THE BLING BLOG

It's Friday And I Think I Might Wear Some Jewelry

Every day I wear the same pieces of jewelry.  I'm fond of the usual suspects.

I don't take chances with multiple necklaces, or shoulder-dusters plus necklaces plus bracelets plus multiple rings.

I just don't.

But tonight I am thinking about doing something outrageous with pearls.  Kind of a Princess Anne dog-collar effect.  For going out to dinner with the in-laws.

I'll let you know how it goes, and maybe provide pictures.

The Glam.com "What Kind Of Diamond Are You?" Quiz

Many thanks to Wendy B. from Canada for alerting me to Glam.com's "highly sophisticated" quiz which promises to match you with your diamond type.  In spite of its silly tone, there are some merits to the diamond type profiling.  You'll see when you take it.

Not surprisingly, both Wendy and I are the cushion-cut diamond type.

I'll take that.  It fits.

What type are you?

Frederic Rouzaud: Genius Of The Pre-emptive PR Strike

In an unprecedented demonstration of uncanny trend prediction, this week European Cristal Champagne boss Frédéric Rouzaud denounced the "unwanted attention" cast upon his brand by hip-hoppers.

At left, you can see the Fresh Prince of Fresno, aka "Toolio," or Kevin Federline.  With his 3-carat diamond stud earrings and diamond pinky ring, he shows us how he rolled this past weekend in Miami Beach.  Cristal style.

To Rouzaud, I say, CHEERS!  Excellent anticipation and nice work.

A Harvard or Wharton MBA ought not be awarded without in-depth attention to this pre-emptive PR strike as a case study in marketing genius.

(photo from DListed)

(note:  my apologies to the hip-hoppers for lumping this toolish poser clown with you)

How Not To Wear Jewelry - Britney Spears Style

Ugh.

Is it the awful hair weave?

It is the "two pissholes in the snow" eye makeup?

Is it that she compares herself to golden Goldie Hawn?

Is it that she compares herself to Julia Freakin' Roberts?!

Is it the half-gnawed-off, chipped Dragon Lady polish on the press-on nails?

Is it the CHEWING GUM being chewed while being interviewed?  On national television?

Is it the too sheer, too tight, too short, too cheesy for even the most disreputable of truckstop Waffle House waitress-style clothing?

Yes.  All of those are awful.  Very, very awful.  Awful the way she averts her eyes, fidgets with her hands, scratches her legs, flips her weave, avoids meaningful topics, practices absolute denial, etc.

But the worst part?  That's right.  The jewelry.  There were shorter video clips available, but if you watch this one you can see a near-perfect specimen of female hysteria.

How many rings?  I dunno, maybe 12?  Do the ones that don't make it over the second knuckle count as two or three or even four rings?

How many bracelets?  I dunno, maybe 40?  That includes random pieces of electrical cord, rubber bands, probably a hospital ID bracelet, a few strands of her scuzzy husband's stringy hair, some diaper tape and a nightclub stamp.

How many pairs of earrings?  I dunno, but the big ones, the shoulder-dusters, count as three pairs each.

How much foot jewelry?  I dunno, I, I, I...  I can't take it.

(note 6.16.06 - the youtube.com link is not working as those chicken hawks at NBC removed the segment of the Britney Spears interview with Matt Lauer - but believe me, she's hideous - below are some screengrabs from NBC - you can see the jewelry, sort of - it's better if you can find a copy of the interview so you can see how cute she used to be and what a Waffle House waitress she is now)

Jacob The Jeweler Might Be In A Lot of Trouble

In breaking news from the JCK Group, celebrity blingster Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co. was charged with violating federal drug laws,

Which include conspiracy to distribute in excess of 476 kilograms of cocaine and laundering in excess of $270 million in U.S. currency...

said the Feds this afternoon.  Crikey!

Arabo also known as "Jacob the Jeweler" whose real name is Jacob Arabov, 41, is a high end retailer and jewelry designer who is famous for his diamond jewelry and oversized diamond watches, as well as for his celebrity clientele, which includes David Beckham, Madonna, Sir Elton John, Naomi Campbell, and Sean Combs. The company's flagship store is located on 48 E. 57th St., New York.

You know, when you envision that there is a use for, and therefore create, a watch that sells for $1 million and tells the time in 24 time zones and calling it "The World Is Yours" timepiece, you've absolutely got to have enormous reserves of, ahem, energy.  And grandiosity.  And why not make a profit while you're at it?  That Bolivian marching powder is quite a seller to the fast-paced crowd.  It keeps them, um, fast.

But of course there is the predictable denial,

“The arrest of Mr. Arabov is the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding that we believe will be straightened out in the next several weeks," a spokeswoman for Jacob & Co. told JCK. "We are confident that once the government is advised of all the facts surrounding these issues that all of the charges against Mr. Arabov will be completely dismissed.”

Wait!  There's more,

The indictment also seeks criminal forfeiture of more than 30 pieces of jewelry, 13 residences, 35 vehicles, including Lincoln Limousine, BMWs, Range Rovers, Aston-Martin, and Bentleys, numerous bank accounts, over $1.2 million in seized currency, and a money judgment totaling $270 million.

Damn!  You know, it's hard out here for a pimp.

Next thing you know, those humorless French will be dissing hip-hoppers for their modest and private consumption of Cristal.  What is the world coming to?

(source JCK Group)

Michael Jackson Is A Vile Criminal, And That's The Nicest Thing I Can Say

A bit off topic, yes, I realize that.

Take a gander at this New York Post article on Page Six about Michael Jackson.

The man (? - okay, genetically male) is one sick, sick ticket.  There have been times in the very distant past when I sort of felt sorry him.  No more.

Your opinions?

(note 6.16.06 - apparently the link is busted, and this is all I can get from the archives of Page Six:

"Michael Jackson gave the videotaped deposition for an upcoming lawsuit filed by former associate Marc Schaffel, who says he's owed $800,000 for producing two 2003 TV specials and $2.3 million for payments and loans he made to the Gloved One. [Wacko Jacko] has countersued, saying Schaffel failed to pay costs related to the production of "What More Can I Give" and kept $250,000 in sculptures and paintings belonging to the singer."

Evidently Jackson never paid this Schaffel guy.  But the bigger story is that a ton of celebrities sang on his 9/11 charity track and his Katrina charity track for zero compensation, obviously.  The thing is, Jackson owns the rights to those tracks and stands to make a ton of money selling them, like he did with Lionel Richie for "We Are The World."  So Jackson may be a total creep and a moron, but he still knows how to make a buck.  Next he should learn how to be a human being.  But that's asking a bit much.)

What Is Palladium? Wasn't It A Hipster Disco On The Sunset Strip In Hollywood?

Yes, indeed it was.

However, the palladium to which I refer today is a chemical element (remember that dastardly Periodic Table of Elements in the 8th grade?) in solid form that is considered to be a precious metal.  Its symbol is Pd and its atomic number is 46.  Other precious metals include our friends Ag, Au and Pt; silver, gold and platinum respectively.  There are others, but I refer to these metals as they have jewelry-making applications.  Okay, titanium, too.

Guess what?  Jewelry can be made of palladium, too.

Palladium is very similar to platinum chemically-speaking, and is in the platinum group of metals.  As well, it has a lower melting point than platinum, and therefore is easier to work with.  When it is cold, it is remarkably strong and hard and thus very desirable for jewelry.  Etching or deconstructing palladium is a lengthy process with HCl (hydrochloric acid), and it will only dissolve rapidly in more caustic acids.  And finally, it does not tarnish when worn (unlike some silver and gold alloys) as it has no reaction to oxygen.

Gearheads will recognize palladium for its use in catalytic converters.  It is thought that palladium will one day take the place of platinum in this process.

So, when you want a white metal you basically choose from platinum or white gold.  Platinum is very expensive.  White gold is also pricey, but white gold is more of a hassle than yellow gold or platinum.  In order to get white gold, you must alloy the gold with either nickel or palladium first.  And then you get to rhodium plate it.  It's a hassle.  It's great metal, very sturdy indeed, but a big hassle.

Enter palladium.  Palladium was one of the big stars at this year's JCK show in Las Vegas.  Its price point is somewhere between white gold and platinum (although its trading price about half of gold, demand is up, therefore price goes up), but with none of the hassles.  It is much less dense than platinum, to be sure, but just as tough in its cold state.  It will look like platinum, it simply won't weigh as much.

Yesterday I saw a men's size 15 (!) ring of palladium.  The same ring in platinum would've been double the price as it would have weighed nearly one ounce.  And what is the price of platinum per ounce today?  As of five minutes ago, an ounce of platinum was $1158.00 US.  Palladium was $299.00 US.  You do the math.  Of course, it's not straight math.  "Precious metal math" is about as confusing and demand-driven as "diamond math." 

A piece of jewelry forged of palladium will have the nearly identical white, white metal look of platinum, but it will cost far less.  It is very workable.  It is said that palladium can be pounded into thin leaves of metal just like gold.  Jewelers are finding multiple uses for it that were otherwise prohibitively expensive to render in platinum.

By the way, palladium is mined in Ethiopia, both North and South America, in the Ural Mountains, and in Australia.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this unique offering.  Although it has been used for years in jewelry-making, its time is now.

Crater of Diamonds State Park Strikes Again!

Congratulations to young Miss Courtney Conder, age 9, of Grantsburg, Illinois!

"Family entertainment" to be enjoyed at theme parks with gigantic mice and fairy castles and aquaria with dancing orcas be damned!  Take your family to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.

Miss Conder made quite a score in finding a 1.11 carat white diamond on June 11.  Park officials have confirmed the find.  She will have a great back-to-school tale to tell come September.

Miss Conder, age 9, has an interest in archaeology.  Courtney calls the diamond her "sparkles diamond."  Wonderful.  Truly.  Good girl.  And apparently she wishes to keep the diamond in its original, rough crystal state.  Good girl again!  Hang onto it and get it cut one day.

Miss Conder told officials after finding the diamond that she wants to become an archeologist when she grows up.

"The diamond is said to be "elongated, tear-shaped...  it appears flawless."

Nice going, Miss Courtney Conder!

(from diamonds.net)

Happy 2,000,000 Served To The Manolo

Though I alone must have hit his "super-fanstastic" website no fewer than 50,000 times myself, let us congratulate The Manolo for hitting 2,000,000+ on the blog-hit-o-meter today.

My husband tells me that multiple hits from a single IP address count as one.  It may indicate a touch of the OCD tendencies, but he is a daily visit.  Therefore, that two-mil is the real deal.  Which is amazing.  Considering he is selling the love and adoration of shoes first and foremost, and the gentle mocking of celebrity second.

My fondest thanks and congratulations for his insightful, coherent and often hilarious writings.

Manolo may love the shoes, but we love The Manolo!

I Have Returned From Duty!

I am back from Granny duty and will begin in earnest tomorrow to fill you all in on the goings-on, fashion and otherwise, at the JCK Show in Las Vegas as well as new projects on the horizon...  including being contacted personally by none other than Shlomo Cohen.  Cohen, you might recall, is the master diamond cutter responsible for the original Princess Cut diamond.  And most recently he brings us the Vinci Diamond.

So more on all of that tomorrow.

FYI:  GG is doing well and sends her greetings to all of my Internet friends!