Jewelry Market Week Day 4

We’re actually writing this from our comfy office in New York, but we never got to tell you how our last day in Vegas went. As you all know, throughout the week we’ve been reporting on jewelry trends we noticed in Vegas all week: male wedding bands, black diamonds, rose gold, raw cut diamonds, sapphire. But probably the biggest thing we noticed was the merging of Hollywood and the jewelry industry. Several designers we spoke to had jewelry featured either on a celebrity or featured on a TV show or film.

For example, Linda Garrido from Natalie K told us she’s providing engagement rings for the reality TV show Hitched or Ditched. The show, which takes couples and force them to either get engaged or break up, features Garrido making her TV debut as she shops with couples and helps them pick out that perfect engagement ring.

Designer Erica Courtney also told us how she lends jewelry to such notable celebs as Kathy Griffin and Hayden Panettiere. For example, her award-winning black diamond Lola ring has been worn by Jessica Alba, Angela Basset, Lisa Edelstein and Aundrea Fimbres of Danity Kane.

Oh, and all those crosses used in the film Angels and Demons? Those were made and provided by Damiani jewelry (who is no stranger to celebrity involvement). Their line D.Side is co-designed with Brad Pitt.

Also while strolling through JCK, we met and saw Kathy Ireland who was launching her new jewelry line called Kathy Ireland Jewelry.

On Sunday we attended LeVian’s Red Carpet Revue, which highlighted some upcoming fashion and jewelry trends. Some of the jewelry trends they mentioned were “green” jewelry with butterfly motifs and earthly hues. They were also lots of chunky chocolate diamonds on display, which are a trend that combines natural diamonds against a background of pave LeVian chocolate diamonds. And, of course, the “green” theme still stands with lots of designs featuring butterflies, flowers and leaves.

So there you have it. A star-studded finale to our Vegas adventure, and to be quite honest, we’re exhausted! But now to start sorting through the hours and hours of video we shot. Keep your eyes peeled on Engagement 101 TV for the full coverage.

It’s a Man’s World

It has been actually harder than we thought to find room in our schedule to post on our blog every day. So many jewelers to see; so little time!!! So little wireless connections. We are just back from two early evening events; the Levian Red Carpet Revue (more to come about this tomorrow) and the new Pandora store opening at Caesar’s Palace. Today we decided to focus the blog on a major trend: Men’s jewelry and all the fun stories those romantic male jewelers told us. Yes! And we have hours of footage to prove it. Men are indeed suckers for romance when they have the right motivation…

Forget about the classic band, the selection available for male wedding bands on the market is pretty amazing. Three basic new trends:

For the fashion forward groom, Diamonds and Platinum.Even edgier, black diamonds.

For the stylish guy, texture. Some men are still shy about wearing diamonds but want a unique piece when it comes to their band. They want to feel like they are getting an interesting art piece with details. So from inlays like we saw at Gravure, to mokume gane like George Sawyer, male bands come with many intricate details and metal combinations.

For the alpha male, try titanium, tungsten and ceramic like with Wright & Lato and Dora Rings.

Men are not only superficial beings just interested in jewelry (LOL). We asked lots of male jewelers about tips on how to propose romantically and choose an engagement ring. Many diverse opinions! Some root for 100 percent surprise (easy, they are jewelers) though we loved that Mark Schneider presented his wife Nancy with three diamonds to pick from so he could create a unique setting for her. Others suggested to get siblings involved. However, it is mostly the jewelry retailer who can, through some well thoughts and questions, determine with the soon-to-be-engaged man what would work better for his fiancée. When it comes to romance , Shant from Danhov takes our first price with a romantic proposal on the beach with a sand written message….

4 Tips on How to Buy an Engagement Ring on a Budget

You can still get a big engagement ring without compromising value and style.

On Friday we headed to the Wynn Hotel to cover the Couture Show. We all met there at 9 a.m.; after grabbing a much needed cup of coffee we headed into the massive conference hall where hundreds of designers were ready to show off their latest collections.

We decided our goal today would be to find ways to still get a decent size ring without compromising value and style. After combing through all that we learnt through our interviews,  we came up with four tips to find your BIG dream ring even if your budget is smaller than expected.

Go simple
An overly complicated and intricate design too easily adds up in cost. Janice DeBell from Kwiat Diamonds told us classic solitaires have become high in demand within the past six months. Couples can later get the stone reset to celebrate an anniversary or an addition to the family with more diamonds and a more sophisticated setting.

Think in color
Although purchasing a sapphire engagement ring in the past would have seemed faux pas, today it’s becoming more and more trendy. Brian Hakimian from Imagine Designs says those who want a large ring but can’t afford a large diamond should try buying a colored stone instead. A large sapphire ring can look just as stunning as a large diamond ring and cost much less. Sapphires come in all shades of blue and even pink. You can also venture into the rainbow array of semi-precious stones and still have diamonds included in the ring setting.

Create an illusion
For those who want to sport a large ring, this is a good tip on how to
create the illusion of a large center-stone without actually having to buya large diamond. You can play up, say, a .5 carat center stone by setting it within a circle of micro-pave diamonds. French micro-pave will have an even stronger affect as we saw when we reviewed the Stardust Diamond collection.

Combine small diamonds into one
Joseph Hacmon from Lady Heart creates stunning heart-shaped diamonds that are inexpensive. His secret? Instead of cutting one large diamond into the shape of a heart, he combines three small diamonds (one princess cut and two half moons) to create the shape of a heart. This results in a much more affordable ring and nobody will ever notice. Jerry Gottlieb from Gottlieb & Sons does something similar with their Magic collection by combining several small princess cuts to create the look of a large diamond.

This detective work was hard but we were pampered when we headed to Damiani’s showcase where we eyed their new bridal collection and their Angels and Demons themed crosses. We were then invited to have lunch on their terrace, which was served by their personal chef! The food was scrumptious, as was the view of the pool. You have to give it to Italians, they know how to make a business experience pleasurable. Oh, and Stephanie Taylor, air jordan spizike our news editor, almost fainted as she modeled on camera a million dollar necklace from Hearts on Fire.

We are excited about tomorrow as JCK Las Vegas opens, which will be filled with even more exhibitor booths and, of course, more jewelry. Check in to hear all about it.

Black Diamonds and Rose Gold: Day 1 at Jewelry Market Week 2009

Our first day at Jewelry Market Week was full of several highs. We arrived at Vegas late Wednesday evening, and although we struggled with jet lag we all managed to arrive at the grand Venetian Hotel at 9 a.m. for the Luxury and Premiere show.

As we made our way around the showroom, we noticed plenty of new trends. The biggest was probably black diamonds. We noticed several designers displaying these sparkly gems throughout the show. Another

trend we noticed was the rise of rose gold. The stunning metal, which looks absolutely stunning on anyone regardless of skin color, was another favorite at the event.

We have always been big fans of mokume gane rings, so we were extremely excited to see plenty of mokume gane designs. Hopefully these unique rings will break into the mainstream. And we were also excited to see so many male wedding bands. We saw various type of plain bands as well as bands with tiny accents of diamonds.

We then wrapped up the evening with a cocktail at the Couture show at Wynn Hotel, which was hosted by Yvel Designs. As we sipped champagne, we met the owner of Zadok Jewelers, Helene Zadok, who shared with us her excitement about discovering new jewelry to carry at her store. It was interesting to see things from a retailer’s perspective.

Well, that was day one! Check out tomorrow where we’ll tell you all about today’s Couture Show.

Vegas Here We Come!: Jewelry Market Week 2009

For those not getting our newsletter, you still might not know the E101 team is heading to Las Vegas next week to cover Jewelry Market Week 2009. The event consists of three jewelry trade shows that are unfortunately industry-only and not open to the public. Luckily, Engagement 101 will be there lugging our cameras around shooting footage of the event (like what we did last year). This year we’ll also be live blogging the event as it happens, which should be pretty exciting (this is my first time doing this, so we’ll see).

Jewelry Market Week will highlight all the latest and newest jewelry collections of the year, many of which later show up on the biggest celebrities. So if you’re shopping for a ring or just like staying current on jewelry trends, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this. Plus, it’s Vegas. The whole thing is going to be a blast. So remember to check back and follow the coverage.

Engagement 101 and Real Housewives’ Bethenny gets the skinny on the "skinny girl" diet

Shh! Something is cooking between The Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel and Engagement 101. Our editor-in-chief has been on the famous “Skinny Girl” diet for about a month now, which has been making her a little cranky. Kidding! We love Severine (though we think she should eat a cupcake every once and awhile).

Anyway, as we prepare to take off to Vegas next week, we noticed we were invited to a lot of cocktail parties. The word “cocktail” popped up so many times that we just couldn’t ignore it. So today we want to share with you the not-so-secret recipe of The Skinny girl Margarita. It will also be available in stores nationwide or at SkinnygirlCocktails.com over the summer.

To make it yourself, use clear tequila, lime juice, agave nectar and only a splash of citrus liquor (as it drastically reduces the calories). It only has 100 calories in a full 4 oz serving compared to the 400 calories you’ll find at your average Mexican restaurant.

So, if you love all things “skinny girl” and are a huge fan of Bethenny, check out Bethenny’s website , read her book and look for her in the next issue of Engagement 101! (Whoops, did we let that slip?)

How technology Can Ruin Your Relationship (And How to Avoid It)

There’s an interesting article in The Times Online today. Jean Hannah Edelstein, author of Himglish and Females, wrote an article about how technology like Facebook, email, text messaging and Twitter is ruining relationships by not allowing couples to communicate clearly.

The writer used emails as an example of a form of communication that creates confusion through misinterpretation. The general consensus was that women over think too much when it comes to online communication while men don’t think enough. I started to agree with the article to an extent (especially the one about Twitter) but eventually realized the article relies too heavily on the stereotype that women are too worrisome and emotionally invested while men just float through life in a perpetual state of “Huh?”

But there are some simple dos and don’ts that couples need to remember when it comes to communicating online. Here are few quick tips:

Texting
Texting is best when it’s used for its original intention — to quickly inform someone of bite sized information. Anything beyond this is bad, bad, bad. Just avoid it.

Email
There’s this thing at work my boss does when she asks us if we called someone. The conversation will go something like this:

Boss: “Did you call XYZ?”
Employee: “Yes.”
Boss: “Did you actually call them or email them?”
Employee: “Um…emailed.”

If you can have the conversation over the phone, then just call them.

Twitter
What people need to realize about Twitter is that its charm lies within its light-heartedness. It’s not something you’re supposed to take too seriously. Anything that doesn’t skim the surface of superficiality doesn’t belong here. Take it elsewhere.

Facebook
Changing your relationship status does not end a relationship. Be an adult and end it face-to-face.

New reality show "Hitched or Ditched" encourages relationship ultimatums

The CW’s newest reality show “Hitched or Ditched,” which premieres May 26, is the latest installment in reality shows targeted toward relationships. The show takes couples in long-term relationships and force them to make a life-altering decision. They can either get married or split up. Nothing in between. It’s being promoted as “the ultimate ultimatum.”

I’m sure everyone has been in those relationships where you turn to the other and say, “OK, where are we going with this?” But a TV intervention seems like the wrong choice. And even if “television entertainment” was stripped from the equation, from a real-life perspective it still seems rather ridiculous. You can’t bully and pressure someone into marriage. In fact, I wrote about his awhile back in my post about signs your relationship is doomed. Tip number three said “if you have to literally drag them to the alter and force them at gunpoint to say yes, why bother?” (How weird that I just quoted myself.) But I think the advice still stands. What do you think?

New Webisode! "I Love You Platinum, Part 2"

Part one of “I Love You Platinum” was all about the legacy behind platinum. The second part of the episode forgoes jewelry and delves more into what platinum is really about — love. The episode, which was shot in Las Vegas during last year’s Jewelry Market Week, features interviews with Greg Kwiat of Kwiat Diamonds, who describes how he designed a ring for his wife, and Anne and Peter Storm, who tells us how they first met. We also talk to Aida and Vatche Fonjian of True Knots who confess they got engaged a mere three days after meeting each other!

Watch the video on our Video Page.

Potential Spouse: Not Your First Choice?

I came across a topic in a forum about a guy who says he’s happily married to his wife but still occasionally thinks about what his life would be like if he married his high school sweetheart. The guy goes on to say that his high school sweetheart was his first love and that a part of him is still in love with her.

I’m sure everyone has these thoughts every now and then: “I wonder what things will be like if I married ______.” But the problem with thoughts like these, and one that people might not realize, is that they’re latching on to a past that doesn’t exist. Sure your high school sweetheart meant the world to you then, but who knows how that relationship would have turned out in the present — probably a disaster.

What couples need to realize is how important living in the present is, and keeping a positive outlook on the future is a great way to enter a marriage. And I would question a person who looks too fondly on their past. Perhaps they’re not ready to move on, to grow up and make maturer steps in their life. It’s all about learning, growing. What seems like mistakes now actually turn out to be major life improving choices. So, even though I would feel incredibly cautious toward anyone having second thoughts while approaching the alter, having a positive outlook is a good way to look at the situation. Join in on the discussion on our Facebook.