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Kate Middleton Wedding Jewelry: The Trouble With Tiaras

Kate Middleton's wedding jewelry has been the subject of MUCH speculation in bauble land, especially since she's apparently the only one who will be wearing a wedding band now that Prince Wills opted out of the sacred ritual.

So. Most royal watchers are fixating on the tiara - a favorite past time with this crowd. But does Kate have to wear one? In a word: YES!

Lady Diana chose to wear her own family heirloom when she married Prince Charles - the Diamond Spencer tiara. But since Kate is, how shall I say this delicately - a lowly commoner - it's likely her family doesn't have a stash of tiaras at the ready.

The Queen could, of course, choose to lend or (gasp!) give Kate a tiara from her vast collection - which would be seen as a sign of confidence in the bride. (Click here to learn more about the Queen's tiara collection - and which one is the current Kate frontrunner).

I love the idea of a NEW tiara making it's debut (along with an Alexander McQueen wedding gown, fingers crossed!) and InStyle's wily editors apparently agree since they recently asked some of the jewelry world's top designers to sketch out their vision for a Kate Middleton wedding tiara in an awesome pictorial. 

I love this one by Chopard (of course).

And that wacky Alexis Bitter's interpretation is just crazy enough to drive the Queen to an early grave.

So what will mack out the mellon of this most famous bride? We'll just have to ride the neverending Royal Wedding pre-party wave - and keep the guessing games going until the big day on the 29th.

In the meantime, JewelClub is getting in the spirit with the launch of their Royal Sample Sale today - with lots of great Kate-inspired sapphire sample sale steals, royal watchers!

And YES the  Royal Wedding Live Tweet party is ON! We're using #royaljewelry for anyone who wants to join the fun. And YES - I will be getting up at 4AM to see it live. And YES - I think I may have a jewelry addiction problem.

Paris Hilton - Jewelry Thief?

Is Paris Hilton the latest paparazzi princess to add jewelry thief to her illustrious resume?

According to the New York Daily News, the 'heirhead' is being sued by German insurance giant, Allianz, for not returning $60,000 worth of Damiani loaner jewelry that was stolen (and subsequently recovered) from her house in that notorious celebrity jewelry crime spree back in 2009.

Why do I feel like I've been in this movie before?

"Despite having recovered Damiani's jewelry, \[Hilton has\] failed to return all of the jewelry to Damiani as required by the Agreements," the suit said.

In court paper, Allianz said Damiani in 2007 loaned Hilton $60,000 of jewelry to wear for public appearances. As part of the deal, Hilton agreed to stash the jewelry in a safe or a vault whenever she wasn't wearing it.

But, or course, our Paris does whatever she darn well pleases - so she left the baubles for the world to grab in her unlocked, unalarmed Beverly Hills mansion. And now that the police have long recovered the stolen bling, she just hasn't 'bothered' to return it to its rightful owners.

I'm of half a mind to think she's doing it to get back in the headlines after Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian stole her 'famous for being famous' thunder this year. But my guess is? She's just not into details.

No comment yet from the Hilton camp. Why can't these ladies get their diamond details down? Is this just poor planning or an 'I'm above it all' attitude gone bad?

Spring Clean Your Jewelry Box

Jewelry hounds, it's time to start thinking about the dreaded spring cleaning ritual. And I'm not talking about the dust bunnies under your bed or the windows that are now a dull shade of charcol.

Nope - I'm talking about your jewelry box. You know, the one with three stray gold chains, four random earrings and that cocktail ring that's missing a stone?
With spring jewelry trends looking bigger and bolder by the minute, it's time to get that treasure chest in tip top shape. Put down your iPad, stack up the fashion mags and step away from Facebook for just an hour or two and get this shiny show on the road.

Step one: Gather up all 'one' piece earrings. If the earring doesn't have a partner then place it a Ziploc bag. Keep the bag somewhere safe - after all you never know when the errant partner may turn up, but at least for now all singles are safely stored.

Step two: Detangle chains. If a pendant is missing, throw the chain (or set it aside to sell later). You know you'll never wear it again.

Step three: Everything (and I mean everything) deserves a jewelry spa day. Clean, brush and wipe - and I promise you - 'like new' is a phrase you'll say over and over.

If using a commercial jewelry cleaner, use a brand name and follow the instructions on the label. You can also soak your diamond jewelry in a small bowl of warm, soapy water made with any mild liquid detergent. Gently brush the piece with a soft toothbrush while it is in the suds to dislodge any dust or dirt from under the setting. Then, rinse under warm running water. Pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

You can also clean your jewels by soaking them in a glass of vodka. Now we're talking!.

Step four: Do a basic jewelry checklist.

• Diamond studs
• Pearl drops
• Cocktail ring
• Diamond Right Hand Ring
• Gold necklace
• Pearl necklace
• Chandelier earrings
• Diamond pendant

Step five: If any of the above are missing, go directly to sample sale sensation, Jewel Club  to get wholesale prices and below for all of your basic jewelry needs.


See? Doesn't that feel better?

Prince William's Wedding Band Diss

What gives, Wills? I've been bombarded with reports that the King of England-to-be will (gasp!) NOT be wearing a royal wedding band.

Kate Middleton, of course, will be putting the pedal to the metal with a Welsh gold band bequeathed by the Queen, but her famous fiance is rejecting the most hallowed of bridal traditions for no other reason than - he just doesn't have a taste for jewelry.

Yeah, neither does most of the warm-blooded male population, but they suck it up and wear the universal symbol for 'I'm taken' just the same. Just sayin'.

“It was something the couple discussed, but Prince William isn’t one for jewelry,” a St. James Palace aid tells the Daily Mail. “It really is just down to personal preference.”

It’s a bold decision for any groom to make, royal or no. Even Will’s father, Charles, wears a wedding band beneath his signet ring. But according to insiders, the Prince has Kate’s blessing.

What do you guys think of William's wedding band balk? Is it OK for guys (any guy - not just the most famous groom on the planet) to take a pass on the wedding band tradition? Or is it all's fair in love and ring fingers? Thoughts?

April Is Diamond Month - Birthstones, Brides and Brits, Oh My!

Jewelry hounds, just when we thought our Awards Show jewelry withdrawal was going to get the better of us, in walks April with a swagger and a promise:

Hold on to your "holy cow!" - It's going to be one doozy of a diamond month!

Why? Well, let's get the most obvious reason out of the way first.  For those of you living in a cave, the royal wedding is this month! Not only will we get to ooh and ahh at Kate Middleton's wedding jewelry, we can gawk at all the other crown jewels and gems that are sure to make an apperance.

These ladies never met a tiara they didn't like, Mary. For reals.

Stay tuned for all my jewelry-laden lead up to the big day on April 29th. And I'm of half a mind to Live Tweet the darn thing. Any takers for #royaljewelry?

OK. The next big reason to celebrate April? It's this month's birthstone. (Please excuse me while I seethe with envy at all you April babies). BUT even if you're not born in April, many folks in bauble land are celebrating - including JewelClub with their April Is Diamond Month extravaganza.

Today, for example, I saw on their FaceBook Page that they are cutting the price of this 1/2 ct three-stone diamond anniversary ring by 83%. Not sure what they're smoking over there, but as Meg Ryan famously said in When Harry Met Sally...

"I'll have what they're having..."

And they promise to slash the prices of lots of diamond classics all month - just check in on their Homepage and bring on the ice.

So we while we red carpet jewelry gawkerts have to wait until May 2nd to get a legitimate fix (The Met's Costume Institute Gala is scheduled then - stay tuned), April is picking up the slack in a MAJOR way.

No foolin'!

Christie's to Auction Elizabeth Taylor's $150 Million Jewelry Collection

Jewelry hounds? This is one of those times when I wish I had a few $mil burning a hole in my pocket. OK. That's not an 'uncommon' thought, but the news that Christie's is auctioning Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection is sending my blingy consumption habit into orbit!

Yes, it's true. People.com reports the famed auction house will be putting Dame Liz's baubles on the block - and yes, the stash includes all of her 'big hits' - including Taylor's rumored favorite, The Krupp Diamond(!!!)

Christie's declined to comment on the story, and there is no word yet if the proceeds will benefit Elizabeth Taylor's charity, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation - but you can be sure jewelry lovers the world over will be pushing the paddle hard to get their paws on a little piece of jewelry perfection.

In the meantime, I'm loving all of the jewelry-related tidbits that keep trickling out as the world mourns the loss of an icon. Lorraine Schwartz (famed red carpet jeweler and friend of Taylor's) told People that magnificent gems were a natural part of Taylor’s day-to-day life.

“People always gave her gifts … it was something that she learned to love.” And she took great care of them, too. “She [had] collections and collections, and rooms. She [knew] where every single piece was. [It was] amazing.”

In fact, Schwartz remembers receiving a phone call one morning in 2003 after Taylor had taken a fall. “She was like, ‘I don’t feel good, my hair is dirty but I’m wearing my bracelet,’” she recalls. “I mean, fabulous."

Bling at Perez Hilton's Blue Ball Birthday Bash

Jewelry sparkled at gossip queen Perez Hilton's 33rd birthday party in LA this weekend, where the blue-themed bash brought out everyone from Dancing With The Stars divas and Real Housewives to Disney starlets and 80s popstars.

In other words? A D-listers dream come true.

What jewelry hound worth their salt doesn't love a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills appearance, right?

Adrienne Maloof Alert! This gazillionairesse has enough in the coffers to create this crazy cart-heavy cuff out her her son's names!

Taylor Armstrong wore this serious blue gemstone statement necklace to go with her perma-smile.

And my favorite BHHW, Kyle Richards, rocked it with this cool winged pendant thing happening. Like!

Other bejeweled divas were 80s chaunteuse, Deborah Gibson, who wore what appeared to be a sapphire and diamond choker and a crazy cuff with her blue sequined mini.

And Disney diva, Selena Gomez, was Perez's personal arm candy in blue jewels that appeared to be painted on.

The "hot mess" highlight was the why-is-she-still-famous? Aubrey O'Day, in a blue Little Red Riding Hood get-up with some strange strands. Huh?

It's never dull, right? Thoughts?