Oscar Jewelry Hall of Fame

It's Oscar Week, and to get the jewelry juices flowing I've collected what I (humbly) think are some of the best Oscar jewelry moments for your gawking pleasure.

As with any list, I'm sure I've missed many of your favorites - so be sure to weigh in with your rants and raves. And no - Bjork's "egg" didn't make the cut.

So...without further ado...


#10 Beyonce

Beyonce was the belle of the ball at the 2005 Oscars in these huge diamond danglers - a trend I think we'll see again on the carpet this year.

#9 Hilary Swank

I really loved the delicacy of Hilary Swank's diamond necklace at the 2000 Oscars - a $250,000 Asprey & Garrard stunner.  This year's Golden Globes copied the sentiment with a bevy of beauties sporting delicate neckwear in lacey silhouettes.

#8 Cher

Any Oscar Top Ten List has to include Cher, right? I'm going with her black Bob Mackie shoulder duster look from 1986 - but there are oh so many others to choose from. Where's the Oscar nod for Burlesque, people?

#7 Nicole Kidman

2011 nominee, Nicole Kidman, has many Oscar triumphs, but I'm going with these yellow gold Indian dream catcher earrings that she paired with that history-making absynthe green Dior dress from 1995. Tom who?

#6 Amy Adams

2009 was a bang-up year for Oscar jewelry, and Amy Adams 'almost' won the night with this gemstone bib necklace from Fred Leighton (see #2 for the night's big jewelry winner).

#5 Michelle Williams

This 19th century diamond necklace from Fred Leighton was the perfect complement to one of my all-time favorite Oscar gowns - the tangerine dream from Vera Wang on Michelle Williams back in 2006. I can't WAIT to see what she'll be wearing this year!

#4 Gwenyth Paltrow

Before she was prancing around with muppets in pink feather dusters, Gwennie made Oscar fashion history in that pale pink Ralph Lauren piece of perfection and a gorgeous 40-carat, $160,000 diamond necklace - given to her by her parents. And the world's G-Pal love/hate relationship was born...


#3 Keira Knightley

Talk about making a statement. This vintage Bulgari collar necklace on Keira Knightley spawned an entire look-alike industry back in 2006. And with good reason, right?

#2 Angelina Jolie

Yeah. Of course. Those emeralds. I couldn't come up with enough adjectives back in 2009 to describe them. They still make my salivary glands go into overdrive.

#1 Elizabeth Taylor

What would we jewelry hounds do without Dame Liz? No one has been able to top her 1970 Oscar jewelry jaw-dropper from Cartier - a 69-carat teardrop rock aptly named the Taylor-Burton diamond that perfectly complemented her dress(!) - an Edith Head creation designed to match her friggin eyes!


Big, deep breath....

Said Ms. Taylor about her little bauble,

"Originally, I wore the diamond as a ring, but even for me it was too big, so we had Cartier design a necklace. I'm still sick that I sold it some years later."

So what will the beautiful people bring us this year? Will Rachel Zoe go bannanas with Anne Hathaway's Oscar style? Will Nicole Kidman bring it or bore us?  Stay tuned...and check back later in the week for my Oscar jewelry predictions!

Anne Hathaway's Oscar Jewelry Breakdown

Did you hear? Everyone is shocked SHOCKED that Anne Hathaway was reportedly paid $750,000 to wear the gorgeous Tiffany jewelry we all gawked at on Sunday night! And that Gwyneth? She got $500,000 for sporting those Louis Vuitton L'ame du Voyage sparklers!

Yeah....And?

Why is it such a surprise that big stars are paid to endorse product on the largest fashion stage in the world? Grow up, people! Paying and gifting the privileged for air time has been going on for decades.

We can hate the stars from afar for their god-given talent, their gazillion-dollar bank accounts and the fact that people fall all over themselves to give them crazy carats - and pay them to boot - but it shouldn't be a surprise, folks.  Don't you watch The Rachel Zoe Project?

OK. With that behind us, let's now take a closer look at the (count 'em!) 8 different Tiffany jewelry looks Anne Hathaway was paid $750,000 to wear on Oscar night. That bitch.

Look #1

Vintage Valentino Haute Couture taffeta gown, slight drop earrings featuring 10 cts. t.w. colorless diamonds; a 5 ct. t.w. colorless diamond ring; a 94 ct. t.w. Lucida Star diamond necklace (value: $10 million!)

Look #2

Vanilla-colored bustier Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci gown, Tiffany diamond ring and earrings, a diamond bracelet from the Tiffany Archives

Look #3

Custom tux by Lanvin, Tiffany drop diamond earrings

Look #4 (my personal favorite)

Vivienne Westwood corseted Couture gown with embroidered lace and sequins that was specifically made for Hathaway in London. $10 million diamond and amethyst necklace from the Tiffany Archives, Tiffany yellow sapphire and diamond ring

Look #5

Silver beaded tassel dress by Oscar de la Renta, Tiffany diamond bracelet, earrings

Look #6

Burgundy silk chiffon gown by Atelier Versace

Tiffany diamond shoulder duster earrings

Tiffany diamond bracelet (also worn to after parties)

Look #7 (Oprah's favorite)

Sapphire Giorgio Armani Privé custom satin dress, tanzanite and diamond earrings, a black onyx and diamond bracelet, and a diamond and blue sapphire ring, all by Tiffany

Look #8

Lace and crystal Tom Ford dress, Tiffany diamond earrings

Which is your fav? Weigh in!

2011 Oscar Jewelry: Afterthoughts and After Parties

Heidi Klum in Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and Julien McDonald gown

Who can't get enough Oscar night jewelry gawking? Need a cure for your haute couture hangover? That's what I thought, you diamond-starved looky-loos!

The day after the Oscar jewelry bling-fest always brings with it the realization that A: I missed a few important jewels in my Oscar Night jewelry roundup and B: the after parties are where the real bauble action is (where goes Joan Collins so goes the carat count).

Elton John in Chopard

So here are a few key jewelry after thoughts from the red carpet proper that I didn't inlcude in my Oscar Top Ten list last night - and a host of great celebrity jewelry looks from the Vanity Fair party and Elton John's Chopard-hosted viewing soiree. 

AFTER THOUGHTS:

Scarlett Johansson Oscar Jewelry

Loved this statement ring on Scarlett Johansson - an haute couture creation by Anna Hu.

Celine Dion Oscar Jewelry

Love it or hate it, this statement piece from Bulgari made jaws drop in horror and/or amazement.

Cate Blanchett Oscar Jewelry

This lavendar and canary yellow Givenchy number had couture queens crowing and others scratching their heads. I (for one) loved it and couldn't believe she could find jewelry to make the look even better (these yellow diamond earrings are from Van Cleef & Arpels). 
 
VANITY FAIR OSCAR PARTY

What almost upstaged the jewelry gawking at the Vanity Fair Party? The coming out ofThe Biebs and Selena Gomez as an official Hollywood couple! Awwww... Aren't they cute?

From Charlize Theron and Anna Paquin to Taylor Swift and Jessica Biel, the A-list came to Graydon Carter's sandbox in stunning, shimmering jewels.

And Rita Wilson? Less is more, sister.

ELTON JOHN OSCAR VIEWING PARTY HOSTED BY CHOPARD:

2011 Oscar Jewelry Roundup: The Trends & Top Ten from Tinseltown

Oscar jewelry fashion at the 2011 Academy Awards was a smattering of surprises paired with the usual classic diamond deluge. Fasten your seatbelts, jewelry hounds. Here's my glittering recap to the red carpet Super Bowl. 

Red-hued frocks with elegant diamond looks were a big trend (Anne Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Hudson), along with emerald jewels (Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon, Annette Bening), knock-out necklaces (Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren), and colorful earrings in surprising silhouettes (Marisa Tomei, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman).

While there was a very real fear that the 'less is more' trend would dominate the night - (Michelle Williams, Mandy Moore and Jennifer Lawrence all opted for minimal jewels - among many others), Oscar always brings out the best in some of our go-to fashion divas.

Here are my top ten looks of the night, but be sure to visit Jewelry.com on Facebook for my complete album with rants and raves capturing all the Oscar looks. And better yet? Check in with JewelClub Monday morning to get all the hot 2011 Oscar jewels at prices that don't need their own body guard.


1. Anne Hathaway Oscar Jewelry

Some might say Tiffany diamonds and a red dress are safe Oscar bets. I say - that's the kind of red carpet fashion we jewelry hounds are looking for (and dare I say) expect from the A-list. And Annie's jewelry looks just kept on coming throughout the show (I'll be tracking down pics and credits for all - so stay tuned!)

2. Nicole Kidman Oscar Jewelry

How can you make a stunning 150-carat Fred Leighton diamond necklace look even more beautiful? Put it on Nicole Kidman and have it DRAPE DOWN HER BACK! Win!

3. Marisa Tomei Oscar Jewelry

Van Cleef & Arpels is responsible for these sapphire, diamond and emerald statement stunners. And her Charles James dress from 1950 almost made Tim Gunn hyperventilate, bless his heart. She's never looked better.

4. Natalie Portman Oscar Jewelry

The sensational Live Twitter Chat gang (some of the best minds in jewelry and fashion participated - click here for more!) were either in LOVE with these Tiffany ruby tassels or thought them to be, um, pedestrian. I love the pomegranate color - not the silhouette so much. It just wasn't the knock-out moment the belle of the Oscar ball needed to bring (a la Gwyneth in Cathy Waterman and Ralph Lauren when she won back in the day).

5. Gwyneth Paltrow Oscar Jewelry

Speaking of G-Pal - only she could pull off this Calvin Klein silvery sensation of a dress paired with these unique Louis Vuitton gemstone (bird?) earrings from their L’Ame du Voyage collection. A bold choice and a big win!

6. Helen Mirren Oscar Jewelry

Dame Mirren reigned over the red carpet in a pearl, diamond and platinum necklace from 1907 and a diamond bracelet from Cartier’s Archive Museum Collection. This woman always looks lovely - although the length of her necklace is a bit long here for my taste.

7. Reese Witherspoon Oscar Jewelry

This year's Angelina Jolie-emerald-earring copycat award goes to...Reese Witherspoon, who looked lovely in 35-carat emerald drops by Neil Lane (her jewelry totaled $1 million). Annette Bening? You come in second place...

8. Jennifer Hudson Oscar Jewelry

Jaws dropped when this dream girl stepped on the red carpet in a 'tangerine/red' Versace number and Neil Lane diamonds. And I am telling you. You don't have to go anywhere, sister.

9. Mandy Moore Oscar Jewelry

The 'less is more' win of the night for me went to this pretty diamond cluster earring on Mandy Moore. The overall look is the perfect example of how to wear jewelry with a sparkly dress. Just lovely.

10. Amy Adams Oscar Jewelry
 

Such a bold choice to wear navy, no neck line and this Cartier emerald and diamond wrap necklace and a 30.75-carat carved emerald and diamond bracelet-watch worth $1.025 million. Everyone is talking about her jewelry - despite the fact that it belonged with a different ensemble.

Whew! So what do you guys think of my Top Ten Oscar jewels for 2011? Who did I miss? Weigh in - and be sure to double back tomorrow for my 'after party' jewelry gawk-fest. Hoping for an Angelina sighting at the Vanity Fair party. Stay tuned!

(By request, a close-up of Amy Adams' Cartier wrist bling. Wow!)