Wedding Bells for Prince William and Girlfriend Kate Middleton

He was the lovelorn prince fatigued by his royal duties and yearning for love’s true kiss. She was the innocent commoner, Cinderella, waiting to get miraculously swept away by Prince Charming. Put them together in the University of St. Andrews and BOOM, what do you get? A romantic fairytale, a rollercoaster of a fairytale that is.

Since 2001 Prince William and Kate Middleton have been in and out of the dating game, throwing the media into frenzy. But there had always been a speculation that the lovebirds would get royally hitched one fine day. And that day, ladies and gentlemen, may be very near. According to Tina Brown, an influential editor and former personal friend of Princess Diana, Buckingham Palace had “cleared its diary” to announce the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton in early June.

Insiders say that his royal Highness plans on proposing to Kate with a dazzling 18-karat sapphire and diamond ring that he inherited from his late mother, Princess Diana. Take a look at the ring and you would agree that it gives Kate all the more reason to run around in Buckingham Palace, shouting “I DO! I DO!” Guys should know that sapphires are a sure-fire way to royally woe their sweethearts as these stones are the epitome of majesty and splendor.

So do we think this fairytale will receive its much-awaited “happily-ever-after?” If Prince William sticks to the jewelry choice he has made, it’s an “I DO” from us!

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Get Ready to Get Nude with Jewelry

Don’t get startled just as yet. You may know that “nude” is the new black this spring and for those of you who have been in hibernation, nude colors are colors that range from neutral soft-flesh tones to earthy hues such as cream, peach, brown and light pink. Previously, nude colors were popular in footwear and makeup but this year they have apparently crawled their way into haute couture apparel.

However, you may ask what’s with the ‘getting nude with jewelry now.' Should you go and bare it all for the entire world to see in the name of being fashion-forward? Should you step out in the hot sun or the cold breeze (in whichever part of the world you are) in just a bracelet or a necklace and nothing else? Kate Winslet pulled it off in Titanic for Leonardo di Caprio so why not you? Hold your horses just there! The answer to the question is “none of the above”!

So what is nude jewelry? It isn’t jewelry around your neck, your wrist, your fingers or your ears but it is on your bare naked skin and Asia’s first and only nude jewelry artist, Nobuhiko Akatsuka is a connoisseur of this unconventional and sensual art form, his canvas being your body! We do remember that Chanel introduced its temporary skin art collection, namely Les Trompe- L’oeil back in February and Sarah Jessica Parker, the quintessence of novel fashion sported a tattoo herself for the Oscars, from Chanel’s collection, which resembled a delicate diamond bracelet.

But Mr. Nobuhiko’s nude jewelry is on a different platter altogether. He creates the motifs of spring such as flowers and butterflies as tattoo art, using pure gold foils and pure platinum foils to decorate the skin, thereby modernizing body painting as a sensual, stylish and sexy fashion statement. This new jewelry style was all the rage on Fashion TV lately but would nude jewelry transform into the “bare” necessities for your wardrobe? Time will tell but for now all you bold fashionistas may dare to get bare with this wild and wonderful look.

Images Courtesy: http://ryuo-wizard.exteen.com/20090124/entry-1

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Bond Girl Michelle Yeoh Wows with Green Necklace

You may have heard of several ways to go “green” nowadays including changing your light bulb to a fluorescent bulb, riding a bicycle to work instead of your car, recycling your old electronics, turning off the lights when not in use and wearing scintillatingly gorgeous GREEN jewelry. Don’t be surprised. You read it right. This year there’s no hotter way to go green (no pun intended) than to flaunt some seriously fabulous green bling and Michelle Yeoh, former James Bond girl from Tomorrow Never Dies, made us go WHOA when she showed us how to do just that during the premiere of You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger at Cannes recently.

The L’Oreal ambassador looked like a princess with an attitude as she colored the red carpet, green, rocking a jade statement bib necklace from Rafflesia which brought her pale pink Emilio Pucci gown to life. Equally stunning was the Imperial Jade butterfly dancing on Michelle’s hair in the form of a brooch. If this is the Bond girl's style of saying GREEN should never die, then we are absolutely loving it!

You can take a cue from Michelle that the green movement has hit the world of jewelry in a big way. You can choose from a range of beads and natural gemstones such as jade and turquoise to express your support for being eco-friendly and to inspire others too. Layering many chains together to form a chunky necklace is a seasonal trend but an easier way to make a statement is to simply don a bib necklace like Michelle.

Be careful with your colors though. Mixing two dark colors may become a tad overpowering. Merging a strong color such as green with a much lighter pink was not only a bold move by Michelle but it instantly made her gown go from delicate to divinely sexy! We can’t expect anything less from the diva as she is indeed a Bond girl after all!

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Deepika Padukone Outshines Aishwarya Rai with Sari, Jewels & Tattoo

Said to be one of the world’s most beautiful woman, it was actress Aishwarya Rai who taught the whole world and Opera Winfrey how to drape a sari. Yet on the 13^th of May 2010, the former Ms. World decided to stick to Western couture at the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera, while her younger Indian adversary and Bollywood’s latest glamour doll, Deepika Padukone walked the red carpet for Chivas Regal in a sizzling and sumptuous off-white embroidered sari created by Rohit Bal.

Many of Hollywood’s hottest celebrities including Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Hurley and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls have decided to go the whole six yards in the past by flaunting themselves in this sexy yet elegant Indian attire but Deepika Padukone really worked it that night as she attended the premiere of the French movie On Tour in Palais Des Festivals at Cannes.

Rob Cohen, the director of The Fast & the Furious, had wished to cast the long-legged supermodel and actress in one of his upcoming films last year, saying that he found her more gorgeous and beautiful than Angelina Jolie. With her super-classy and stylish jewelry choice, we can see why! She accessorized her sari with antique Indian Kundan jewelry comprising of lovely chandelier earrings, a cocktail ring, thick gold cuff, a chunky watch and a matching stone-studded clutch. The paparazzi couldn’t get enough of her bling as they frantically tried to capture the sparkle that emanated from the uncut diamonds and giant pearls of her earrings, ring and bracelet. As the exquisite sari hugged the attractive curves of the former badminton player, it exposed an edgy calligraphic tattoo of her boyfriend and Bollywood actor, Ranbir Kapoor’s initials, on the nape of her neck. Sweet!

If you feel you’re in the mood for some exotic Eastern fashion, you can drape a sari of your own to a party or an evening occasion and then match it up with pearls or faux-pearls like Deepika as pearls are definitely a safe bet for any semi-formal outfit. You can even go the extra mile and shine by wearing vintage Kundan jewelry or imitation Kundan jewelry, which is one the oldest and most romantic forms of jewelry made and worn in India and dates back to the Mughal era, during the establishment of the Taj Mahal. The jewelry is made using fine craftsmanship and suits any Indian or Indo-western attire and can also be worn with evening gowns.

When asked why Deepika chose to wear a sari for the event she said, “Sari is a very sensual garment and whenever people from other countries discuss about the sari, they just say one word - wow!” Needless to say, we could only use the same word when we set our eyes on her amazing jewelry style!

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KATE BECKINSALE BECKONS US WITH FAB EARRINGS AT CANNES

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most awaited film events of the year and it brings together the biggest names from the international film fraternity onto one carpet. For some it’s about the pulsating race of the movies enlisted in the competition. For us it’s about the glamour and not to forget, the JEWELRY!

The festival kicked off on 12^th of May with the Robin Hood Premiere but it was not only Robin Hood who did the stealing that night. British rose, Kate Beckinsale stole our breath away with her gorgeous oversized diamond chandelier earrings from Chopard. The actress who is also a Cannes jury member gave maximum impact with just the earrings and a small delicate diamond ring. She rocked a fabulous sheer, one-shoulder Marchesa gown of blue draped tulle with a ruffle skirt. Her bodice, specked with silver embroidery complimented her sparkling earrings to a tee.

Kate continued to be the diva of the ball when she showed up at the Il Gattopardo premiere yesterday, looking like a fairytale princess in a white Gucci Première draped gown accented again with silver embellishments and a lovely bow motif at the bust along with a belt detail at the waist. And her jewelry? She continued to patronize Chopard with drop-dead gorgeous diamond drop-earrings.

You can take a tip from the British lass that you can always choose to go solo with big statement earrings to captivate the crowd and save your other jewelry for later. Big chandelier earrings tend to emphasize your face even more which is just what you need when you want to stand out and sparkle like a star. Get ready to hear the flashes of the camera.

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FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA BOLDER THAN EVER

A vision of a royal queen generously handing out gold coins to the kingdom’s commoners comes to mind when I think about First Lady Michelle Obama’s unconventional style preferences of wearing emerging designers' couture and jewelry. We cannot forget how Jason Wu, a relatively unknown fashion designer became an overnight sensation when Michelle Obama decided to wear his white chiffon dress to Mr. Obama's inaugural function.

This time around, Sutra Jewels hit the jackpot when the first Lady wore their hand-hammered 18k gold cuff bracelet comprising of a raspberry tourmaline of 10k as the center stone, surrounded by rose-cut diamonds in a star-burst motif. She rocked the jewels along with a hot, red Prabal Gurung, tight, off -the-shoulder dress to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Take a cue from the First Lady that “big” is definitely in as she reiterated this fact by doubling the impact of her bling statement by wearing not one but two thick cuff bracelets of similar shades, an eclectic gold cocktail ring and large dangling Bochic earrings inset with white Bakelite and rose-cut diamonds. You would be happy to know that bakelite jewelry is not only light-weight but also very affordable.

It is needless to say that the First Lady commands the attention of fashion lovers everywhere as her fashion sense has a global appeal, reminiscent of her stature and role as an international ambassador. Chic women can look at her and feel an instantaneous connection to her jewelry and couture choices. When it comes to exceptionally striking fashion jewelry, my vote is for Lady Obama!

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Jennifer Lopez's gold snake

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to own a lethal snake? Snakes have always been considered as vicious reptiles and one might even cringe at the thought of a snake slithering through their fingers but not the hottest celebrities. Snake necklaces, rings and bracelets have been spotted on the likes of Rihanna, Madonna and Angelina Jolie in the past and the latest to jump on the serpent jewelry bandwagon is none other than Jenny from the block.

Recently dubbed as the “Style Icon of the Decade” by US Weekly, she showed up at the party hosted by the magazine, in a gorgeous nude Georges Chakra lace dress. Nude colors and sheer fabrics are two of spring’s biggest trends but I admire her daring choice to combine “serene” with “sexy”, by spicing up her delicate dress with a gaudy gold snake ring and gold single hoop bangles.

Snake rings may not be suited for the faint-hearted but if you do decide to go “reptile” then perhaps a flashback to the history of snake rings may reaffirm your choice. The first snake ring dates back to 331 BC during Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire. In Greek mythology, snake jewelry was donned in honor of the Greek healing god Asclepius, who was struck down by Zeus, as he feared Asclepius would give all of mankind, the gift of immortality with his healing powers. Greeks also wore snake jewelry as a symbol of eternity, wisdom and ancestral power. The trend caught on in the 19^th century and it became so popular to the extent that Queen Victoria, herself wore a sinuous snake ring.

You can go for gold-plated silver or sterling silver snake jewelry if you’re not in the mood for the real deal. You may also choose to add a snake bangle along with your ring and/or even a snake pendant to complete this wild look. But whatever it may be, once you walk into a room wearing your snake bling, you will definitely be exuding the power of an exotic princess.

Jennifer Lopez’s friend Actress Leah Remini told US Weekly the following: “Jennifer is fearless when it comes to fashion, and she is always beautiful and always takes a risk. She doesn't care what people think.” Do you think you’re one of those people? Then get ready to tame your very own snake ring and slither with style!

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Twilight Eclipse trailer reveals Bella's engagement ring

The Twilight Eclipse Trailer is finally here! Twi-hard fans all over the world, have been counting down to the June 30^th release of the next installment of the Twilight saga and until then, we as mere mortals can only rely on the trailer to pick up the scent of what may happen in the vampire vs. werewolf thriller.

From what we can see, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), the subdued eighteen year old who has a forbidden penchant for Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), the “vegetarian” vampire, has a lot more to tackle than her average high school graduation. Her relationship is threatened to be jeopardized again with an evil vampire still seeking her revenge through a looming army of bloodthirsty vampires. Moreover Bella is forced to choose between her true love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the deliciously handsome werewolf with whom she supposedly shares a passionate on-screen kiss.

And it is in this drama that we also see Edward proposing to Bella with a Victorian heirloom ring that belonged to his mother. That’s right ladies! I caught a glimpse of the vintage ring in the trailer and it is how the Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer describes it in her novel: “Nestled into the black satin, Elizabeth Masen’s ring sparkled in the dim light. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was gold - delicate and narrow. The gold made a fragile web around the diamonds.”

Though the large ring doesn’t quite fit today’s modern depiction of a delicate engagement ring, jewelry buffs can still wear it as a cocktail ring since “big and bold statement jewelry” is the hot trend of the year. You can even opt for an affordable sterling silver imitation ring with rhinestones, offered by many online stores.

There are a lot of expectations riding on this Twilight triquel in which Bella also has another choice to make: mortality or immortality? What do you think will happen? Do you feel she should choose Edward or Jacob? Rant out what you think of her engagement ring too in the comments section below. And hold your breath. Just two more months to go!

Bella’s ring image courtesy: http://www.twibetween.com

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