SAG Awards Jewelry Roundup 2011

Juliana Margulies in Bavna jewelry

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards brought us a red carpet full of diamond dangle earrings, icy cuffs, a few scary statement necklaces and a splash of color for good measure.

If this sounds familiar, it's because all the big red carpet events lately have followed the same 'play it safe' pattern when it comes to bedazzling our favorite Hollywood beauties.

I'm not complaining, really. The SAG Awards are known as a more low-key carpet than the Globes and the Oscars. I just miss the smack-your-face, lower-jaw-drop jewelry moments from years' past. It just ain't happening much in 2011, I'm afraid.

That said, here's a roundup of last night's jewelry trends for your drooling pleasure.

Diamond Divas:

SAG winner, Natalie Portman, and Glee diva, Lea Michele, stunned in millions worth of Tiffany diamond dazzle. You have my permission to hate them.

Natalie Portman in $2 million Tiffany 27.95-carat yellow diamond earrings

Lea Michele in $300,000 worth of Tiffany diamond jewels

Drops and Dangles:

The ubiquitous diamond dangle earring category made a strong showing - with a few standouts like Julianna Margulies in Bavna statement stunners and the always-gorg Kim Kardashian in her go-to jewelry favorite, Lorraine Schwartz.

Heather Morris in Martin Katz

Eva Longoria in Neil Lane

Tina Fey in Lorraine Schwartz leaf earrings

Kim Kardashian in Lorraine Schwartz

Black and White:

Amy Adams has never looked this good, in my humble opinion - thanks to the year's standout red carpet jewelry designer, Kimberly McDonald. While Christina Hendricks got too close to Elvira chic with her dress choice, I love the black teardrop earrings by Sutra (which she didn't lose this time!).

Winona Ryder in Gray jewelry

Christina Hendricks in Sutra earrings

January Jones in Lorraine Schwartz

Amy Adams in Kimberly McDonald

Amy Adams in Kimberly McDonald

Diamond Cleavage...Um, I Mean, Cuffs:

Sofia Vergara continues to wow in a plunging blue Roberto Cavalli with a sparkling Chopard diamond cuff.

Sofia Vergara in Chopard diamond cuff

Claire Danes in Fred Leighton diamond bangles

Natalie Portman in Tiffany diamond bangles

Mila Kunis in $270,000 Cartier tiger cuff. Meow!

Color Queens:

While previous awards shows gave us a definite color trend to squawk about (emeralds for the Globes), the SAGs gave us just a varied smattering of gemstone hues.

Rosario Dawson in Susie Fox

Jane Krakowski in Lorraine Schwartz

Mariska Hargitay in David Webb turquoise earring

Necklace No-Nos:

So far, 2011 is NOT the year of the necklace. I'm on the fence about Nicole Kidman's Fred Leighton flower piece - but Jenna Ushkowitz's gold bib number has to go.

Nicole Kidman in Fred Leighton

Our fun-filled SAG Twitter chat (#SAGjewelry) led by the all-knowing Cindy Edelstein (aka JewelryBizGuru), was the usual snark-fest with the occasional gasp. But we all agreed we were missing a stand-out jewelry star - and that Guiliana Rancic needs to stop speaking English.

Check out all the fun here - and weigh in with your thoughts!

Next up? The Grammy Awards on February 13th!

Vivienne Westwood's Palladium Project

How do you save the planet and look good doing it? Look no further than fashion icon, Dame Vivienne Westwood, who's channeling some of her "do-gooder" design energy to an often-overlooked jewelry category:

Palladium

Many of you may not be familiar with this light-weight white-colored precious metal, but you should be. Just as durable as white gold and platinum but much more affordable - palladium is often used in jewelry design to bring price points down to mere mortal levels.

In a move wiser than a Charlie Sheen rehab visit, Palladium Alliance International partnered with Westwood to create a line of palladium jewels to give their product some much-needed press while showcasing the designer's love of all things earth-friendly.

The result is the acorn-laden Vivienne Westwood "Get A Life" Palladium Collection, which will debut during London Fashion Week in February and will be available exclusively in Vivienne Westwood boutiques in London and Los Angeles this spring.

"We wanted Dame Vivienne Westwood to showcase Palladium to the world because of her continued exploration and reinterpretation of history, combined with a tireless individualism which has cemented her reputation as the UK's most culturally significant fashion designer. We believe this creativity and individuality make her the perfect fit for the brand and her designs will complement our metal," said John Stark, chairman for the Palladium Alliance International in a release.

I know most of us won't be near Ms. Westwood's boutiques anytime soon, so I've picked out a few of my favorite palladium bridal styles for your drooling pleasure from sample sale site, JewelClub (click on the image for more info). 

The prices are incredible, and the styling is just as classic and elegant as the more traditional platinum or white gold piece.

And it's cool to be like Vivienne Westood. Thoughts?

Natalie Portman's Engagement Ring Goes Green

Natalie Portman is having one heck of a year. And while her Oscar nomination is making big headlines this week, I'm turning my attention to another newsworthy Natalie item making the rounds - the blingy details of her gorgeous diamond engagement ring.

When it came to designing Portman's shiner, the A-lister's choreographer fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, relied on his leading lady and the art of ballet for inspiration, according to People. Millepied called on former dancer pal and jewelry designer Jamie Wolf to help create the perfect ring for his Black Swan.

“Ben was exceptionally thoughtful and dedicated and patient to make sure we had everything right,” Wolf explained to InStyle. “We wanted everything about the ring to speak to things that are important to Natalie.”

The circular Halo design centers around an antique mine-cut diamond, surrounded by certified conflict-free stones and made of recycled platinum — all in line with Natalie's eco-friendly, vegan lifestyle. The estimated price tag is around $35,000 - (or a lifetime supply of gluten-free veggie burgers).

I am in love with the 'Halo' look for engagement rings - and expect the silhouette to develop into a full-blown trend - especially now that Natalie's rock is getting so much air time during Awards Season. Stay tuned!

P.S. I am Live Tweeting the SAG Awards red carpet this Sunday with all the other cool kids starting at 7pm EST/4pm PST. Use hashtag #SAGjewelry. Be there or be square, jewelry hounds!

Gemstones Jolt the Paris Runways

It's been a lackluster year for runway jewelry so far - with the less-is-more trend influencing practically all of the Spring/Summer Ready-To-Wear collections.

So I was holding out hope that the Spring/Summer Paris Couture Shows for 2011 - known for their Alice In Wonderland-esque bauble displays - would deliver some jewelry looks worth squaking about. Chanel was characteristically bauble barren. As was Dior (a surprise). But...

Enter Giorgio Armani, who didn't just litter his looks with gorgeous gems - he used colored gemstones as the inspiration for his entire line, according to Style.com.

Huzzah!

"Inspired, he said, by the gleam of gemstones, Armani produced clothes that came from another planet, the same one that Pierre Cardin and Thierry Mugler might have touched down on once. (It's already been suggested its name could be Gaga.)"

From ruby reds to gorgeous greens, the luminous fabrics looked like they came straight from the Tron wardrobe department.

Chandelier earring silhouettes, chunky bangles (they're baaaack - or did they ever leave?) and a bib necklace made out of gemstone shapes lit up the line like a Christmas tree on crack.

And while the wearability of the collection left some scratching their heads (Gaga excluded, of course), there was no denying the fun Mr. Armani must have had in his futuristic fantasy land.

The dude has no one left to impress, right? Whatever floats your gemstone-encrusted boat, sir, as far as I'm concerned. And even though I am a reluctant fan of toning things down when it comes to jewelry fashion this year - it's kinda nice to see the bigger bolder look from season's past on display again.

Right? Wrong? Thoughts, jewelry hounds?

Deal Alert! Valentine's Day Jewelry For Less

Valentine's Day is to jewelry what the Oscars are to Awards Shows. There's Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, anniversaries and the like, but we women hold out our highest hopes for the "gift in a little box" on this day most of all, right?

C'mon! Admit it!

But our friend the 'male' tends to, well, procrastinate when it comes to getting into the Valentine's Day spirit, if memory serves. So here's a little hint, fellas, to keep you out of the last minute "flowers and candy" gift-giving rut.

It's called JEWELRY. And it doesn't get any easier than this:

1. JewelClub is having a pink and red gemstone sale to honor the holiday of LOVE - and there quite a few pieces under $100. We're talking FINE JEWELRY here, folks. Diamonds, gold, sapphires, etc.

Here are a few of my favs (click on the image for more info) or click here to see their entire stash:

2. I also saw these awesome 'personalize your own'' candy heart necklaces today on Luxist that are selling for under $50 from Zedena Designs. They're made out of enamel over copper and hang from a sterling silver chain.

3. And if you want to go the 'bended knee' route, there are SO many affordable engagement ring options out there today. Click here for my Guide to Affordable Engagement Rings for more creative ideas in that department.

So let's make Valentine's Day 2011 the year we forgo flowers for fine gems! Chuck the chocolates for carats! And procastinators? Stay tuned for more affordable jewelry tips in the days to come. 

Kat Von D's Engagement Ring Details

So Kat von D and Jesse James are engaged, and despite how you might feel about the couple (James notoriously cheated on former wife, Sandra Bullock, just a year ago for those of you living in a cave), you have to admit her vintage-style engagement ring is totally cool.

And wouldn't you know? Neil Lane is the designer responsible for the celebrity ring bling. (If I had a diamond for every time I wrote that sentence...)

Lane tells People the ring is a four-carat-plus platinum and diamond ring from his archival collection, adding,

“It’s a beautiful ring set with a central round diamond in the middle with smaller surrounding diamonds for an overall dome shape. It has a delicate filigree pattern with very pretty scroll-work.”

Not so delicate? The way this couple is gushing all over town about how perfect their lives are now that they've finally found true love. Ick!

Kindof reminds me of when Brad and Angelina couldn't keep their mouths closed long enough to realize it might not be in the best taste considering Jennifer Aniston has a pair of eyes and ears that work just like everyone else and....

OK. Big inhale...

Here are some really cool vintage-inspired diamond ring designs I found on sample sale sensation, JewelClub (click on the caption to see more). Check out the price break they give you for the carat count! Now that's worth blabbing all over town about...

1/2 Carat TDW in 14kt White Gold, $418.78 (down from $1279.00)

1 Carat TDW in 14kt White Gold, $668.05 (down from $2059)