Cannes Film Festival Jewelry Update

Aishwarya Rai in Chopard

Good news, jewelry hounds! More crazy carats were spotted on the Croisette at the 64th Annual CannesFilm Festival! We're talking Sarah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman - even Jane Fonda!

Sarah Jessica Parker in Fred Leighton

Chopard continues to sparkle on all the big names - and while I've seen Ms. Fonda's Chopard 160-carat (!) sapphire stunner before on their Co-President, Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele back in 2009 -  a bauble like that never really gets old, right?

Jane Fonda in Chopard

Uma brought out another pair of Chopard chandeliers for the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere, but IMHO - they're not nearly as jaw-dropping as her opening night emeralds).

Uma Thurman in Chopard

But color was definitely a continuing trend as A-lister Penelope Cruz rocked these rubellite earrings (also by Chopard) for her Pirates of the Caribbean red carpet waltz.

Penelope Cruz in Chopard

Tonight, though, is a big night. Why? Brangelina is making a red carpet appearance for Brad's film, Tree of Life. And while Ms. Jolie is usually a "diamonds on the down low" kindof jewelry celeb, I'm hoping just this ONCE - she rocks out with a statement piece. A jewelry hound can dream....

Stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some more highlights:

Emeralds Explode at Cannes!

Jewelry at the Cannes Film Festival is a 'go big or go home' explosion of some of the world's most expensive jewels and gems. Why? Because high-end jewelry house (and my personal fave), Chopard, is the sponsor, and that means the red carpet waltz is all about the 'BA-ling'.

While diamonds are always dripping from the likes of Hollywood celebs, models and various other socialite types - the opening of the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival will forever be known as "The Year of the Emerald".

First, there's Uma Thurman. A festival juror this year, the A-lister dazzled in a stunning white Versace strapless gown and jaw-dropping Chopard emerald jewels (the chandelier earrings alone are 54 cts(!) set in 18 K white gold).

Not to be outdone is model, Bianca Balti, whose emerald statement necklace, cocktail ring and dangle earrings almost defy description. My jaw is still scraping the floor.  Credit is assumed to belong to her red carpet companion, Fawaz Gruosi, who is one of the most sought after jewelry and watch designers working today (he owns Geneva-based de Grisogono) .

Salma Hayek makes every Cannes red carpet a spectator sport - and this year she wowed in head-to-toe Gucci. Win!

Creative couture is the hallmark of Chopard, and their Co-President Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele brought out their big-time bling in what appear to be peacock dangle earrings and a matching wrap-around cuff from their Animal World Collection.

Here's a smattering of some of the other incredible jewelry looks I spotted on opening night, where Woody Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris, screened. But this is just the beginning. Stay with me and Jewelry.com for more crazy carat coverage from Cannes as the festival continues!

Penelope Cruz: Perfection at 'Pirates' Premiere

Penelope Cruz dripped in diamonds at the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiere in Los Angeles - easily the most anticipated film of the summer.

The 37-year-old Spanish actress sparkled in Chopard jewelry and a midnight off-the-shoulder custom gown from Marchesa with embroidered feather and jet crystal detail.

Her platinum and diamond earrings are in the trendy teardrop shape - like Kate's royal wedding sparklers - and a whopping 57-carat platinum and diamond bracelet finished off the ice for this winning look.

But Penelope wasn't the only brunette bauble belle of the ball. Eva Longoria rocked teardrop danglers and a white shift dress - a great combo for spring/summer.

Emma Roberts wore a beaded Saloni dome necklace and Dana Rebecca Designs earrings to liven up her 'little black dress'.

Vanessa Hudgens decorated her ring fingers with a turquoise Herndon Heald ring and a skull silhouette.

And Teri Hatcher sported a great gemstone bangle look and her favorite accessory, daughter Emerson!

 

But perhaps the most photographed celebs of the night were superstar, Johnny Depp and 'Orignal Gansta' pirate, Keith Richards - Depp's good friend and well-known inspiration for his iconic Jack Sparrow role.

Both wore their signature rocker beads - and a laugh that sounded something like the one you take 'all the way to the bank'....

Kate Middleton Wedding Jewelry: The Trouble With Tiaras

Kate Middleton's wedding jewelry has been the subject of MUCH speculation in bauble land, especially since she's apparently the only one who will be wearing a wedding band now that Prince Wills opted out of the sacred ritual.

So. Most royal watchers are fixating on the tiara - a favorite past time with this crowd. But does Kate have to wear one? In a word: YES!

Lady Diana chose to wear her own family heirloom when she married Prince Charles - the Diamond Spencer tiara. But since Kate is, how shall I say this delicately - a lowly commoner - it's likely her family doesn't have a stash of tiaras at the ready.

The Queen could, of course, choose to lend or (gasp!) give Kate a tiara from her vast collection - which would be seen as a sign of confidence in the bride. (Click here to learn more about the Queen's tiara collection - and which one is the current Kate frontrunner).

I love the idea of a NEW tiara making it's debut (along with an Alexander McQueen wedding gown, fingers crossed!) and InStyle's wily editors apparently agree since they recently asked some of the jewelry world's top designers to sketch out their vision for a Kate Middleton wedding tiara in an awesome pictorial. 

I love this one by Chopard (of course).

And that wacky Alexis Bitter's interpretation is just crazy enough to drive the Queen to an early grave.

So what will mack out the mellon of this most famous bride? We'll just have to ride the neverending Royal Wedding pre-party wave - and keep the guessing games going until the big day on the 29th.

In the meantime, JewelClub is getting in the spirit with the launch of their Royal Sample Sale today - with lots of great Kate-inspired sapphire sample sale steals, royal watchers!

And YES the  Royal Wedding Live Tweet party is ON! We're using #royaljewelry for anyone who wants to join the fun. And YES - I will be getting up at 4AM to see it live. And YES - I think I may have a jewelry addiction problem.

Christina Hendricks and the Golden Globe Gaff

Losing important or expensive jewelry is every woman's worst nightmare. Not the 'Lindsay Lohan'  way of losing jewelry (e.g. conveniently forgetting to return the loaner in your purse) - but the good old fashioned 'I accidently flushed my engagement ring down the toilet' brand of losing.

Enter Mad Men maven, Christina Hendricks, who lived out the horror at the Golden Globes when she lost an $850,000 diamond Chopard loaner bangle during her walk down the red carpet. When the ravishing red head realized her blingy bangle was MIA, she frantically started asking,

“Have you seen a diamond bracelet? I’ve lost one that looks like this,” pointing to the one sparkly bracelet still fastened to her wrist, according to the New York Post.

At that point, Christina did what any reasonable woman would do. She high-tailed it outta there to retrace her steps. Thankfully an event worker recovered it and handed it back to the star.

A representative from Chopard confirmed she wore a total of 200 (only?!) carats of their diamonds for the show. In addition to the lost and found bracelet, the other one was a 49-carat emerald and Marquis-cut diamond bracelet, also set in platinum.

Wish I would have seen that during the red carpet coverage. Note to E! - we are paying attention!!

 

All's well that ends well in Christina's case. But not all of us are so lucky. Be sure to bone up on all the latest information to help you protect your jewelry collection in the event of a loss or theft. It's like cuting yourself off from that third martini - it's not a lot of fun, but you'll thank yourself in the morning.