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'!

Royal Wedding Update: The Dress, The Jewelry, The Guessing Games Begin

Egypt's political crisis and those "monster" winter storms have NOTHING on the two most buzzed about topics in the world right now:

What designer will Kate Middleton wear down the aisle? And for gosh sakes - what tiara will she choose to light up Westminster Abbey?

Jezebel collected some of the buzz and here are the highlights:

The Royal Wedding Dress Designer:

Rumor has it that Princess Diana's longtime fashion collaborator, designer Bruce Oldfield, is the chosen one to create the most famous wedding dress of the 21st Century.

During an interview with ABC News today, he wouldn't reveal if he is "the one" - but he did make these startling predictions:

Kate will wear long sleeves
Kate will wear a veil

I'm going to sleep well tonight, Bruce. Thanks for the tip!

The Trouble with Tiaras:

Too many tiaras - too little time. While devoted royal watchers take pride in their vast knowledge of the tiaras The Queen could choose for Kate's big day (Yup, it's all up to grandma) - I haven't a clue. That's why I visit Mad Hattery's Tiara-Pedia to get up to speed -  a delicious place to waste time on a Friday afternoon.

The smart money is on The Strathmore Rose tiara  - which was a wedding gift to the Queen Mum from her father, the Earl of Strathmore.

Or blogger, Aestheticus Rex, puts the Fringe Tiara in the mix as well - which The Queen Mother lent to both her daughter Princess Elizabeth and granddaughter Princess Anne on their respective wedding days.

The questions! The questions! Too many questions! The dress? The tiara? Who is on the guest list? Who will be royally snubbed? Where will they honeymoon? Will Harry bring a date? Will Prince Charles bring a personality?

There's only twelve weeks left until April 29th when all will finally be revealed, jewelry hounds. Until then, you have my permission to ignore important world events, life threatening storms - and taxes.

Kate and William's Rainbow Connection

Kermit, eat your heart out. Britain's Daily Mirror reports that Kate Middleton and Prince William are going to be GIVEN the world's most expensive diamond stash, The Rainbow Collection, by some uber rich Saudis who want to buy the $120 million treasure chest from gem collector, Eddy Elzas.

It's good to be the king (in waiting).

These special 'crown jewels' are made up of 301 of the world's largest and finest fancy colored diamonds.  Few have seen the fabled collection (which is why I'm having a hard time tracking down pictures), and a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family even tried to buy them as a wedding gift for Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981, but the offer was turned down by Mr Elzas.

“Lots of Middle Eastern investors are keen to buy the collection and give them to William and Kate because it would be a huge badge of honor,” a source said.

“A deal is now very close to being done and an announcement is set to be made soon. Mr Elzas is due to retire soon so is looking to sell. But he will only sell if they go to William and Kate. He thinks it would be a fitting gift for the couple.”

What will the tony twosome do with the donated loot? Hard to tell - but I would give my pinky finger to see a new rainbow crown or tiara designed in Kate's honor. Can you imagine?

In the meantime, click here for more crown jewel craziness - and here to see another colored diamond display that took my breath away.

Wear Jewelry Designed by Kate Middleton

Official engagement photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton are the latest buzz coming from the royal wedding front, but I found this little tidbit to be much more interesting:

Kate Middleton used to be an assistant jewelry buyer for British retailer, Jigsaw, back in 2007. Who knew?

Sure it's not as juicy as the pics of the happy couple taken by renowned fashion photog, Mario Testino, but it's a sure sign the future Queen of England not only has good taste in men - she knows her way around the accessories landscape.

While most of us won't be able to wear anything close to the jewelry in Kate's stash, we can own a piece of jewelry designed by her.  PEOPLE reports this simple bean charm necklace was created by Kate when she targeted a gap in the teen marketplace for a sophisticated style both mother and daughter could wear together.

 

Designer, Claudia Bradby, helped Middleton realize her vision back in 2007.

“Kate was very clear in what she wanted,” Bradby told PEOPLE of Middleton’s involvement (they met three times during the design process). “It was completely her initiative because she thought there was a gap in the market for something real and sophisticated, that had longevity for that age group.”

The final result is this silver bean pendant, rose quartz and freshwater pearl charm on a long silver chain, priced at 46 pounds ($73). Visit Bradby's website to stock your stuffing with one of your own. 

I also found these whimsical charm necklaces on sample sale sensation, JewelClub, that are great for new moms:

Or just for fun (loving that both Sex And The City silhouttes are represented here - the clover and the horseshoe).

What do you guys think of Kate's jewelry idea? Is there still a gap in the market for sophisticated mother/daughter jewelry? I think she was on to something....

The History of Princess Diana's Sapphire Engagement Ring

Forgive me for my myopic view of the jewelry landscape this week, but I've got to share more information about the stunning royal sapphire engagment ring that's creating more buzz than a chainsaw convention.

Some of you have expressed interest in learning more about the specs and the history behind the ring. Your wish is my command.

Since I was a wee lass when Princess Di first came on the scene - I had no idea that the sapphire ring now making headlines was once a controversial choice - perhaps the first sign of trouble to come for Buckingham Palace and its relationship with Diana.

So, as Fraulein Maria would say: "Let's start at the very beginning."

Prince Wet Blanket.. (um, I mean) Charles apparently proposed to Di after a formal dinner party. Without a ring. Bo-RING. BUT - she at least got to sit down with the royal jeweler, Garrods, to pick out a rock of her choosing - every girl's dream, right?

But instead of selecting a custom-made diamond gem like 'most' girls of good breeding, Lady Diana acted like (gasp!) a commoner and decided on a catalog gemstone style instead. The horror! Despite the urgings from the palace, the bride's wish overruled any royal rumblings - and the rest, as they say, is history.

You gotta love that story - she was the People's Princess from day one. That said, the sapphire is HUGE and of top quality according to most jewelers. The 18-carat center stone is surrounded by 14 diamonds and cost around $60,000 back in 1981 but is worth over $500,000 these days. And at auction? The sky is the limit, really.

Sapphires for a Steal:

So, as promised, I've scrounged together a few more of my favorite sapphire rings for your browsing pleasure. Get those gift lists going, jewelry hounds. And let me know if you find/have other sapphire stunners you'd like to share!

What do you guys think of these selections? Did you know about the 'commoner ring controversy' back in the day?

Royal Wedding Round-up

The diamond tiara set is out and about again - this time at the royal wedding of Prince Nikolaos of Greece to longtime love, Miss Tatiana Blatnik (an event planner for Diane von Furstenberg).

While the bride was the only one with a tiara to triumph (check out Jewelry.com for details), the usual suspects showed up in their summer best.

Who is your favorite royal?

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden:


Princess Letizia of Spain:


Queen Sofia of Spain:


Princess Madeleine of Sweden:

Queen Margrethe of Denmark

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark:


Prince and Princess Michael of Kent:


Infanta Elena of Spain:

Tiaras and True Love at Sweden's Royal Wedding

Jewelry gawking has its favorite occasions like the Oscars and the Golden Globes, but it really doesn't get any better than that rarest of gems - a royal wedding. This weekend, we got a crown jewel of a soiree as Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria wed the lowly commoner, Daniel Westling.

Not since Charles and Di has there been a wedding so anticipated among royal watchers, but unlike that ill-fated pairing this one's a real love story.


In Stockholm Cathedral, 1,200 royal guests and dignitaries watched the nuptials, along with 500,000 people who lined the streets, and an estimated 500 million TV viewers from around the world. Yet the princess only had eyes for her groom, Daniel Westling - her former personal trainer turned prince charming.


Victoria wore the historic Cameo Tiara for her trip down the aisle (see Jewelry.com for more on this storied gem). It's certainly not the blingiest bauble on the block but it suits the occasion and looks lovely on her.


Her mom, Queen Silvia, on the other hand? Well, a picture says a thousand words. Wowza!


Here are more of my favorite tiara triumphs. No one summarizes the provenance of each jewel better than blogger, Mad Hattery, so I'll refer you to their excellent Tiara-pedia for all the specifics.

Victoria's sister Madeleine may be smarting from her recent engagement break-up, but she can dry her tears knowing she can put these on when she's feeling blue.


Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg:


Queen Sonja of Norway:

Queen Sofia of Spain:

Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands:


Crown Princess Letizia of Asturias:

Crown Princess Mette-Merit of Norway:


Princess Margaret Louise of Norway:

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark:

Princess Elena of Spain:

Crown Princess Mathilde of Brabant (Belgium)