"People might think I've made this up," says Moon, "but I'm not telling porkies."

You have read this article diamond ring / funny jewelry stories / Ginger / Jewelry Insider / Mrs. Moon / pig / pig eats diamond with the title August 2009. You can bookmark this page URL http://meandmadison.blogspot.com/2009/08/porky-pig-gets-diamond-dessert.html. Thanks!

Kate Gosselin Still Wears Her Diamond Wedding Ring

Despite her soon-to-be ex husband gallivanting all over tarnation with one cheeky woman after the next, a teary-eyed Kate Gosselin explained to Today Show host Meredith Viera this morning that she still wears her diamond wedding ring – for her 8 children.

“I don’t want to upset them. I don’t want to shock them. I’ve walked slowly through this with them. As they’ve asked questions, I’ve answered them.”

Gosselin said her kids know that the ring is her “married to daddy ring.”

“When the time is right, I’ll take it off,” she said.

Which begs the question: When is the right time to put away the diamond ring when the relationship it represents goes south?

Many women can’t wait to get the constant reminder of unhappiness off their ring fingers and throw the diamond in a drawer or take it straight to the pawnshop (see The Bachelorette/Bachelor series for more).

But then there are others, like Kate, who need a bit more time to get used to the idea of saying good-bye to something that has been with you for years – sometimes decades.

Do any of you have wedding ring retirement stories you’d like to share? Like most affairs of the heart, there is no right and wrong – just what feels good to you, I suppose. But my gut tells me that the sooner Kate can let go of that ring, the sooner she can move on and make her own life happy again.

Thoughts? Stories?

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So You Think You Can Accessorize?

Like millions of Americans, I too watched the riveting finale of So You Think You Can Dance last night. And while you all might think that finding out that underdog, Jeanine Mason, won was the most shocking turn of events for me (I thought Kayla was a shoe-in), well think again.

Did you get a load of Mary Murphy’s crazyass jewelry?

I mean, if the lobster bib diamond necklace wasn’t enough to put you over the edge, her gi-normous diamond earrings, palm-sized flower right hand ring and flowery diamond arm wrap certainly should have.


I swear the woman had more jewelry on than a drag queen convention of Marilyn and Liz wannabes. And NOT in a good way.

I may be the only one who is so ‘over’ the judge-as-personality part of these godforsaken reality shows that get under your skin like a bad case of scabies (nope, I’m not sad that a rambling, nonsensical Paula is leaving AI), but I could certainly go a long while without hearing that crazy woman speak another word to these talented youngsters. Let alone look at her nuttier-than-thou jewelry style.

That said, there is something to be said for being larger than life. I guess I just want the dancing to take on that role instead of a former ballroom dance champion who acts like a nut to get ratings – and accessorizes like one too.

Am I being too harsh here? Does anyone out there like Mary’s wacky jewelry and judging style? Talk me off the ledge here…

And Happy Friday!

FOLLOW UP:

My Twitter pal posted this hilarious pic of Mary when she first saw the jewelry calamity on screen. My hat's off to anyone who is so in shock you just have to take out your camera to capture the moment. Visit her site at: http://www.jewelrywhore.com

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Vampires, Diamonds and True Love

Of all the recent celebrity diamond rings I’ve been spotting this summer (from Ivanka Trump to Bethenny Frankel), this one takes the cake! True Blood’s first couple is getting hitched in real life!

For those of you who aren’t into HBO's latest vampire screen sensation (if not, you really oughta be), Anna Paquin plays telepathic Sookie Stackhouse who falls in love with a sexy 200 year-old vampire played by Stephen Moyer. You follow?

The lovebirds hit it off during the audition two years ago and news hit yesterday that they’re making things official.


No wedding details are available yet, but OK Magazine spotted Paquin flaunting her stunning new diamond engagement ring while walking her dog in Venice this morning.

Awwww…..

Moyer, 39, has two children from previous relationships: a son, Billy, born in 2000, and a daughter, Lilac, born in 2002. This will be the first marriage for both.



Last month, Paquin, 27, said of her steamy love scenes with Moyer: "Obviously, if you're already with that person then you're not having to sort of get over the 'Wow, I'm naked with someone that I don't even know the middle name of!"

Anna? You are one lucky telepath.

What do you guys think of the happy couple? A match made in TV heaven or an odd couple destined to fizzle?

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Chocolate Bar Goes for the Gold

Famous UK chocolate-maker, Cadbury, is on a golden mission: they’re scheming to convince the folks at Guinness Book to name their famous Wispa Gold chocolate bar as the most expensive in the world.

Must be a slow news month in candy land.

The Wispa Gold, discontinued in 2003, is a chocolate bar wrapped in edible gold leaf and sheathed in a gold leaf wrapper. Priced at $1628 each, the new batch of bars will be delivered to the record keepers by none other than Tony Hadley, the singer from Spandau Ballet whose biggest hit was “Gold” back in the day.

I personally would have picked a gold medalist, but I guess Spandau Ballet still pulls weight across the pond. (???)

The original Wispa was released on the UK market in 1981 and quickly became one of Britain's most treasured Icons. One story tells of an un-named arab who imported batches of the bars to his home in Saudi Arabia for around $4,000 a day.

A Facebook Group is stoking public interest in the campaign and there are a surprising number of folks who miss the gold chocolate option for their pantries – even at such a high pricetag. The limited batch will be made available on September 14th.

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Celebrity Jewelry Roundup: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Truth

It’s early August and my celebrity jewelry sightings are about as rare as Jon & Kate-less magazine cover. Shining amidst the jewelry blight are a few star-studded events, a premiere here and there and an occasional fundraiser – but it’s been slim pickins, jewelry hounds. My apologies.

To give us a good shot in our bauble arm, I thought I’d round up a few pics from the last few weeks. There are a few bright spots, but for the most part – it’s dull, drab, and downright dowdy.


Starting on a high note, The Ugly Truth premiere in London this week brought out a stunning Katherine Heigl in green Naeem Kahn and yellow gold earrings with what appear to be either citrine or lemon quartz briolettes - a lovely accent to a dress that would make anyone green with envy.

Especially with Gerard Butler on your arm.


A resurgent Anne Heche looked lovely in Dolce & Gabbana at the Spread premiere in a vintage pearl and gold ensemble that matched the tone of the dress nicely.

Not so resurgent, lovely or nice is Medium's, Patricia Arquette, who just isn’t cutting it with this statement necklace (How sick are we of statement necklaces, already? Weigh in!).

And finally, I give you one Courtney Love – who looks less and less like the Courtney we all tolerated back in her 90s hey dey. She may be rock and roll to her core, but the once fashionable Oscar-nominee has fallen far from the sartorial stature she once owned on the red carpet. I dare you to wear anything but black and layered chains, Courtney. You can do it, sister.

Clearly I’m cranky. Forgive me. But if the Teen Choice Awards and the Daytime Emmys are the only events I have to look forward to until Fall Fashion Week, I deserve a little whine space.

What do you guys of think of my picks? You like Katherine’s look? How about Courtney? Why did I strangely choose all blondes? Have I missed anyone this summer worth highlighting? Help!

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