Jewelry PR Division

A favorite line of accessories editors the world around is "and then take one piece" off referring to the rule of removing one piece of jewelry after you are fully dressed and prepared for the day.

Of course another editor tip through the ages has been stretching a wardrobe of basics through clever jewelry usage. But if you are instructed to constantly downsize your accessorising options for day is it possible that you need a wardrobe of jewelry basics too?

Given the classic popularity of a string of pearls, diamond stud earrings, and the tennis bracelet it seems that jewelry lovers the world over agree. This makes discovering the right pieces of jewelry for your even more critical. Even the classics make different statements. Pearls make any outfit more conservative whereas a diamond stud is a classic touch that ups the elegance factor on any outfit. The same principles of choosing basics in clothing applies to jewelry.

But remember even when the editors appear to know better than we mere mortals do it can be good to break the law sometimes and throw it all on. You can always take a few pieces off at the end of the night. That is still technically following the laws of accessorising right?

STORM Watches is a proud sponsor of this year's EMA's, MTV's European Music Awards has especially commissioned 4 Unique Limited Edition watches that will be your access all areas pass to the legendary MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, being held in the Scandinavian party town of Copenhagen on November 2nd.

You will get the full VIP treatment at the pre-party and then get to see the main event itself, where some of the biggest names in music are performing. Finish the night off in style dancing until the early hours at the VIP after show party.

To enter the competition you must be 18 or over. Competition closing date 14th October 2006.

Please read The Terms & Conditions and enter to win!

Cocktail rings — first popular in the 1940s and 1950s as a way to show off at cocktail parties —are staging a comeback this holiday season. The rings, which sport big colorful gems, can be found everywhere, real and fake, from Tiffany's to Macy's and even at Walmart.com. Ravi Jariwala, a spokesman for Walmart.com, says the site expanded its selection from about 10 last year to more than 30 this year to keep up with the trend. "This season there's a pretty strong customer response," said Jariwala, noting sales have more than doubled from last year.

A top seller is a cushion-cut square ring made with either blue topaz, pink sapphire or amethyst surrounded by "diamond accents," which retails for $79.97. Prices range from $59.88 for a pink sapphire three-stone ring to $1,590 for a fancy-yellow grade and white diamond ring. At Macy's, cocktail rings are offered both in its fashion jewelry and fine jewelry departments. "We have some great styles in fine jewelry featuring rubies and various stones," said Macy's spokeswoman Elena Kazan. "A lot of them are very Deco-inspired." Big sellers are Levian brand rings with sapphire and topaz, Kazan said. Prices range from about $300 to $9,000 dollars

Platinum has run to record highs this year, but it's not a rush of demand for wedding bands that has boosted prices. It's diesel. Demand for platinum comes from two main arenas: the consumer market for jewelry and the auto market, which uses the metal as a catalyst in diesel engines. According to JPMorgan, the price of platinum group metals has surged nearly twofold in a year and is up 85 percent since January. That performance has been topped only by zinc indexes and is trailed by other industrial and precious metals, including nickel, copper and gold.

Months of volatile price swings have scared off some buyers in the jewelry market, where demand is expected to drop 12 percent this year. However, demand for platinum as an auto catalyst is predicted to jump 15 percent in 2006, according to a report by platinum trading house Johnson Matthey, based in London.

Blood Diamond, the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio with several Academy Award nominations today, is based on the violent civil war in the 1990’s in Sierra Leone in which the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels attempted to overthrow the government, and an illicit diamond trade was used to fund the war effort. The movie has brought attention to the diamond trade and many times what is involved in mining diamonds that are the most sought-after gem in the world.

So it’s no surprise that there are laboratories out there, such as Apollo Diamonds and Gemesis, that are perfecting on creating real diamonds in a lab setting. Not your typical chemically produced Cubic Zirconia, but diamonds created through a process involving real diamond seeds that come together under pressure to create a diamond that matches or exceeds a mined diamond in quality and brilliance. Same natural diamond, only it takes 2 weeks to produce one in a lab setting versus billions of years in the earth. Obviously it is also much safer to create than the risks involved in mining and what it does to our environment.

Creating and mimicking what is real is nothing new. It’s in how man-made products are taking its toll on the industries that produce the real deal. Cultured Pearls are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye compared to its natural counterpart. Fake fur, really well produced pieces, can often be mistaken for the real thing. While the industry that brings you the real products is beginning to feel its effects, it tries to counteract the new demand for man made quality copies by stressing the importance and value on their non-synthetic product.

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up soon! Now is aggod a time to check out but the Clover & Horseshoe Collection at overstock Jewelery. It has been spotted on celebrities and it's definitly withen your reach. Lucky clovers and lucky horseshoes are in high demand already. In Irish tradition the first leaf represents faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love and the fourth is for LUCK! Some traditions believe that wearing a clover to bed will bring dreams of a future husband. A recent myth is that spiritualists have claimed that the four leaf clover releases energy that will help guide a person through life.

Horseshoes have been a lucky symbol for over a thousand years. The myth behind the beauty is that horshoes were hung above doorways to ward off fairies. Apparently it was thought that iron was the only way to keep fairies out of your house. Horseshoes were readily avaiable to quickly hang up above doorways.

Celebrities in Hollywood have been wearing clover jewelry designed by Van Cleef and Arpel, Heidi Klum, Tiffany’s, Fred Leighton, Roberto Coin, for quite some time now. I’d like to think they wear them as a reminder of how lucky they already are. Whatever the reason, clovers and horseshoes are so hot right now. They’re a great trend and we are sure that they will never go out of style.

Here are some of our favorite stars wearing one of the hottest jewelry trends in Hollywood, New York & Paris:

We all have a wish list of jewelry brands that we are all dying to wear and many times it is the price tag that prevents from doing little more than window shopping. I know I would love to dawn something by Vera Wang, Gucci, Kara Ross or even Stephen Dweck; maybe a gorgeous bracelet, an intricate ring or eye catching earrings. Now we no longer have to window shop, when we can simply borrow these gorgeous baubles at a fraction of the cost of buying them.

Bag Borrow or Steal and Borrowed Bling both offer jewelry that you can rent out whether it be for a big evening out or to impress a few friends. Bag Borrow or Steal offers genuine name brand jewelry while Borrowed Bling offers imitation gems that are said to look as close to the real thing as possible. Both operate on membership with various levels that determine which brands and how many pieces you can borrow at a time. Each site is different in the way you can borrow and which site you chose to borrow from depends on your budget and desire for the luxurious.

The comparison:

Bag Borrow or Steal:

4 membership levels:

+ Couture—Runway worthy handbags and jewelry from top designers such as Gucci and Rosiblu starting at $175 a month.

+ Diva—Luxurious, dream bags and jewelry from designers such as Louis Vuitton and Charriol starting at $90 a month.

+ Princess—Confidently versatile accessories from designers such as Betsey Johnson and Pianegonda starting at $40 a month.

+ Trendsetter—Fresh, trend-forward accessories from designers such as Dooney & Bourke and Lori Bonn starting at only $20 a month.

There are additional fees (per week or per month) for each item borrowed. The first 3 months of membership only allot you up to 3 borrowed items, and after that timeframe you can borrow up to 5 items at once. There is no time limit on how long you can borrow an item for. Borrowing frequency is based on your account being in good standing.

Via Business Wire: The Silver Institute has released a comprehensive report on trends in the global silver jewelry market. The report was prepared, on behalf of the Silver Institute, by GFMS, Ltd., the London-based precious metals consultancy. GFMS Ltd also produces the annual World Silver Survey for the Silver Institute, a role they have undertaken since 1994, and it is the report of record for the silver industry.

Two of the key areas of silver fabrication demand are jewelry and silverware. Since its inception, the World Silver Survey has featured jewelry and silverware as a combined total in the main country-by-country tables. In the report issued today, entitled, Silver Jewelry Report, global statistical series have been produced that separate jewelry and silverware for the first time as well as a detailed review of the country-by-country data.

The report features a 10-year global series for jewelry and silverware, as well as a detailed qualitative analysis of the silver jewelry market. In addition, the report also examines the following key areas:

* A review of trends in silver jewelry fabrication, both at the regional level as well as focusing on countries with manufacturing volumes exceeding one million ounces, including China, India, Italy and the United States. The analysis brings out the main trends, specific to each market that have impacted silver fabrication over the past decade;

* Separate data on the leading silver jewelry consuming nations is provided in this report, including country-by-country data for the 10 largest consuming countries for the 2000 to 2005 period;

* Jewelry consumption, and in particular, competition for silver jewelry. The review is not limited to competition from white or yellow gold but extends to other materials, both precious and non-precious;

* The global trade in silver jewelry, focusing on the top five importing and exporting nations; and

* The impact of trends in the silver price, economic developments and the effect of changing fashion on consumption.

This Silver Jewelry Report makes an important contribution to the transparency and understanding of this fascinating area of the silver market. A copy of this report, may be downloaded from the Silver Institute’s home page: www.silverinstitute.org

With statement rings being one of the jewelry trends this Spring, David Lundahl has designed a collection that will leave you humming the tune, “I want candy.” These oversized crystals come in a variety of colors set in gold or silver toned metals.

For more information about David Lundahl:

Jewelry PR Division Christina at piercemattie dot com

It’s a wedding day tradition to wear your mother’s pearls, female politician’s wear them to look serious yet refined, business women wear them with their pantsuits to give off a casual elegance suitable for the workplace and when heading out the door for a family portrait, most women reach for the pearls as their jewelry of choice.

While the diamond exudes luxury, pearls exude that old time level of sophistication that is best defined through old photographs of Jackie Kennedy. In fact, the cultured pearls worn by Jackie in the famous photo of John Kennedy Jr. as a youngster trying to grab them from her neck sold for $211,500 at a Sotheby’s auction in 1995 when their true value was only $500. Jackie helped defined sophistication, not only through her fashion sense, but through her choice of style in jewelry as well, which many times included pearls.

No matter if you can afford the real thing or have to opt for cultured pearls, this is jewelry that can define your style and image. Most young girls yearn for the day when they can wear their mother’s pearls and this is true for generations both past and present. Through years of jewelry trends and the hottest gems, pearls have somehow been able to remain a staple to most women’s attire. It’s still a “fall back” piece of jewelry that acts as a chameleon and can go with almost any outfit.

No matter the woman, no matter the year, I can guarantee that she has at least one piece of pearl jewelry in her jewelry box.

What do you think? Is pearl jewelry a thing of the past or does it still define sophistication and elegance among today’s jewelry trends?

Spring is here (despite the recent Nor’easter) and the jewelry trends for the season are beginning to be seen on fashionistas everywhere. While the most talked about jewelry trend has been statement rings such as David Lundhal’s Candy Couture collection, statement rings are not the only jewelry trend that is in style right now.

Hefty gold chains: Whether shown in necklaces or bracelets, classic chunky chains abounded at Spring 2007 Fashion Week. Seen on the runways of Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg and Heatherette.

Layered necklaces: Carried over from previous seasons, the layered look now features thinner, even delicate necklaces. Seen on the runways of Charles Nolan, Ralph Lauren and Carmen Marc Valvo.

Simple pendants: Continuing the minimalist trend, designers opted for sweet charms on dainty chains. Seen on the runways of Chado Ralph Rucci, Mark Bouwer and Akiko Ogawa.

Cuff bracelets: Cuffs appeared on diverse runways, with designers pushing them above model's elbows for a fresher look. Seen on the runways of Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons, Carlos Miele and Nicole Miller.

Please be sure to visit the NEW Pierce Mattie Public Relations blog on its new URL, just add the word "public relations" after Pierce Mattie and omit the word blogs: www.piercemattiepublicrelations.com


Other Pierce Mattie PR Division Blog Locations:
Beauty Pro A professional beauty and cosmetics industry blog.
The Fashion Rag Fashion, design and style blog co-written by Jason Jobson and Shannon Nelson.
The Jewelry PR Division Jewelry, precious metal and accessory industry blog.
The Fitness PR Division Our sports fitness, health and club industry blog.
The Industry Dirt Blog Media Industry Blog.

See you there!