The New Storage Wars & Hoarders Show, or...Huguette Clark's Safety Deposit Box Is Opened

Score another one for Christie's.  Still recovering from their record setting auction of Elizabeth Taylor's personal jewel collection, on April 17th, Christie's will handle the disposition of the rare and outstanding gems and jewelry recently found when late copper mining heiress, Huguette Clark's, safety deposit box was opened.  Sealed for more than seven decades, head of jewelry for Christie's, Rahul Kadakia, said it was like "chasing a rainbow" when he finally saw the gems.  I agree with Mr. Kadakia,who further said, "Opening the vault to find this treasure trove of period jewels from the best French houses of the early 1900's has certainly been one of the most extraordinary moments in my 15 year career here at Christie's."  However I keep thinking this was some kind of A&E's Storage Wars for the rich.

Every piece was still in it's original, vintage box and includes this Cartier 19.86 carat, D, potentially internally flawless, diamond ring from the 1930's, with an estimated value of $2 to $3 million dollars...which seems low to me. 

And then there was the extremely rare Belle Epoque, 9 carat, fancy, vivid purple-pink, diamond by Dreicer & Co., circa 1910, valued at $6 to $8 million dollars, which she inherited from her mother.

Among the 17 items found were two unbelievable Cartier bracelets.  This one is an art deco diamond and emerald piece valued at $50,000 to $70,000.

And the other is this all diamond bracelet which has been estimated at $300,000 to $500,000. Seen wearing them in the photo above, this was one of the last known images of Clark, which was taken after she signed her divorce papers and right before she went into seclusion. 

Not to mention the real estate.  Clark left three New York apartments which overlook Central Park and are believed to be the biggest in the city.  Two occupy the entire 8th floor of a Fifth Avenue address.  The third unit takes up one half of the 12th floor at the same address and was used to store her doll collection.  Cue the tinkly, creepy "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" music.  The real estate is estimated to fetch in the neighborhood of $55 million dollars.

Of course there are two wills, and the contesting will go on for years. Huguette had no children and reportedly left the bulk of her $400 million fortune to her nurse.  This person should look both ways before she crosses those busy New York streets.

Three New Celebrity Engagement Rings

There are more pictures of Jessica Biel without her new ring than there are with.  Why the mystery?  In case Justin Timberlake cheats on her again, she can say they were never really engaged.  Although specifics are hard to find, the ring appears to have a large square stone with vintage elements.

I'm really surprised that people aren't talking about what looks a baby bump. 

Next is Drew Barrymore.  She recently became engaged to "art consultant", Will Koppleman.  He presented her with a four carat radiant cut diamond from Graff reportedly valued at $80,000.  Like a good Jewish boy - he gave good diamond.  Barrymore said, "He's just got lovely taste, and it's really fancy.  I'm sort of like funky, eclectic girl, so I feel like this is very fancy and I'm trying to like, you know, feel comfortable with it." 

I could, like you know, get comfortable with a ring like that.  Like, you know.

And last but not least, there is Snooki.  Presented with a true jersey girl ring, it's a custom made three carat princess cut diamond sitting on top of a two carat eternity band.  Of course it is.  I'd reserve the eternity band part as my wedding ring and have a plain mounting for the princess cut stone.  Wait until those diamonds start popping out when she hits it against beer cans.

Pregnancy rumors swirled around Drew and Snooki with only Snooki confirming she is expecting.  I bet their girlgyna-cologists will have front row seats at the weddings.

This looks like an x-ray of something retrieved from a stomach, but it's really a close up of Snooki's ring.

Academy Awards Jewelry - Cuffs

There were so many beautiful jewels on the red carpet last night along with a few trends and some very special pieces.  First...diamond cuffs and wide diamond bracelets.

Do you think photographers don't remove the stunned background humans on purpose as a way to get  back at celebrities for being such assholes.  Could this woman possibly think this was her photo op?  Regardless, you know right now she's wishing she spent that extra time at the gym.

Gwyneth wears Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie Hearts of Winter cuff bracelet made of 2,368 rose-cut, round brilliant diamonds weighing 163 carats and valued at $1 million; and the double hoop Duchess Hibiscus Ring made of rose cut and round diamonds with purple sapphires set in 18-karat white gold and valued at $160,000.  Ahhhmaazing.

Viola Davis looked lovely, if not a little "from the valley of the jolly....ho, ho, ho, " in Vera Wang and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Viola recycling Lorraine Schwartz's wide champagne and white diamond cuff.  It seems to be the "go to" bracelet because it has also been worn by Taylor Swift and Ashley Green at events earlier in the year.  See below...

Taylor Swift - not making an odd face for a change.

Ashley Green - not sure who she is but she nailed the look.

Penelope Ann Miller from "The Artist" wears a rare three-carat pink radiant diamond ring, surrounded by pink and white diamonds; an art-deco 24-carat diamond encrusted cuff bracelet; and 11-carat halo drop diamond earrings, all from Blue Nile.  Blue Nile is one of the best on-line resources for diamond knowledge.

These are Kristin Wiig's hands showing off three wide platinum and diamond bracelets along with a platinum, emerald, ruby and diamond ring by Neil Lane.  Since she usually wears flesh-tone on the red carpet she should have lost that dark nail polish.  Every time I see a woman wearing it I know her nails are skoovatch underneath.

Nina Garcia from "Project Runway" wearing a vintage Fred Leighton platinum ring set with a 14 carat rose cut diamond and a 1950's platinum bracelet.  

Miss Piggy, also wearing Fred Leighton.  Oh... wait, is that a nipple slip?

PBS And Their Dasterdly "Downton Abbey" Deed

If you are like many people in America right now, you have been sucked into the Downton Abbey" vortex on Sunday nights.  My Sunday night television obsession has gone from the depths of the Real Housewives of Wherever to the current highbrow Downton Abbey, and directly following, "Sherlock".  Now I feel very intelligent when I watch TV on Sunday night instead of the goober I used to feel like when I watched the housewives.

But PBS has recently come under fire for selling a collection of jewelry based on Downton Abbey on their website.  They are under fire not because as some have said, the collection is tacky, but because they did it without informing the shows creator.  See for yourself...

A replica of a cameo from the show.  Cameos were very popular in the early 20th century.  Typically carved in shell, cameos were also carved in gemstones like agate, onyx and sardonyx.

Pearls were often used in jewelry during the Victorian and Edwardian age.  They were small and natural, (unlike these Downton Abbey replicas which are faux).

Downton Abbey's Crawley women. 
This is what women looked like before Gloria Steinem, masters degrees, the gym, wine and Starbucks.

The girls and their pearls.  Here are the ladies and some of their PBS knock-offs.
Some felt the tea set (shown in the bottom right corner) was particularly heinous.

So really, what is all the fuss about?  Did Willow or Patrick at PBS get a little too aggressive when brainstorming beg-a-thon ideas?  PBS stuck their neck out in an effort to raise funds and with all the cutbacks in contributions, if they don't stay on their toes, they will go dark...and that would be bad. 

It's a shame PBS had to pull the jewelry off their website.  Had they collaborated with the shows creator from the beginning, together they could have spawned a new trend in clothing and jewelry.  Yes people, women now want the clothes too - especially the blouses. 

Come on...who would you rather see in pearls?

Jewelry at the 2012 Golden Globes

Here's some of the fantastic jewelry from last night's Golden Globe's award show.  If your name was Fred or Lorraine, you were more important than the friggin' award's...

Looking a little like a Q-tip tinged with a drop of blood, Angelina looked so bored I wondered why she even showed up.  Scarecrow...I'll miss you most of all.

Then... I saw these.  Lorraine Schwartz's 25 total carat weight round diamond earrings.  You can't even call them studs.  Each diamond weighs a whopping 12.5 carats.  I hope Angelina is comfortable about where these diamonds came from... like not her daughter's backyard.

Julianna Margulies wearing Lorraine Schwartz's amazing green jade and diamond double drop earrings.

Julianna Margulies.  The mistress of simplicity and the opposite color wheel.
She always gets it right... and, as a bonus, you get a smile.

Beautiful Freida Pinto wore a Chopard necklace made with 145 carats of yellow diamonds and 1705 micro pave diamonds.  The necklace was important enough to come with it's own bodyguard...Freida, not so much.

Elle Macpherson looking a little wrinkly in her Lorraine Schwartz bangles.

I find Julianne Moore incredibly annoying...however, her Fred Leighton emerald earrings are not.
She has redeemed herself in my eyes... for the moment.

Heidi Klum wearing early Lorraine - back when she knew Wilma.

I thought Kate Beckinsdale was probably as close to perfection as they came.
Lorraine Schwartz diamond duster earrings complimented her outrageous hair. 

Jessica Alba (who is she...what did she do)...was actually a close tie (in my opinion) to best dressed.
Especially with these 37 carat Bulgari diamond earrings.

I am only showing Reese Witherspoon's Fred Leighton arm because the rest of her was...what?  Questionable?  Some say she looked like an extra pound had been applied equally around her normally near perfect body?  So hoo keyhas?  Jewels by Fred.

This is one of Sophia Vagara's most famous features on which rests the most amazing Harry Winston diamond cuffs.
Need I say anymore. 

This is Madonna.  Remember her?  Please tell me...what was with the glove?

Tilda Swinton's jewels by Fred Leighton...

Tilda Swinton's hair by Woodstock.

There is nothing like a Dame...Dame Helen Mirren in 1950's Fred Leighton's diamond and sapphire earrings.

Glenn Close wearing Wilfredo Rosado's 32 carat sapphire and diamond earrings.
Glenn is obsessed with Albert Nobbs as she is still in make-up.

End Of The Year Wrap Up

It's been a pretty interesting year in jewelry, fashion and human observation in general.  Here are some of the highlights...

I started off my blog with the one of the most awaited events in a long time: the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Evoking only the best memories of Princess Diana, I felt as if she was happily observing their every move. And who could be lovelier and skinnier than Kate. Her choice of jewels, fashion, and protruding clavicle is on par, but not greater than Diana's was, just like a good daughter-in-law should be: skinny enough so all your friends are envious, but not skinnier than you.  You know Di would have approved.

Oprah...pretending to look interested.

We said goodbye to Oprah this year...thank God.  I was really getting tired of her solving the problems of the world. I think I'm not alone as we all witnessed her new project, OWN, not realize the same level of success as her show. Oprah...please just go away and spend your OWN money.

And who knew so many people were interested in Paula Deen's diamonds? Next to Kim Kardashian, Paula Deen was the most popular blog I wrote. I don't know if it's her diamond rings or that she condones the use of huge amounts of butter, but people really like her.

Next it was the Van Cleef & Arpels, "Set In Style" exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt, a little boutique museum currently in the process of getting a 5th Avenue face-lift. Gorgeous sparkles with stories to match, we got a unique glimpse of the kind of jewelry women rarely wear today. When the occasion calls for it, I can pull some decent diamonds out of my safe, but nothing like the jewelry privileged women wore prior to WWII. Today we can't even smoke, let alone buy a $50,000 VC&A ruby and diamond studded cigarette case to carry them in. Women were so glamorous back then, even with emphysema as their accessory.

FYI - hands down, VC& A had the best holiday windows this year.   Each one had moving parts and told a little French story featuring their magnificent jewels.  What you can't see is the homeless person who was outside the store on the sidewalk loudly begging for money.  Quite a contrast to what was in the windows....

And who the hell knew the earth had spewed up so many big yellow diamonds? It seemed like every other day a 30 carat stone was being unearthed and auctioned off to a couple in Tennessee who looked like they lived in a trailer park. That's the millionaire next door for ya'.

Kim's diamonds on their honeymoon.

I did far too many Google searches of Kim Kardashian this year. What a waste of my time; however, her name was searched for so often I felt I needed to write about her, even if it was to write about what a waste of time she was.

I know they're easy to throw on, but come on...

Then there was Elizabeth Taylor.  An icon for most of her life, she amassed a serious collection of jewelry and art that belied her frivolous love life.  And her contribution to AIDS research cannot be denied. She was unique and generous, even if she lived most of her life in those ridiculous caftans.

I can't wait to see what 2012 has to offer jewelry, fashion and people-wise.