Pet-Inspired Jewelry: Whimsical or Weird?

Animal jewelry is trending big these days with Chopard's couture creature line lighting up the high end and buggy costume baubles giving the 'low-end' some serious buzz. But there is a glittering subset of this jewelry category that, well, never goes out of style.

Pet jewelry.

I'm not talking about the ridiculous diamond collars and gemstone studded food bowls that one might find on the Beverly Hills barker. I'm talking about the cute little diamond cat pendant or dog bone bangle pet owners wear to show their love for their furry little friends (you know who you are!).

OK, I confess. It doesn't take much for me to channel my inner 'crazy cat lady' - I just love those furry little divas. And that's just what Fred Meyer Jewelers is banking on, I'm guessing, with the launch of their new pet-inspired jewelry line, The PAWSitively Yours Diamond Jewelry Collection.

The line features both whimsical fashion and high-end rings, pendant necklaces and charm bracelets starting at $99.99, with three dollars from every item purchased going to the Humane Society of the United States. 

Cool.

I also found this cute little kitty who needs a good home on JewelClub: 

But I wonder if we animal lovers might be taking our obsession a bit too far when it comes to lighting up our wardrobes with a pet-inspired piece? I need a reality check. 

Is it pet jewelry too much or a touching sentiment? What do you guys think?

Vanessa Minnillo Flashes Engagement Ring

Vanessa Minillo finally got a diamond engagement ring from Nick Lachey last week and like any woman who has to wait six years - she's flashing it all over the place.

The happy couple is celebrating their birthdays (yeah, they were both born on the same day, Nov. 9th!) on the beaches of Mexico, and the paps have captured many a pic of a bikini-clad Vanessa sporting an Asscher-cut diamond and platinum ring from jewelers Bader & Garrin worth an estimated $125,000.

 

But any news of Nick Lachey has to include a Jessica Simpson snippet, right? Despite their failed marriage, their groundbreaking MTV reality show detailing the early days of their young love won the hearts of millions (including yours truly). And apparently news of Nick's engagement hit poor Jess hard.

 

"Even though Jessica wants to be happy for Nick, this is a very difficult time for her," a friend of Simpson's tells popeater.com. "Nick was the love of her life then, man, and he was her first, so she will always have a very special place in her heart for him. She's deeply saddened."

 

Sigh. 

 

But life goes on. And so does our celebrity-diamond watch. Who will be next to get the ring rock? Jessica Biel? Jessica Simpson? Weigh in!

Julianne Moore: Bvlgari's Blingy Beauty

When Julianne Moore bared all for the Bvlgari Serpenti campaign last year, I was - shall we say - skeptical about her choice to add 'jewelry spokesmodel' to her resume. Why does a serious, successful actress need to get naked to peddle high-end jewelry?

The answer, of course, was - she gets to peddle (aka wear and probably OWN) some of the most beautiful baubles on the block. And since they've always got her in her birthday suit (what better way to wear 50+ carat emerald earrings?), she's certainly reminding Hollywood that she's still viable leading lady material.

So I'm over my concern. Ms. Moore knows EXACTLY what she's doing. Even though the city of Venice banned her lion-laden campaign ads for being to 'lewd'. (Italians? Not appreciating nudity? What gives?)

Just look at the jewelry she gets to wear - like this latest entry from Bvlgari's recent 'Save The Children' event in Rome earlier this week.

 

The emerald earring choice just keep on giving...

What do you think of Ms. Moore's new career as the jewelry world's lucky leading lady? Sell-out or smart cookie?

Big Diamond in Little Lesotho

There's been a deluge of diamond delights for the jewelry hound to bite into lately - from the Wittelsbach/Hope display at the Smithsonian to the rare pink diamond that's sure to set price records at Sotheby's later this month.

So it was almost too much to read about the whopper of a rough diamond found in the small African kingdom of Lesotho this week. Like eating a pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk is too much after a pizza delivery. Or watching Joan Rivers on E! is too much after ....actually, I'll just leave it at Miss Joan.

But I don't MAKE the diamond news, folks - I just drool over it.

So, listen. Can you imagine unearthing a 185-carat diamond and just, like, handing it over to your boss at the mine? Well, some poor Lesotho subject did just that last week - and Gem Diamonds got to boast of their second big diamond find in as many months.

According to miningweekly.com, Gem Diamonds' Letšeng mine has produced a number of exceptional diamonds since they acquired the operation in 2006 - including the 603-ct(!) Lesotho Promise, the 493-ct Letšeng Legacy and the 478-ct Light of Letšeng that sold for $12.4-million, $10.4-million and $18.4-million, respectively.

Pass the New York Super Fudge Chunk, Mary. I need to sit down.

This particular stone is expected to yield top color and top clarity once polished, the company said in a release - and could yield between $7 million and $10 million.

I'll have a large pepperoni, extra cheese - - and...yeah, throw in the cheesy bread....

Jewelry Trend Alert: The 'Eyes' Have It!

Does it get any more extreme than Kanye West replacing his entire bottom row of teeth with real diamonds? Yes, jewelry hounds. Yes, it does.

A new trend has emerged that has diamond divas putting real platinum gems - on their eyeballs.

(And you thought vajazzling was the final frontier.)

According to Trendhunter, eye surgeons at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery have been implanting tiny pieces of jewelry called “JewelEye” under the surfaces of eyes as far back as 2004.

The procedure involves inserting a 3.5 mm (0.13 inch) wide piece of specially developed jewelry (the range includes a glittering half-moon or heart) into the sclera - or the white part of the eye. And here's the heart-warming video to prove it.

But there is plenty of other 'eye candy' available that doesn't involve the pleasantries of peeper piercing.

Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek has an eye catching line of bejeweled contact lenses. And I mean 'eye catching' literally.

And D-lister divas, Lisa and Brittny Gastineau, have a popular jewelry line with the Hollywood set that features the eye shape throughout.

Or you can eyeball these little ditties for your next night at the asylum...um, I mean...on the town.

 

So. What do you guys think of the eye candy trend? Edgy or 'Ay, yay, yay'?

Heidi Klum's Halloween Hangover

Halloween in Hollywood means one thing: Heidi Klum's annual Halloween bash. And while the D-list dared to dress-up in droves this year, I'm still looking for a crazy jewelry juggernaut costume like Paris Hilton's diamond display from last year.

Alas.

Here are some of the photo highlights - including my favorite art-imitating-life-imitating-art entry: the Napster co-Founder, Sean Parker, dressing up like Justin Timberlake. Clever.

Yes. That's Heidi Klum in a Transformer-inspired get up on stilts.

 

Mourning Jewelry – Cool or Creepy?

(This is a popular older post that seemed appropriate to share again before the Halloween weekend. Be safe and bedazzle, jewelry hounds!)

Most of us associate jewelry with happy occasions like weddings, birthdays and Valentine’s Day. But many folks are wearing jewels these days that symbolize quite the opposite.

Mourning jewelry is apparently all the rage right now, according to TrendHunter, and with vampire chic taking over our pop culture – from Twilight to True Blood - it’s no wonder.

So what is mourning jewelry exactly?

The earliest examples of mourning jewelry were found in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. Black and white enameled heads or skulls were often set into both rings and brooches and worn to signify a period of mourning after the death of a loved one.

The jewelry category reached its height of popularity in England with Queen Victoria after the premature death of Prince Albert in December 1861. Black jewelry soon became a must-have accessory, as thousands of Brits sympathized with their grieving Queen.


In the United States the use of mourning jewelry increased with the outbreak of the Civil War, which included the emergence of hair jewelry – lopped off locks given to loved ones by soldiers who went off to war, often worn as pendants or in closed lockets.


Today, mourning jewelry is making a comeback, with young designers like Anna Schwamborn from London designing a range of styles made with the hair and cremated ashes of loved ones mixed with black bone china. Her “Mourning Objects” collection includes a rosary, necklace and a watch chain tear catcher, among other styles.

So what do you think about this ‘trendy’ jewelry category? Would you wear the remains of your loved one around your neck, for example, or in the form of a ring? Or is the thought of it too morbid to even consider?

I'm curious. Has anyone out there worn mourning jewelry before? Share your story!