Desperately Seeking Diamonds

Brace yourselves jewelry lovers. Madonna turns 50 today. It seems like yesterday her madgesty was rolling around onstage in her wedding dress. Or maybe that’s just the denial talking.

What to give the woman who has everything? Rumor has it that husband, Guy Ritchie, is giving in to Madonna’s wish to adopt another African child and is throwing in a bespoke Bulgari diamond necklace worth close to $500,000 for good measure. A baby and a bauble – what more could a gal ask for?

Some of you may have been in diapers when the Material Girl came on the scene, so to celebrate her half century, The Jewelry Insider would like to highlight a few of our favorite Madonna jewelry moments. You'll have to take out a second mortgage for tickets to her Sticky & Sweet tour, but let’s face it - she’ll probably be performing until we all start collecting Social Security. There’s time.


Bangles enter the jewelry consciousness of teenagers everywhere. Remember dancing the choreography to the Lucky Star video? OK. Maybe that’s just me.








The cross necklace takes on new meaning. It’s still a look she rocks today.








Diamonds drip as the Material Girl does her best Marilyn Monroe impression.








The Eva Peron chapter was an elegant change. Dictators never looked so chic.







The spiritual side of Madonna emerges, and soon the red string becomes the latest bracelet fad.










No one does a flapper phase quite like our Madge.











Taking things down a notch, the children’s book author dazzles with a classic diamond ensemble.








The “M-dolla” knuckle ring becomes the signature of the Sticky and Sweet chapter. Chopard designed the piece with 258 brilliant cut round diamonds. Yum.