Patek Philippe Ref. 5135 Gondolo Calendario watch: An Expressive And Visually Compelling Annual Calendar

The Ref. 5135 Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario watch is a great addition to Patek’s lineup of annual calendar timepieces.  I remember when this watch was introduced, and I found it quite a surprise–eye-catching due to both its large size, tonneau shape, and its elegantly expressive dial, this annual calendar radiated comparatively more “edge” than Patek Philippe’s more overtly classical round annual calendar timepieces, such as the highly popular Ref. 5146. 

I find the look of the window displays for the day, date and month to be extremely pleasing.  Placed in a semi-circle between 10 and 2 o’clock the layout is supremely elegant, and keeps the dial blessedly free of clutter.

For my personal tastes, only the size of the Ref. 5135 is a deterrent–for a Patek Philippe watch, the Gondolo Calendario is substantial.  However, I think this is a good thing, because it is moderates the range of more customarily sized round Patek Philippe watches in the 35-38mm range.  This timepiece is a great choice for watchophiles who are enraptured with Patek Philippe but may feel limited by the classical sizes that the brand has traditionally embraced.�

“So Happy” for Chopard Diamond Stud Earrings

Chopard diamond stud earrings would make any girl SO happy, but these Chopard So Happy Diamond stud earrings will make that special girl overjoyed. I love these little jewels. They are red gemstones with floating bezel set diamonds inside. Chopard was a huge hit at the Oscars, dressing Hilary Swank and Penelope Cruz, so these earrings are a great option for those of us who don’t walk the red carpet every other week. Try these Chopard So Happy Diamond Stud earrings for a little spark in your everyday jewelry.

Kwiat Necklace – Kwiat Solaris White Gold Diamond Necklace

This Kwiat Solaris White Gold Diamond Pendant Necklace is one of my favorites from Kwiat. The intertwined tonneau shapes of diamonds are already beautifully made and a timeless design, but there is also the style of the looped chain that it dangles from and the intersection of chain and a diamond from which the pendant hangs. Kwiat’s Solaris White Gold Diamond Pendant Necklace is very unexpected and enticing eye candy, and you gotta love that – I certainly do!

Katherine Heigl – Oscar Trends- Chopard, Bvlgari, Van Cleef Jewelry

Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy, Knocked Up and 27 Dresses star, is seen here on Oscar Sunday leaving her home. She is dressed in a vibrant red off the shoulder Escada gown, with Ryan Ryan jewels, and Jimmy Choo shoes and clutch. With her blonde locks curled and crimson lips, she is a throwback to Old Hollywood and looks gorgeous doing so. I’m a huge fan of Katherine’s simple glamour and her character in 27 Dresses – nutty, neurotic, and down-to-earth, she stole the show. I can’t wait for Grey’s to be back!

Katherine’s look was echoed in many variations and colors at the Oscars, since red hues were popular, as well as upswept hair with curls or waves. Anne Hathaway, Miley Cyrus and Helen Mirren were all dressed in garnet shades by Marchesa, Valentino, and Georges Chakra, respectively. Heidi Klum wore red as well, her dress by John Galliano for Dior will be auctioned for The Heart Truth Campaign.

Other memorable Oscar looks: Jennifer Garner wore her hair in a loose chignon with flowing eye grazing bangs and completed her black strapless Oscar de la Renta with Van Cleef & Arpels diamonds. Chopard dressed Penelope Cruz’s strapless black feather dress and Hilary Swank’s one shoulder Atelier Versace number, Penelope with 25 carat ruby and diamond earrings, diamond bracelet and 6 carat marquise cut diamond ring and Hilary with large 9 carat round drop diamond earrings, flower diamond hairclips and snowflake diamond bracelet. Cameron Diaz opted for Bvlgari platinum earrings and a diamond ring for her Dior by John Galliano pale pink fishtail dress.

Substantial necklaces were also a trend. Keri Russell, draped in Nina Ricci, wore 46 carats of H. Stern around her neck, with his Vintage floral necklace and floral diamond earrings. Newly pregnant and on the arm of hubby Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman wore a black Balenciaga and a 1,399 carat L’Wren Scott multi strand necklace baring 7,645 diamonds. Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard wore a custom made white halter Jean Paul Gaultier gown with 185 total carats of Chopard: their champagne diamond briolette necklace, light and dark brown diamond bead necklaces, and a 15 carat square yellow diamond ring.

All in all, Oscar saw lots of gorgeous ladies on Sunday, a wonderful way to cap a lulled Hollywood awards season.

Charriol Celtic Noir Earrings

Charriol prides itself on portraying “the art of living the difference” and who can argue with them when they create pieces such as this one?

These Charriol Celtic Noir earrings merge elegant diamonds with black cable to create an industrial-meets-classic style.  These hoop earrings feature 0.40 carats of pave white diamonds set in white gold.

Celtic Noir is one of Charriol’s most popular collections.  Unlike some of the other Charriol collections, Celtic Noir is kept to a simple design aesthetic with few extra details and embellishments.  To keep it simple, they kept to few materials drawing the attention to the unique jewelry material of the black cable.

Charriol Celtic Noir earrings are versatile allowing for day-to-evening wear.

Gurhan Necklaces – Pure 24K Gold Magic

Want to have a limited edition piece of luxury jewelry ?

Run to Gurhan with his gold necklaces, like this one, which are hand-fabricated and individually numbered by the artist.

Crafted of pure 24K gold, these necklaces have a golden glow, not the diluted yellow color of 18k yellow gold.

This Gurhan gold necklace features 14 pebbles that have the appearance of being swen together with gold thread. Each pebble is hand-hammered for an ancient appearance and extraordinary texture.

This Gurhan necklace is 20 inches long and is imported.

Teri Hatcher and Badgley Mischka Partner in New Ad Campaign

Former Superman love interest and current Housewife Teri Hatcher is the new face and vitality of fashion design duo Badgley Mischka. In addition to their growing design house, the two have delved into the world of jewelry – both low end and high end jewelry. Last year, they worked with Sequin, a fashion jeweler, to create a vintage-inspired costume jewelry.

This year, they have stepped up their game with a whole new plan of attack. They chose to reveal their new high-end luxury jewelry at the New York Fashion Week – and on the actual runway! Jewelry on the runway is typically unheard of. Since the focus is meant to be on the fashion (clothing, hats, handbags, eyewear), many designers intentionally leave out any glimmer of jewelry. Badgley Mischka has tossed that notion out, choosing instead to incorporate their new line to get the word out. The Badgley Mischka jewelry is so new in fact that it is not even on their own website yet!

The jewel of the runway was a 123 carat oval ruby cabochon drop surrounded by white diamonds set in 18k yellow gold with matching earrings. This exotic necklace was paired with a black satin shirt-waisted dress.

This months issue of Vogue has a one page layout featuring the jewelry. It includes a long necklace with stations of black jeweles accented with the diamond-studded yellow gold rings, black pear-shaped jewel dangle earrings set in yellow gold and even a watch with a big balck jewel flower design for the case on a leather strap. The black and gold pieces are modern updates of classic jewelry styles.

We can’t wait to see more of the Badgley Mischka jewelry!

Photo courtesy of Pacific Coast News.�