2012 Oscar Jewelry Round Up: The Top Ten from Tinseltown

 

Oscar jewelry at the 84th Academy Awards was an elegant affair complete with Wonder Woman cuffs, capes and crazy carats galore.

While some of my Oscar predictions came true (Angelina wore studs. Again; gold dresses were everywhere; blue sapphires made a showing, statement earrings are still trending) - others totally missed the mark (necklaces weren't the no-show I thought they were going to be - not by a long shot).

For fashion followers, the colors of the night were a mix of devilish red and angelic white - with a lot of black or black and gold and a smattering of blues/purples.

Here's the ubiquitous Top Ten List for your reading pleasure. Be sure to weigh in with your rants and raves!

TOP TEN (in no particular order):

1.  Gwenyth Paltrow

Gwenyth Paltrow, in a white, caped Tom Ford number and a 6-inch diamond cuff by Anna Hu and tons of right hand rings had all the crazy jewelry-loving tweeps on the Live Tweet Fest (#oscarjewelry) gasping for air.

2. Viola Davis

Viola Davis sparkled in green emerald stunners by Lorraine Schwartz and a Vera Wang masterpiece (I love you, Meryl, but Ms. Davis SO deserved the Oscar this year. Sigh)

3. Michelle Williams

 

Michelle Williams wore 30-carats of old mine-cut diamond ice by Fred Leighton for Forevermark around her neck and added a bow brooch on her dress (not pictured) to boot. Perfection. Almost too perfect, perhaps?

4. Stacey Keibler

Stacey Keibler wowed in marvelous Marchesa and Lorraine Schwartz earrings (that I swear I've seen on Beyonce before).

That dress was simply made for her - a nice consolation when George shows up with someone else next year.

5. Octavia Spencer

Big winner, Octavia Spencer, looked lovely in the night's white color trend (another Tadashi Shoji number) and platinum and diamond deco-drops from Neil Lane.

6. Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman in Harry Winston. Classic. Elegant. And a one doozy of a necklace sighting - the night's most surprising trend!

7. Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain won big in $2 million worth of Harry Winston jewels and an Alexander McQueen number that had the red carpet buzzing.

8. Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz sparkled in another stunning riviere necklace (a la Michelle Wiliams) and diamond clusters by Chopard. And that dress! To die!

9. Milla Jovovich

Milla Jovovich was the first 'big' star on the red carpet, and she set the bar high in this stunning white beaded Elie Saab number and Jacob & Co. diamond jewels. Big win!

10. Emma Stone

And finally...I'll go with Emma Stone's rockin rubies by Louis Vuitton EVEN THOUGH SHE WORE THE SAME DRESS AS NICOLE KIDMAN from the Oscars a few years ago. Fashion faux pas, my dear.

The losers for me were Shailene Woodley in a dress meant for someone twice her age, Rooney Mara for boycotting jewelry altogether (even though her Givenchy couture dress was divine, and Sandra Bullock in barely there diamond drops (zzzzzzzz......)

And finally. Angelina Jolie wore $2.5 million of Neil Lane diamond ice in the form of some back brooches and (wait for it....) diamond friggin studs. Again with the studs? Yeah, I'm disappointed, but when you can rock a frock like that (the audience literally applauded her legs when they appeared on stage)? Who needs jewelry.

So who am I missing? Weigh in with your thoughts - and be sure to check out the Oscar Sale I curated for Jewelry.com with looks inspired by many of my favorites of the night!

Paris Hilton - Jewelry Thief?

Is Paris Hilton the latest paparazzi princess to add jewelry thief to her illustrious resume?

According to the New York Daily News, the 'heirhead' is being sued by German insurance giant, Allianz, for not returning $60,000 worth of Damiani loaner jewelry that was stolen (and subsequently recovered) from her house in that notorious celebrity jewelry crime spree back in 2009.

Why do I feel like I've been in this movie before?

"Despite having recovered Damiani's jewelry, \[Hilton has\] failed to return all of the jewelry to Damiani as required by the Agreements," the suit said.

In court paper, Allianz said Damiani in 2007 loaned Hilton $60,000 of jewelry to wear for public appearances. As part of the deal, Hilton agreed to stash the jewelry in a safe or a vault whenever she wasn't wearing it.

But, or course, our Paris does whatever she darn well pleases - so she left the baubles for the world to grab in her unlocked, unalarmed Beverly Hills mansion. And now that the police have long recovered the stolen bling, she just hasn't 'bothered' to return it to its rightful owners.

I'm of half a mind to think she's doing it to get back in the headlines after Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian stole her 'famous for being famous' thunder this year. But my guess is? She's just not into details.

No comment yet from the Hilton camp. Why can't these ladies get their diamond details down? Is this just poor planning or an 'I'm above it all' attitude gone bad?

2011 Golden Globes Jewelry Fashion Recap

Natalie Portman in Victor & Rolf and Tiffany jewelry

Jewelry fashion at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards was a lot like that bittersweet time when you realize there isn't an Easter Bunny. You're kinda disappointed - but as long as you still have some sugar in a basket - all is good.

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry

While no one knocked my socks off this year, the sugary sparkle came in the guise of big earring looks, gumball-sized cocktail rings, layered wristwear and a few whimsical surprises to keep us all guessing.

Julianne Moore in Lanvin and Bvlgari jewelry

Candy-colored frocks in pinks (I was right!) and greens littered the carpet, with a dose of 'hide your husband' red and basic black for good measure.

Catherine Zeta Jones in Monique Lhuillier and Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace and Robert Procop jewelry

January Jones in Versace and Neil Lane jewelry (not pictured)

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang and David Webb jewelry

Statement earrings were the most popular jewelry choice tonight, with traditional diamond chandeliers rocking it right along with newcomers like geode gems on Kelly Osbourne and the forgotten step-child of the jewelry world - onyx on Nicole Kidman.  Who knew?

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen and Kimberly McDonald jewelry

Leighton Meester in Burberry and Cathy Waterman jewelry

Tina Fey in L'Wren Scott and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry

Guiliana Rancic in Ippolita jewelry

Nicole Kidman in Prada and Fred Leighton jewelry

Many opted for the understated but always-elegant diamond stud earring to add the sparkle splash. Zzzzzzz......

Piper Perabo in Oscar de la Renta

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen and Neil Lane jewelry

Delicate, web-like diamond necklace designs took the place of the blingtastic bib-look of years' past:

Dame Helen Mirren in $1.6 million Cartier necklace

Sarah Hyland in Max Azria and Mikimoto jewelry

Diana Argon in J Mendel and Cathy Waterman jewelry

 And turquoise is still going strong? Who knew?

The jewelry-loving peanut gallery in our champagne-filled Live Red Carpet Twitter chat last night all agreed that Jane Krakowski's Lorraine Schwartz earrings, Tina Fey's Lorraine Schwartz ensemble, Halle Berry's diamond bangles and Sofia Vergara's, well, everything were some of the best jewels of the night.

And the worst? According to the JIC ladies, Heidi Klum jumped the shark in an ensemble that was "all project and no runway". Classic.
 

While bigger wasn't better in the bauble department this year - it was de riguer for these bride of Frankenstien-inspired tresses. Yikes.

And Sandra Bullock's bangs deserve their own accessory category called: "unfortunate". Sorry, Sandy.

Sandra Bullock in Jenny Packham

What do you guys think? Who did I miss? Weigh in! And thanks again to all who joined the #globejewelry Twitter chat extravaganza. See you at the Oscars on Feburary 27th (#oscarjewelry)!