Black Friday Jewelry Blowout

Black Friday deals are taking the country by storm this morning, and I've got the best way to get the most bang for your buck - without waking up at dawn and putting on your body armor.

JewelClub - my favorite Friends and Family jewelry site - is offering 25% off their WHOLESALE prices on 12 select items that'll make anyone on your list jump for joy.



These are their lowest prices all year - so the sale won't last long (only from today through Cyber Monday - November 30th).

So, check it:


This 1.5 carat diamond anniversary ring retailed at $5129. JewelClub normally offers it for $1380.47 but with the Black Friday Blowout discount it's listed at only $1035. I'm not good at math, but that looks like over $4,000 (YES, THREE ZEROS) off the original price.

Crikey!

And that's just the beginning. Get $800 diamond studs for under $200. A cultured Akoya (yes, Akoya) pearl strand for over $6,000 off (!!), a created ruby ensemble for under $50, a sapphire ring for over $500 off retail. You have to see to believe.

So visit JewelClub by clicking here, enter the secret code INSIDER and tick off the names on your shopping list with a smile on your face, a boost to your wallet - all without leaving your leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, jewelry hounds!

Paula Abdul's AMA Jewelry Redemption

What a difference a year makes. Paula Abdul hit the red carpet in some serious misses last year (here is an unfortunate reminder of the 2008 Grammys. Yikes!) - but I just caught a glimpse of tonight's AMA outfit and am loving her black mermaid dress with layered blingy cuffs and bracelets - a fun mix of glam with a rock and roll twist. Bravo!



What do you guys think?

Stay tuned for more coverage...

Champagne Diamonds Sparkle Around The US

Jewelry hounds, I've got a new favorite stone to crow about. It combines two of my favorite past-times: the bubbly and the bling. We're talking champagne diamonds, people, and the holiday season is crying out for them to go with your little black party dress.

Champagne diamonds come in a variety of shades ranging from light champagne to deep cognac, and Rio Tinto Diamonds - the leading supplier of the trend-setting stones - is on the cutting edge (pun intended) of bringing these little beauties to a store near you.


They recently held a champagne diamond design competition - with the winning creations (pictured here) taking a tour around the country. Click here to see if they'll make it to your neck of the woods.


In the meantime, be on the lookout for champagne diamonds to light up a jewelry store near you. I plan on tracking some of the great deals to be found as the weeks progress, so stay tuned!

Shop JewelClub for the Holidays

Jewelry hounds, it's time to start making those holiday gift lists. And while I often spend time highlighting celebrity jewelry and outrageously priced auction gems, my real goal is always to keep our love for wearing sparkly things going strong - regardless of our wallet size.

SO - I just wanted to send a friendly reminder that Jewelry Insider readers have unique access to a wholesale jewelry 'Friends and Family' site, JewelClub, that offers seriously steep discounts off hundreds of fine jewelry styles - from diamond studs and pearl strands to colorful cocktail rings and bangin' bangles.


Quick example: This 'Deal of the Month' diamond and onyx ring originally retailed for $1229 but is offered to JewelClub Members at $294.50. That's almost $1,000 off, people. And that's just the beginning.


They offer free shipping, a generous return policy - and rumor has it there's going to be a big blow-out Cyber Monday discount that's not to be missed.

SO - visit www.jewelclub.com, enter the code: INSIDER, and brace yourselves.... It's a sparkly wonderland of savings and style. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Lindsay Lohan Jewelry Designer?

Diamond jewelry hasn't been old Lindsay Lohan's best friend lately - what with the high profile jewelry robbery going down at her pad and the many rumors that she, well, stole a bunch of it from various photo shoots.

Lately, buzz has been circling famous jeweler, Pascal Mouawad, that he and Lindsay were in talks to do a jewelry line for an 'un-named' (and misguided?) retailer. Could it be?

Mouawad and Lohan were at Kitson Boutique this week for his watch line launch with star, Jermaine Dupri, and the scraggly starlet wore out her welcome by snatching over $15,000 in merch according to Fox News explaining that,

"Pascal would take care of it because I’m the only celebrity here.”

BUT - “Pascal said no, so she went and started talking smack about him to Jermaine Dupri who doesn’t even know her,” said an insider. “He was totally bewildered and couldn’t believe it. Eventually Pascal said she could have $2000 to spend but that was the absolutely limit.”

And there's global warming still to worry about.

Anywho, a glutton for punishment apparently, Mouawad told Fox that,

“Lindsay is a close friend of mine, who has a keen eye for jewelry. We have thrown around the idea to collaborate together to create an exclusive line for a retailer who has shown interest in a fashion line designed by her.”

My money is on this taking a back seat to another trip to rehab for Miss 'grabs-a-lot', but what do I know? What do you think the odds are, folks? Weigh in!

Jewelry a No-Show at Twilight Premiere

Twi-hards screamed, photogs jostled, and celebrities littered the red carpet of the Twilight: New Moon premiere in Los Angeles last night. At long last, the vampire sensation is unleashing its next installment on the teen set and the parents who love them - and the party was a big one.


Unfortunately, the jewelry fashion wasn't as important as an Edward sighting or a Bella scowl. Speaking of, the 'Bella' of the ball - Kristen Stewart - showed up in a stunning Oscar de la Renta gown but wore nary a jewel (ok, a few bangles - but whatever). And, well, depite how much I LOVE the fact that she's playing Joan Jett in the upcoming Runaways movie - she's got this Ellen Page-esque aversion to glam that -well - disappoints me. She's a stunner and could have turned it up a notch this go-round. Just my two cents.

Co-stars, Dakota Fanning and Nikki Reed looked adorable and Jennie Garth and Ashley Green made a glittering showing - but overall, I found the female fashions to be less than gawk-worthy considering the huge phenomenon this has turned out to be. Am I right?


Taylor and Rob, on the other hand? Um, yeah, I get it America. To die...

Oh, and how could I forget to peddle to Twilight: New Moon jewelry line - already a strong seller for Nordies? Click here to get some for yourself!

Everlon Earrings Sparkle on Swift

Ok. So maybe I was a little harsh on Taylor Swift yesterday. Despite her penchant for sparkly dresses, the youngster does don some dashing diamonds - diva style.

It was brought to my attention that while she rocked super high-end Lorraine Schwartz gold and pearl drop earrings on the red carpet, she actually wore a pair of diamond Everlon(tm) earrings that we mere mortals can find under our trees this year when she performed her hit 'Fifteen' during the CMA broadcast.


It's not easy to see the earrings in these photos (here is her performance on Youtube that shows them in all their glory), but Zales carries a pair similar to those worn by Swift for only $399.99. In fact, the Everlon jewelry collection (marketed by DeBeers - responsible for the Journey and 'Past, Present' Future' campaigns, among others), will debut a new ad in time for holiday shopping sprees next week - stay tuned.


So Taylor (and her stylists) are ahead of the curve on this one. Maybe I'll post-pone my 'sequintervention', after all.

Taylor Swift Sweeps CMAs in Sequins

Diamonds? Rubies? Emeralds? Gold? If you're Taylor Swift, you don't need any of those tired old ways to bring on the bling. Nope.

You just need sparkly dresses.



In the always quotable words of ubiquitous stylist Rachel Zoe, that Taylor Swift sure does 'love herself a sequin'. From Oprah to SNL, the teen sensation is swirling in a such a sequined swath of good fortune even Cher would draw the shades. In fact, I was so convinced she would turn up in a metallic sequined number at the CMAs last night, I didn't even watch. And of course - I was right.

Maybe I'm just a little bitter. Who wouldn't want a great career singing navel-gazing songs from your own diary, a post-Kanye adoring public, a Twilight-er for a boyfriend, a surprisingly smooth SNL hosting gig and a closet full of sparkly, sequined minis and black boots?


And sweeping the CMAs away from the likes of (gasp!) Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and all the other country staples last night? Well, that was the shining cherry on top of the syrupy sweet sequined sundae, now wasn't it?


With the holiday season drawing near, I can only imagine the sequined wonderland that awaits us. Maybe Santa will give Rudolph the night off and use Swifty to light his way? Or Dick Clark could ditch the glowing ball schtick and just drop Taylor into Times Square?

Just a thought...

Bernie Madoff Jewelry On The Block

Diamonds, emeralds, pearls and Rolex watches are all being auctioned this weekend in New York, which wouldn't really be news except for the small fact that they all belonged to disgraced billionaire and all-around scumbag, Bernie Madoff.



The auction will feature some 200 items, including a pair of Victorian-era diamond earrings ($20,000 est.), an Edwardian-era diamond and emerald bracelet, a 123-inch strand necklace of Baroque Akoya pearls, and various pricey watches, golf clubs, mink coats, cuff links and the like.

The question remains: Who would want to own this stuff? (The karma...the karma).

Auctioneers hope to bring in well above the $500,000 total which is the sum of the low-estimate of each item, with proceeds going to help the victims of the massive ponzi scheme.


Seems like a drop in the bucket, but here's hoping. Would you guys buy the Madoff loot if you could? Weigh in!

Glamour's Women of the Year Shine Bright

The 2009 Glamour Women of the Year Awards took place last night in New York’s grand Carnegie Hall, and the star power was at full wattage – despite a lack of significant jewelry bling to speak of on the carpet.

Honoree, Rihanna, dazzled in a Stephan Rollande gown and Cartier diamond studs – earning the respect of the crowd and presenter, Iman, for riding the tide of public sentiment after her high-profile beating from former boyfriend Chris Brown. Onwards, girlfriend!

Fellow honoree, Amy Poehler, followed suit in basic diamond studs that didn’t outshine her metallic sheath by Stella McCartney (also honored). And Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi showed off her baby bump with a little gold glam (most likely from her own jewelry line).

I’m loving the sleek Serena Williams style with heavy bangs and diamond cuffs – and while I prefer a brunette Catherine McPhee, her onyx and diamond deco drops from Bochic are to die for. Nice work.

The winner for me in the ‘notsomuch’ department had to be Miss Gayle King in a statement necklace that didn’t need her sequined belt’s competition. Less is more when you’ve got such a wow piece taking center stage, right?

For a full album of the evening’s top fashion moments, visit the Jewelry.com Facebook page and weigh in with your rants and raves. And visit the Glamour homepage for a full recap of the evening’s honorees (and there were many worthy women to celebrate).