Sherri Shepherd Flashes Engagement Ring

Photos of Sherri Shepherd's engagement ring are whizzing around the blogosphere after she officially shared the good news on The View this morning.

No specs out yet of carat count and cost - but it looks like a princess-cut center stone flanked by a series of round diamonds set in platinum.

I haven't seen a princess-cut celebrity engagement ring for a while - especially now that Reese Witherspoon's Ashoka-cut beauty is causing such a stir. But the shape is a popular one in bridal circles - especially with the vintage engagement ring craze still in full effect.

Shepherd gave viewers all the juicy proposal details on the show this morning (click here to see the clip).

She confessed that her TV-writer fiance, Lamar 'Sal'  Sally, will be moving to New York from Los Angeles to put an end to the cross-country romance they've been keeping under wraps. Until now.

Heartfelt congrats to the happy couple!

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.

Get Hip to Garnet: January's Birthstone

Garnet, the birthstone for January, is one of the most versatile gemstones on the market today.

For the curious, here's a little history, a little lore, and a little nudge to help you find some great garnet gems at prices that will make you forget we have four more months left of winter.

Garnets come in a rainbow of colors, from deep red to tangerine orange to lime green to pale pink, as well as purple, gold and brown.

The name garnet most likely was derived from the pomegranate, a fruit whose deep red-purple color resembles some varieties of the stone. Many ancient pieces of garnet jewelry are studded with tiny red gems that look like a cluster of pomegranate seeds.

Garnet is found all over the world, including Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Southeast Asia.

Throughout history, garnets have been prized for their rich hues and supposed mystical properties. The stone was a favorite of ancient Egyptian jewelry artisans. Demantoid garnet was used lavishly by the Tsars of Russia.

Travelers carried the gem to protect them against accidents, and garnet was thought to protect its wearer from a range of ailments, ward off evil spirits, spark creativity and dispel anger. The stones are also said to light up the night and protect their owners from nightmares.

Garnet's various types range from 6-7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means that the stone is susceptible to nicks and cracks caused by impact.

To clean garnet, use warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaning is safe for most types of garnet except demantoid. Avoid steam cleaning.

Here is my favorite garnet jewelry deal right now - a cocktail ring-sized center stone set in 14kt gold flanked by two diamond accents. Retail was $679 but it's now listed for only $222.96 on JewelClub. That's a lot of look for that price. Got any birthday girls to buy for this month?

Or click here for more Garnet Gem deals on Jewelry.com.

2011 People's Choice Awards: Red Carpet Jewelry Roundup

 

Fasten your leverbacks, jewelry hounds. Awards Season is upon us!

Last night's People's Choice Awards kicked off what is sure to be a sparkle-filled season of A-list gems and gowns - and the 'less is more' trend everyone has been squawking about was - indeed- on display.

With metallic minis ruling the fashion landscape last night, jewelry style stayed on the down low - with lots of metal looks making an appearance instead of huge doses of diamond bling.

Nude pumps and naked necklines are also trending big, with simple earring style ruling the red carpet on stars like Taylor Swift (in Amrapali) and Selena Gomez.

My best bejeweled look of the night has to go to the lovely Lucy Hale in a burnt orange mini from Ronal Abdala and a diamond ensemble also from Amrapali in 14kt Gold. Loving the color combo in a "Michelle Williams Oscar" kind of way.

And the worst? Sorry, but Natalie Portman's tiered purple Jason Wu does nothing to flatter the burgeoning baby bump - despite her sparkly Solange Azagury-Partridge mirror ball earrings.

Finally, Jennifer Aniston? I'm still just not that into your pants-suit/layered gold chain look from 2002. Bless you, but you gotta mix it up, sister.

Here are some more of my selects from last night. Any favorites? Nothing really knocked my socks off.

Celebrities 'Ring' In the New Year

From Reese Witherspoon to Vivica Fox - celebs were the lucky recipients of some rockin' rings this holiday season. Here is a run down of some of the best and brightest celebrity rings making news this week - each representing emerging trends in the ring category for 2011.

1. Legally Blonde Gets Luxury Bling

Reese Witherspoon is getting a second chance at love - and a news-worthy diamond engagement ring to seal the deal. Reese's rock is special not so much for the size (4-carats isn't HUGE by Hollywood's standards) but for the quality and cut of the stone.

Fiance and Hollywood Agent, Jim Toth, designed the ring using an Ashoka-cut center stone - a special 62-facet cut that only 10% of rough diamonds mined can support. Cushions and Ascchers 'made the cut' most often in 2010, so look for this special shape to surge in the months to come. (Jewelry.com has more on the Ashoka cut here).

2. LeeAnn Rimes Gets Personal

LeeAnn Rimes's engagement to Eddie Cibrian is no longer notable for the scandalous way these two found love - but for the stunning 5-carat custom-made engagement ring that now makes them legit. The ring also features single cut pave diamonds and tiny rose cut diamonds set in rose gold fleur-de-lis that are connected to the band.

Jeweler Brent Polacheck, who crafted the ring for his childhood friend Cibrian, tells PEOPLE:

“Le[Ann]‘s participation in the design was solely regarding the Fleur de Lis. She had her heart set on having that incorporated in the ring. Other than that, Eddie and I sat down multiple times and worked on the rest of the details.”

The New York Times reported this 'personalization' trend is going to continue to surge when it comes to ring finger bling design. I love it.


3. Vivica Fox's Cougar Catch

News just broke that 46-year-old Vivica Fox got engaged to 27-year-old club promoter, Omar 'Slim' White over the holidays with a whopping 8-carat diamond rock worth an estimated $150,000.

A source told People that Fox, 46, "is over the moon – so excited, so in love" with White, who wants to have children.

Fox was so excited that she Tweeted a video of her sparkler for all the fans - a great way for all of us to share our good fortune, right? Diamonds (and social media) are a girl's best friend for 2011.

3. Christina Aguilera's Boyfriend Bling

Not everyone brought home rings that mean 'we're in it for the long haul' this holiday. Recently divorced Christina Aguilera reportedly got a ring from her new boyfriend, Matt Rutler, to simply celebrate her 30th birthday (December 18th).

I haven't been able to find any more details about the design, but this does get me thinking: Is the 'boyfriend ring' or 'birthday ring' a possible new trend?

Usually rings given from boyfriends to girlfriends bring with them an expectation of commitment. But I wonder if it could also just mean 'Here's a ring. It looks cool. No expectations."?

Thoughts?

JewelClub Clears the Coffers

The new year isn't just a good time to make (and break) resolutions. It's open season for clearance sales. And while most bargain shoppers stock up on holiday staples like wrapping paper, tree skirts and tinsel towers - my kind of hunt involves diamonds. Lots and lots of diamonds.

So let's give it up for JewelClub, who once again blows everyone out of the water when it comes to online price busting. This week they're holding their one-time-only New Year's Vault Clearance sale, which is a glittering collection of all their onesie styles at 85-90% off retail.

For the uninitiated, onesies is merch-speak for styles that have only one piece of inventory left on the shelves. So it's not the 'runt of the litter' product. On the contrary, it could be some of the season's best styles. There's just only one left in the coffers so - they slash and burn the price to make room for new stash.

And let's not forget - with jewelry (unlike clothing, handbags and shoes) things like gold hoops, pearl strands, and cocktail rings never go out of style. So you're not stuck buying patterned tights and a ruffle shirt at rock bottom prices that will promptly go in the back of your closet and stay there to rot with the rest of your 'too cheap to pass up' purchases.

I haven't been able to confirm how long this sale lasts, but what I do know is the inventory isn't going to last long. It's rule #1 of a good sale, right? Get in early. Get out quick.

So check out the JewelClub onesie selection and let me know how you make out. And feel free to tweet or comment with any other great jewelry sales I should know about!

Snooki's Sparkling Party Ball

Hold on to your hair extensions! Snooki is starting a jewelry line.

As if fist-pumping, hippo-charging and spray-tanning weren't enough to populate her glittering resume, Jersey Shore's Princess of Poughkeepsie is adding "bauble designer" to her list of many talents.

DiamondShark.com has partnered with Snooki (nee, Nicole Polizzi) to create the "Snooki Party Ball 2011 Limited Edition Pendant".

The necklace is identical to the one she wore on New Year's Eve when she rode inside a giant ball in Seaside Heights, New Jersey - with a plastic red 'keg cup' as her other glittering accessory. Nice work.

The pendant features a carat's worth of created pink sapphires set in a ball silhouette made from polished and rhodium-plated sterling silver on an 18" chain - and goes for the guidette-friendly price of only $49.

In the sage words of Snooki, herself, she feels we all need one for our own jewelry box because it's: 'frickin' awesome".

But Snookolytes need to act fast - the Party Ball is only available for a limited time here - although rumor has it this is just the first of a larger collection of smushy Snooki sparkle.

Welcome to 2011, jewelry hounds.