Hollywood and celebrity glamour and fashion place a lot of emphasis on the “bling” factor. From knockout engagement rings to incredible red carpet displays, celebrities love to drape themselves in diamonds and precious jewelry.
Headlines and Hollywood news shows love to try to capture images of the most outrageous of the gems, and diamond engagement rings are usually the most popular topics covered. No one could forget the six carat, pink diamond that Ben Affleck gave to Jennifer Lopez, or the twenty-four carat stunner that Greek shipping heir Paris Lastis gave to Paris Hilton before their famous split.
Celebrities love their diamonds, and each month the major Hollywood news outlets cover some of the most interesting stories. For example, in June of 2008 the estate of the late Christina Onassis decided to auction some of her jewelry in a London auction house. Among the treasures sold that day was a thirty-eight carat diamond that the heiress had worn as a pendant necklace. Estimated at a staggering three million dollars, the necklace actually sold for seven and a half million when the hammer dropped. The small collection of jewelry, at approximately forty-four pieces, went for a total of over fourteen million dollars.
While auction houses will always see record prices for celebrity gems and jewelry, most lingerie shops won’t. Though that isn’t the case with the famous Victoria’s Secret line of lingerie, which recently released its black diamond “Fantasy Miracle Bra”. Covered in more than three thousand five hundred black diamonds and thirty-four rubies, this remarkable garment retails for around five million dollars and is currently available for purchase. It was displayed during the company’s annual runway show, and was worn by one of their most well-known models, Adriana Lima.
Another celebrity whose diamond jewelry has taken the spotlight is First Lady Elect, Michelle Obama. The fashion world has turned its ever-watchful eye to this remarkably beautiful woman, and one of the most talked about of her ensembles is the black and red Narcisco Rodriguez dress she wore on election night. To complement this dramatic ensemble, Mrs. Obama paired it with a pair of white gold, triple dangle earrings set with pear and oval diamonds. Within hours of the President Elect’s televised speech, the world of fashion was all ready discussing the dress and accessories. Requests for information about the earrings soon made them one of the hottest search engine topics, and trends are all ready developing around Mrs. Obama’s distinctive personal style!
American “celebutant” Kim Kardashian also made headlines when she received a thirty-four carat diamond necklace while in the midst of a live interview. A wholesale diamond jewelry company used the star’s birthday party in Las Vegas to promote their line of diamond jewelry, and presented her with the necklace while she was on camera. The necklace is estimated to have a “six figure” value, and was hand-delivered by the company’s Director of Marketing.
Marketing specialists are always aware of the impact made by celebrities sporting their products or merchandise, and several high-end jewelers have recently responded to celebrity interest in the diamond encrusted iPod that made headlines when sold during a charity auction in March of 2008. Not only are celebs racing to get their own versions of the “bling” coated MP3 players, but they are also creating a heavy demand for the diamond “ear buds” that were also specially made for the auction. Currently several jewelers are offering the distinctive ear pieces in gold, white gold, silver and platinum with various designs and diamond settings. Most the pieces retail for more than three thousand dollars a pair and jewelers are still currently sold out!
A far less subtle use of diamonds as ornamentation made recent headlines, when contemporary British artist Damien Hirst revealed that his sculpture “For the Love of God” would begin a worldwide tour that would end in late December. The real human skull used as the base of the sculpture was purchased in a London antiquities shop and is believed to have belonged to an eighteenth century male of undetermined origins. While this gruesome fact may be of interest to some, the one hundred and eighteen million dollar value to the piece of artwork is of interest to almost anyone who hears about it!
The sculpture is covered with more than twenty-five million dollars in black, pink, white or colorless diamonds – including the remarkable “Skull Star Diamond” that serves as the major focus of the entire work. The estimated weight of the diamonds used in the sculpture is around fifty-three carats, and comprises over eight thousand separate stones.
It was sold to a private collector for the record-breaking one hundred and eighteen million dollar sum in 2007, and is being loaned to the artist in order to complete the tour.