JewelryPayless.com Blog

It’s always good to see the children of big celebrities branch off and do their own things (and be successful at it), just as Ivanka Trump has. At 28 years old, she owns her own jewelry boutique on Madison Ave. in New York. You may know her from her guest judge appearances on her father’s (Donald Trump) television show, The Apprentice. She is known for her great fashion taste, so she’s decided to start a line of handbags as well. Now, this socialite isn’t going give them extremely high prices like most celebs do. She stated that she wants it to be mainstream and available to everyone.

She tweeted that the bags are looking amazing after meeting with her handbag partners, so we can’t wait to see how they turn out. Word has it that she will also be starting a shoe line. I can see her boutique shop growing into a fashion store with clothing, purses, shoes, jewelry and other popular accessories. At least one of Trump’s children has his business skills. She will be collaborating with Marc Fisher on the shoe line, which is set to hit mainstream the Fall of 2011. The shoe line, according to Women’s Wear Daily, will feature stilettos, flip-flops, sneakers and flats. They will have 75-100 different styles and will be priced between $80 and $140 The handbag line is set to come out next March.

Hey, everyone else is doing it, so why can’t she? Britney Spears is renowned for her ever-changing ways. She was first known as being the sweet 16 year old pop star from the 90s, then she transformed into a more mature image…then all went downhill from there. Rumors flew right and left for her regarding her life, love life and career. No one thought she could pop back from that incident where she was seen shaving off her hair. Today, she is slowly but surely trying to bring back her image (whatever that may be), dropping new hits and now trying to start a new clothing line called Candie’s. She was set to launch it on July 1st at Kohl’s. It is for the junior section and, as she noted, it has a “edgy, yet girly” style. I wonder if she’ll have any jewelry in her collection.

“My personal style is mix of comfortable and flirty. I love cute little dresses but I also love comfy sweaters and jeans.”

“First, I met with the Candie’s designers and told them what my favorite styles are. Then, we sketched the items together. I loved it when I saw the samples for the first time.”

“I used a lot of studs and lace, because I wanted to make the clothes cool and edgy yet girly. I also love jeans, so I had to make sure there were some great pairs in the collection. And I love jewelry so there are a lot of fun pieces. There are great necklaces and big earrings.”

As far as her favorite pieces go, she said, “I love the black trench coat. You can wear it over your outfit or as a dress. There’s also an amazing studded skirt that’s perfect for going out.”

Well, we shall see if this will be a rise or fall situation for her.

This ongoing trial for the L.A. thieves who have stolen, jewelry, clothes, purses and electronics from stars like Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox have finally been indicted. Alexis Neiers, one of the little thieves, was already locked away in jail for her involvement in the burglaries. Now, the other five that were in on the ordeal have been charged with first degree felony and conspiracy.

The burglar bunch have stolen millions of dollars from these notable stars, most of which has been found. Rumor has it that Rachel Lee still has some of the items that were stolen. Nicholas Frank Prugo is said to have been charged with seven felony burglary charges. This is the supposed mastermind of the whole sting operation. He was known to create somewhat of a shopping list for the items to snag during their outings.

Other members of the group that have been indicted include Courtney Lee Ames, Diana Tamayo and Roy Lopez Jr. Not sure what possessed them all to do what they did, but maybe they should have stopped after the first time. Too bad they fell under the spell of the “rush” and thought they could continue to get away with stealing. Don’t they know that celebs have cameras in their homes? Also, everyone knows that if you get greedy, you’re bound to lose at some point.

As the title reads, Madonna and her 13 year old daughter, named Lourdes, are planning to launch a new clothing at Macy’s. Believe it or not, it will have a leather and lace, 80s style. Guess what the name of the line will be called! None other than Material Girl. The new line will feature clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry. Then later next year, they’ll be planning to launch a couple of fragrances for the line. Material Girl is basically aimed towards the teen youth and their budget, so they shouldn’t be too expensive. On average, everything is lower than $40 bucks.

Macy’s is looking to bring lots of teens into their store with the Celebrity’s endorsement. Other celebrity lines that Macy’s carries include Kouture by Kimora juniors line, brought to you by Kimora Lee Simmons. Then other stars like Britney Spears has her apparel set to be sold at Kohl’s called Candie (coming this month), Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift all have their lines featured at Walmart.

“A lot of times, celebrities’ brand equity can wane at the drop of a hat, so making a true long-term investment in a celebrity brand can be a bit risky,” said Kelly Tackett, senior analyst for apparel at the consulting firm Kantar Retail.

We will see how well Material Girl sells and whether teens will really enjoy rockin’ the 1980s looks.

In case you haven’t already heard, PerryOlsen.com, leading jewelry retailer, will be collaborating with Christian Audigier. So what does this mean for Perry Olsen shoppers? Well, now you will be able to find a variety of pendants, earrings, rings and bracelets that have rock-inspired and urban designs. You will find jewelry pieces personally designed by Christian Audigier. Each of them highlight the artistic quality of the designer’s brand. There will be skulls, hearts, wings, flowers, swords and a variety of others.

The collaboration involves focusing on the latest luxury jewelry designs for men. “The men’s jewelry market continues to grow as the entrance of Christian Audigier bold and sophisticated design will serve to inspire more designers to follow,” said Tom Diep of Perry Olsen.

Majority of Audigier’s jewelry pieces are made with sterling silver and gold accents, set with cubic zirconia stones. The patterns are quite intricate, showing symbols and images or objects, like sword pierced hearts and grenades with wings. This offers great vintage appeal. Oxidation is used to develop contrasting shadows and dark areas for the silvery colored surface of the jewelry pieces.

Christian Audigier is from France and has created a variety of brands, such as Kookai, Von Dutch, Affliction and Lee. Some of the other successful brands that he has launched are SMET, Ed Hardy, Savoir Faire, Paco Chicano and Rock Fabulous. Ed Hardy is one of the most popular of his brands, especially in the U.S. and among celebrities.
Make sure to check out the new jewelry pieces on PerryOlsen.com!

It seems to be quite a trend these days for celebrities to auction of jewelry that they’ve worn. Hanna Montana star, Miley Cryrus, recently auctioned off a couple of her jewelry pieces and sent the proceeds to Haiti. This time around it’s Lady Gaga. She will be auctioning off her geometric necklace designed by Brian Lichtenberg. She wore this in her “Poker Face”, from her debut album. The auction will be open to the public on Winnit.com. There, bidders will be able to place their bids on the items they want.

This isn’t the first time Lady Gaga has auctioned her jewelry. Earlier this month, she auctioned off her white Mulberry handbag and Mariah Carey’s Louis Vuitton clutch. This auction was done at the S.L.E. Lupus Foundations’s New York Bag Ladies Luncheon & Celebrity Handbag auction. She chose this auction specifically because lupus runs in her family. One of her aunts passed away from the autoimmune disorder back in 1976. She was recently on CNN, speaking with Larry King about her health, saying that she doesn’t have any signs or symptoms of the illness, but has been tested borderline positive for it. She doesn’t have it at the moment, but she has to take care of herself in order to keep it that way.

We all know of Banana Republic as being a great place to shop for close, but soon it will also become another venue for buying jewelry. Word has it that the company will be teaming up with Chan Luu to design a jewelry collection that will feature limited edition bracelets, which launched on May 20th at the San Francisco Banana Republic accessories-only concept store. This is the first time that the company has worked with a jewelry designer for the development of a special collection.

The collection of jewelry will showcase Chan Luu’s signature style, which means there will be custom-dyed threat and leather with original semi-precious stones, sterling silver or gold. There will be 17 pieces with different styles and colors. The price range for the bracelets is set between $95 and $225.

You can find the collection being sold exclusively at Edition, their concept store in San Francisco, after which it will be available in select stores around Japan, North America and Canada beginning on August 10th.

“We are thrilled to announce our first partnership with a world-class jewelry designer,” said Simon Kneen, Creative Director and EVP of Design. “I’m excited to offer Banana Republic customers Chan Luu’s signature interpretation of Banana Republic’s effortless style aesthetic. Our brand is a great destination for jewelry so this adds a little something special into our already-exciting fall jewelry collection.”

Chan Luu is also ecstatic about working with Banana Republic, saying “It is such a pleasure for me to collaborate with Banana Republic, a classic brand whose timeless collections provide the perfect canvas for my own. What makes our partnership even more extraordinary is our shared belief in celebrating the power of personal expression.”

Robert Verdi, a celebrity stylist and television personality was honored to be inducted into the Columbia High School hall of fame. This is the school he attended and was named an inductee for 2010. He wasn’t the only one who was thought of to be a great role model. Alongside him were doctors, scientists and judges; one being Helen E. Hoens, from the New Jersey Supreme Court Justice. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the school’s 26th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

In order to be an inductee, you must be a role model for the students at Columbia High School and the inductee must be distinguished within their professional fields and dedicated to improving society. Verdi graduated from Columbia High back in 1986. Today he is a well-known celebrity stylist for starts like Hugh Jackman, Eva Longoria, Sandra Bernhard and Kathy Griffin. He is also a designer of handbags, jewelry and a television host of a reality /documentary show called “The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi”. He is also known as being a lifestyle expert.

You may have seem him regularly as a guest on programs like The Martha Stewart Show, The View, The Today Show, and MSNBC and CNN Headline News. He played in a movie called The Devil Wears Prada, where he played as himself. Verdi was also a judge for the Miss America Pageant. His younger sister Anna who graduated from Columbia in 1985 introduced him at the ceremony.

“I’m just incredibly fabulous,” said Mr. Verdi when he addressed the crowd. “And I always was.”

We grow up with all of the hype around wedding rings and engagement rings, but what about for the individuals who have been divorced or are still single? No one would have thought about making a ring for them…except for someone already has! Wanda Dibben is a 41-year-old woman that was married for 13 years. After divorcing, she found that she was so attached to her wedding rings that she didn’t want to give it up, so she transformed it. She went to a jeweler and simply asked if they could transform it into a “divorce ring”. She figured that it could be buffered to represent her new-found independence and help with her healing.

So the jeweler removed the gold band and restructured it into a ring that had a gap, across which strands of silver are stitched. The strands are representations of her son, Trevor who is 14 years old; “because although the bonds have been broken, the stitches still keep that unity together,” she said.

Okay, so divorce rings aren’t exactly a fad just yet, but who knows what the future will bring. You can already see them around, such as the singles’ ring, which is a silver band with a Mars or Venus symbol on it. Then there are some rings that are made for gay and straight people. The purpose of these rings is to show the world that you are an empowered individual and available to meet people like yourself.

One designer in particular that is participating in this new trend is Harold Thompson, the founder of D Jewelry Company. He offers divorce rings for sale.

In the music industry, it can be very stressful for many artists. No matter how big you’ve blown up, trouble always seems to find you. The same goes for Christina Aguilera who is known for being one of the top singers of all time. She is very talented and has a beautiful voice, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. Especially when there is a lot of competition out there. Sometimes it takes more than a good voice to get you to the top of the charts, just take a look at Lady Gaga. She’s been doing very well, yet she doesn’t have anywhere near the singing talents of Christina Aguilera.

Speaking of Gaga, a lot of heat has been thrown onto Aguilera because they’re trying to say she is trying to mimic her. Christina’s new album, called Bionic, has a few singles that have videos showing that Aguilera has yet again reinvented herself…but it does kinda have a Lady Gaga type flavor to it. Definitely nothing like the Christina we once knew. She went from being a pop princess to dirty to jazzy chic, and now she is trying to keep up with the trends by going a little more…odd and out there.

She has two singles out from her Bionic album called Woo Hoo, featuring Nicki Minaj (not getting a lot of play or good criticisms) and Not Myself Tonight, which topped at No. 23 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It then dropped to No. 55 within 5 weeks. Her album is set at No. 396 and her expensive deluxe version sits at No. 48 on the charts.

Then to top everything off, she has canceled her tour at the very last minute. Bionic is set to hit stores on June 8th.