Archive – Jewelry – Style News - StyleWatch

Dec 21 2011 04:30 PM ET

Jill Zarin Bought Elizabeth Taylor’s $19K Ring for ‘Good Karma’

Elizabeth Taylor Auction
Courtesy Christie’s; inset: Andrew H. Walker/Getty

Elizabeth Taylor famously told the world what a “lucky girl” she was when she looked at her jewels. Former Real Housewives of New York star Jill Zarin says she feels just as lucky now that she owns one of them.

Zarin’s husband, Bobby, bought several items his bride picked out at the record-breaking $153 million Elizabeth Taylor auction at Christie’s New York last week, including a light-blue gemstone ring designed by famed jeweler Zorhab Istanboulian. He also bought her a 14-karat gold pillbox from Van Cleef & Arpels, bearing the inscription, “To Elizabeth With Love” on one end and POKER ALICE, the name of her 1987 TV movie with George Hamilton, elsewhere.

Zarin wouldn’t say what her hubby paid for the items, but a rep at Christie’s confirmed that the final bid for the Zorab ring — featuring an ornate, multi-gemstone setting — was $19,000. The final bid for the pillbox, which houses a compartment set with red and blue cabochon stones, was $8,000.

Dec 21 2011 09:00 AM ET

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Jessica Simpson Introduces ‘Signature’ Studs

Jessica Simpson Zales Jewelry Collection
Jessica Simpson Fine Jewelry by Zales; inset:Lionel Hahn/Abaca

When Jessica Simpson slaps her name on something, that something usually sells. It’s no coincidence, then, that the shrewd businesswoman, whose fortune is estimated at nearly $1 billion, knew exactly how to infuse a fine jewelry line for Zales with a little bit of Jessica.

The Jessica Simpson Fine Jewelry collection — featuring earrings, rings, bracelets and more — includes a variety of butterfly-shaped designs based on the star’s handwriting. (The line’s signature butterfly: a mirror image of the ‘J’ in Jessica’s signature, as visible in the butterfly stud earrings, left.)

“This collection has allowed me to create pieces that truly reflect who I am,” Simpson says in a release. The pieces “can become a keepsake for life.” Ranging in price from $79-$799, the line is available exclusively at Zales stores nationwide and Zales.com. We think everything she touches turns to gold (or silver!), but want to hear from you. Tell us: Will you be buying Simpson’s ‘signature’ studs?

–Justine Harman

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Dec 17 2011 05:00 PM ET

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A Look Back at Vanessa Bryant’s ‘Apology’ Ring

Kobe Bryant Wife Apology Ring
Getty Images

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, perhaps Vanessa Bryant will find solace in hers as she works through her divorce from husband Kobe Bryant. The mom of two filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Friday — though the fate of her $4 million diamond sparkler, a gift from her soon-to-be ex, is to be determined.

Kobe purchased the ring for Vanessa in July of 2003, three days after prosecutors declared he’d be charged with the rape of a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort where he’d stayed. Dubbed the “apology ring” — though PEOPLE reported that the basketball star had commissioned the bauble two weeks before charges were announced — it’s an 8-carat purple diamond set in a glimmering band.

The week before presenting his wife with the diamond, Kobe faced reporters during a press conference at the Staples Center in L.A. and admitted to cheating on his wife. “You’re my backbone,” he told Vanessa apologetically as she looked on solemnly. “You’re a blessing. You’re a piece of my heart. You’re the air I breathe. And you’re the strongest person I know, and I’m so sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this.”

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Dec 16 2011 01:30 PM ET

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The Elizabeth Taylor Auctions: What the Stars Bought

Elizabeth Taylor Krupp Diamond
Express Newspapers/Hulton Archive/Getty

Her jewelry auction shattered records with nearly $116 million in sales, but who actually came to Christie’s New York and purchased the pricey gems Elizabeth Taylor once owned?

Taylor admirer Kim Kardashian scored three Lorraine Schwartz bangles, shelling out $64,900 for the jade bracelets. “It’s not just a piece of jewelry,” she told InStyle.com. “She wore them constantly during the final years of her life and I believe they carry her spirit.”

Coincidentally, Schwartz herself scooped up a diamond fringe bracelet Taylor purchased from her nearly 10 years ago. “I was wearing it for her [70th birthday] party at the Bel-Air Hotel,” Schwartz recalled on her Facebook page, “and she kept calling me over to look at it and to try it on.” The next morning, the jeweler got a call from the movie star, who said, “I know who’s buying that bracelet for my birthday … I’m buying it!”

Dec 13 2011 01:30 PM ET

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The Holiday Surprise Hillary Scott Is Getting This Year (Hint: It’s Jewelry!)

Hillary Scott David Yurman
Rick Diamond/Getty; Courtesy David Yurman

She already received some major bling this year — namely that gorgeous diamond engagement ring — but Hillary Scott was surprised with a little extra sparkle before the CMT Artists of the Year special in Nashville on Nov. 29.

The Lady Antebellum singer — plus fellow honorees Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and bandmates Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley — received a one-of-a-kind gem from jewelry designer David Yurman in honor of her country music accomplishments.

Dec 02 2011 04:30 PM ET

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Lauren Conrad, Kate Bosworth Teach Hair-and-Jewelry Coordination

Kate Bosworth Jewelry Courtesy JewelMint

So it’s not rocket science, but it is an important element of style: what kinds of earrings should you wear with what hairstyles? Luckily, the ladies over at Lauren Conrad‘s site, thebeautydepartment.com, recently tackled that topic with JewelMint cofounder Kate Bosworth — a client of Conrad’s makeup artist and fellow blogger, Amy Nadine.

For starters, Conrad’s hair stylist Kristin Ess suggests “simple” hair with small jewels. “Studs and small stone earrings can get overwhelmed by too much hair,” she writes, adding, “wear a lipstick that will make the color of the stone pop.”

Bosworth also demonstrates ever-popular chandelier earrings two ways: with hair up (“chignons are best,” Ess writes) and hair down, either to the side or behind the ears so the sparklers take center stage.

Want some more weekend ideas for hair-and-jewelry coordination? Visit thebeautydepartment.com for additional illustrations — and the chance to win some JewelMint earrings.

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Nov 14 2011 10:30 AM ET

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Nikki Reed’s ‘Breaking Dawn’ Wedding Scene Secret

Nikki Reed Breaking Dawn Courtesy SELF

She may be busy settling into married life and promoting the next Twilight film, Breaking Dawn Part I, but Nikki Reed has her mind on some fashionable future plans, too.

“At some point I’d like to have a jewelry line,” she reveals in the December issue of SELF. “I have a very sort of eclectic style, so I guess I’ve picked up things from all over the world, but the last place that I lived was Greece so I became very into the evil eye. I’m influenced by Greek culture for sure.”

Though Reed’s personal style is eclectic, her Twilight character, Rosalie Hale, steers toward the modern side. “The Cullen family … they don’t want to stand out as much as they already do with their crazy eyes and pale skin,” she explains. “So I think that was a common theme when shooting, like, ‘How can we make them blend in the most?’ So we wore the hippest, most modern clothes.”