'Neil Lane Bridal' Tickles Tinseltown

Celebrity jeweler, Neil Lane, never met a Hollywood wedding he didn't bedazzle, so his client list is long and loaded with heavy hitters like Ellen Degeneres, Nicole Richie and the entire Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

Last Thursday, the designer celebrated his new, moderately priced bridal collection with Kay Jewelers at a Hollywood fete, and the red carpet was loaded with leading ladies.

The 'cutest couple' award goes to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, who showed off their Neil Lane wedding bands.

Ashlee Simpson Wentz flashed her 4-carat Neil Lane engagement ring from rocker hubby, Pete Wentz, while confessing of her sister, Jessica, "She is happy, so we are all really happy."


Kristin Davis showed up in black and white diamonds, confessing to reporters that a 3rd SATC movie is 'unlikely'. (Ya think?)



And Eva Longoria Parker stunned in black Gustavo Cadile and loads of diamond ice.


I think the Neil Lane Bridal collection is the perfect way for humble grooms to give a celebrity twist to the bended knee ritual thanks to prices that are hundreds of thousands less than a typical Lane look.

Check out Jewelry.com for more info on the Kay Jewelers/Neil Lane partnership - and check out the vintage-inspired product pics here on kay.com. Yum!

Megan Fox Loses $60,000 Engagement Ring

It's a jewelry nightmare for the record books. When megastar Megan Fox got engaged to 90210's Brian Austin Green (for the second time) during their Hawaiian beach vacation, she was so excited she lost her $60,000 diamond engagement ring in the sand.

Not down the drain, as many jewelry calamities play out. In the sand. Despite the metal detector attempts of the Four Seasons staff, the 2-carat ring is still MIA.

The good news is: she's a multi-millionaire many times over. And 90210 is in syndication.

A Jewelry Store Proposal?

Diamond rings have been given by way of champagne flute, dessert dish and just plain old bended knee, but recently one New Yorker used a jewelry store window to do the deed - and do it well.

The New York Daily News reports that one creative Manhattanite used an Upper East Side jeweler's display window to stage a fancy wedding proposal for the love of his life - and she said "yes."

"Oh, my God, it is beautiful," Alex Routenberg (26) said, as Tom DeBourcy (26) slipped a 2-carat diamond ring on her finger.

DeBourcy popped the question during a stroll past Jeri Cohen Fine Jewelry on Third Avenue, where he had arranged for flowers and a "Will you marry me Alexandra?" sign to be displayed.

The love birds attended the same high school near Chicago but didn't meet until he looked her up on (wait for it...) Facebook!

"I asked who the hell he was, and two and a half years later ...," she said.

And while the bride-to-be gave her sig. other props for the creative proposal, she was perhaps more excited to discover the jewelry store he used is the same one New York Housewife Jill Zarin frequents.

"I always walk by and say to my mom, 'This is the place where Jill Zarin goes!'"

Gotta love a woman with priorities.

Do you have a fun proposal story to share? Weigh in!

Penelope Cruz in Engagement Ring Bling?

A kuckle-sized sapphire and diamond ring was spotted on Penelope Cruz's ring finger at the New York Film Festival this weekend, but the actress refused to confirm the significance of the stunner, according to People Magazine.

As if impeccable genes, an uber-successful career and and Oscar weren't enough, Cruz has the audacity to get super sexy, Javier Bardem, as her longtime love and possible husband. It's a cruel, cruel world, jewelry hounds.

Despite my unattractive feelings of jealousy, I am loving the idea of the non-traditional engagement ring making another star appearance (Princess Diana made the sapphire engagement ring famous back in the day and the trend continues to this day).



Many couples are opting for colored gemstones instead of the traditional diamond these days. They not only make a unique statement, they're often less pricey than their diamond counterparts - especially if you opt for a treated gemstone. Good news for us all, right?

For more info on non-traditional engagement rings, check out the Jewelry.com education section. They break it all down - and then some.

Mariah's New Record and Record-Breaking Diamond

With all the buzz about Khloe Kardashian's 9-carat diamond ring cluttering the airwaves, it's easy to forget about other celebrity bling that made our hearts skip a beat.

Now that Mariah Carey is running around on all the talk shows promoting her latest album, I am reminded that this diva has a rock to rival them all.

Do you remember the 17-carat pink diamond ring she got from Nick Canon back in 2008? The impressive sparkler from Jacob & Co is valued at a whopping $2.5 million and with a center stone weighing in at 10-carats – a little smaller than a dime.

"I wanted to do something extremely special, something that Mariah would really appreciate," Cannon told PEOPLE back in the day. "We got the pinkest stone we could find, surrounded by other diamonds."

Carey definitely approved. "It's so clear, you can see my finger through it," she said.

According to Jacob Arabo of Jacob & Co., Cannon "was very involved," in picking the ring, which has an emerald-cut fancy light pink center stone surrounded by 58 intense pink diamonds, flanked by two half-moon diamonds.

Stop! It's too much to bear...

Who wears your favorite celebrity enagement ring bling? Weigh in!

Khloe Kardashian's Engagement Ring Bling

Well, jewelry hounds? I found the Khloe Kardashian diamond ring low down for you.

The wedding that has everyone in Hollywood buzzing went down yesterday evening between Khloe and her LA Laker bf, Lamar Odom - and of course Ryan Seacrest was there to film the fiesta for his Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality show (why that show gets ratings is beyond me).

Actually, I do see at least one angle of interest here. Khloe's whopper of a diamond engagement ring was finally spotted, and the 9-carat radiant cut bauble rivals that of fellow Laker wife, Vanessa Bryant (wife of Kobe).

While Vanessa lost in the carat count (she has a mere 7) she does win the dating game - hanging with Kobe for a marathon 6 months before walking down the aisle. Way to take your time, ladies.

Anywho, check out Jewelry.com for details of the wedding itself. Lots of celebrity guests, white roses, gourmet food and the like - and of course plenty of reality show cameras there to make sure America watches.

What's next? Hospital bed footage when sister, Kourtney, delivers her baby? I think I'll pass...

Kate Gosselin Still Wears Her Diamond Wedding Ring

Despite her soon-to-be ex husband gallivanting all over tarnation with one cheeky woman after the next, a teary-eyed Kate Gosselin explained to Today Show host Meredith Viera this morning that she still wears her diamond wedding ring – for her 8 children.

“I don’t want to upset them. I don’t want to shock them. I’ve walked slowly through this with them. As they’ve asked questions, I’ve answered them.”

Gosselin said her kids know that the ring is her “married to daddy ring.”

“When the time is right, I’ll take it off,” she said.

Which begs the question: When is the right time to put away the diamond ring when the relationship it represents goes south?

Many women can’t wait to get the constant reminder of unhappiness off their ring fingers and throw the diamond in a drawer or take it straight to the pawnshop (see The Bachelorette/Bachelor series for more).

But then there are others, like Kate, who need a bit more time to get used to the idea of saying good-bye to something that has been with you for years – sometimes decades.

Do any of you have wedding ring retirement stories you’d like to share? Like most affairs of the heart, there is no right and wrong – just what feels good to you, I suppose. But my gut tells me that the sooner Kate can let go of that ring, the sooner she can move on and make her own life happy again.

Thoughts? Stories?

New York Housewive Spotted with Diamond Ring

Bethenny Frankel finally has that diamond on her ring finger, according to US Magazine. The only Real Housewife of New York who isn’t really a ‘wife’ may get that moniker changed if the story holds true.

The Bravo reality show star was spotted wearing a diamond ring in Miami on Saturday, and her rep confirmed to US that an engagement is ‘definitely in the works’.

Good for her!

The ring itself is apparently only a starter engagement ring with the real deal still in development according to a source.

"He's hunting for the ring, but in the meantime this is a place holder or promise ring," the source told Us.

The couple first met at NYC nightclub Tenjune. Since then, the Frankel and Hoppy - who works in real estate - have attended several events together and went on a romantic vacation in Turks & Caicos in May. She has even reportedly gotten approval from her Housewives friends, who say Hoppy is a catch.

Although Frankel has struggled to find love on the hit Bravo show, the 38-year-old admits to falling for the hunk.

"I'm in love," Frankel said at an event in the Hamptons. "I'm pretty much certain I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him... I'm really happy."

Take THAT Kelly Bensimon!

Popping the Question? Let Her Eat Cake!

Between the AIG debacle and Natasha Richardson’s shocking death, it’s hard to find something to smile about this week. And guys? I’m afraid I am the bearer of even more bad news.

Just when you thought getting on bended knee couldn’t be any more nerve-wracking (and, let’s face it, costly in this day and age), Manilla businessman, Angelito Araneta Jr. came up with yet another way to spend your hard earned dollars with his latest creation - a diamond and gold engagement cake.

Apparently a diamond ring and your undying love and affection is no longer enough, gentlemen.

The 21-year-old businessman instructed his catering company to come up with a bejeweled culinary creation that is covered in 24-karat gold leaf and 15 African diamonds. The price for this essential part of the mating ritual? A mere $2600.

Kinda makes having your cake and eating it too an entirely different proposition.

Call me old fashioned, but if you're going to shell out $2600 extra bucks for the occasion, I'm thinking the money could be better spent on, say, an even BIGGER diamond ring instead of a gold-leafed reason for me to do more Tracey Anderson workout videos.

Just a thought.

Vince Vaughn - Celebrity Engagement Ring Sighting!

Funny man, Vince Vaughn, might keep moviegoers in stitches, but he is all kinds of serious about his diamonds. The 38-year-old actor proposed to his Calgary realtor girlfriend, Kyla Weber, on Valentine’s Day, and the engagement ring made a glittering debut this weekend.

Vaughn was introduced to Weber in May by a mutual friend. Since then, the two have been inseparable.

The happy couple took the four-carat diamond stunner to the movies in Santa Monica over the weekend, and hovering paparazzi got a good look at the rock - which is worth a reported $125,000.

"It's magnificent," fellow realtor, Sylvia Smith, told, Sun Media. "It's a great big diamond surrounded by other circular diamonds."

No wedding date has been set but Weber, 29, recently relocated to L.A.

"They're both very excited," adds a source close to Vaughn. "He's a simple, Midwestern, good guy and she's very down-to-earth, which is exactly what Vince is all about."

With Brad and Angelina dominating the Oscars, John Mayer bailing out yet again, and now Vince Vaughn's pending nuptuals - you gotta think - this just isn’t Jennifer Aniston’s year.

Scarlett Gets Hitched!

A glittering three-carat diamond ring was the only evidence of Hollywood screen queen, Scarlett Johansson’s plans to marry hunky actor, Ryan Reynolds. Rarely have we spotted the two together - the pair takes great pains to keep their relationship out of the press. A tall order these days.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the Associated Press reports the happy couple secretly tied the knot this weekend. The two reportedly wed in an intimate ceremony outside Vancouver, British Columbia in Reynolds's native Canada on Saturday. According to Us Weekly, the wedding took place at a gorgeous resort, and guests included Scarlett's mother Melanie Sloan, and her brother Adrian Johansson.

The couple began dating in February 2007 and announced their engagement in May 2008. Johansson’s icey diamond rock made a stunning debut soon after at the Met Costume Ball, where she was escorted by none other than fashion kings, Dolce and Gabbana.

Men everywhere are sure to go through a period of mourning now that the gorgeous A-lister is officially off the market. Not the least of which is director, Woody Allen, who makes no apologies for worshipping the ground she walks on. Then again, he’s never been one to follow the rules when it comes to infatuation.

Our congrats to the happy couple!

Two Diamond Engagement Rings, One Couple!

Presenting a diamond ring on bended knee has long been the traditional way to seal the deal when it comes to a proposal of marriage. The man agonizes over how exactly to pop the question (and how big a rock he can afford). The woman feigns surprise (even though she knew this day was long in coming – perhaps a little too long). Tears flow...And scene. But this ritual may soon be recast and revamped by a bevy of gay couples who are rewriting the way a proposal goes down.

According to E! online, Heather Matarazzo, best known for her gawky roles in Welcome to the Dollhouse and The Princess Diaries, proposed to her girlfriend, Caroline Murphy, last week. Because they don’t have the traditional male-female roles, they BOTH popped the question. “It was really cute,” says Matarazzo’s publicist, Lisa Jammal. “First Heather proposed to Caroline, then Caroline proposed to her!” Good for them, and good for the jewelry industry, no?

And the bling? There will always be fans of the tried-and-true diamond solitaire. But The Jewelry Insider looks forward to seeing some new designs on the ring finger as more and more couples (gay and straight) put their own stamp on the ritual. Diamond right hand rings, with their multitude of stylings, are starting their migration left. Gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, and sapphires can offset a diamond or replace it altogether, if you so desire. And guys are getting in on the act by creating unique interpretations of the (snore) traditional gold band.

No matter who you are or who you love, the good news is the engagement ring is opening its doors to more looks and now more and more fingers. Lindsay and Sam - -are you taking notes?

Cameron Diaz’s Diamond Dazzle

"They're not engaged" - that was message from Cameron Diaz's rep in an attempt to squash the rumors that the 'What Happens In Vegas' star is about to tie the knot with British model Paul Sculfor. The actress was recently spotted leaving a restaurant in Santa Monica with a sparkling diamond on her left hand fueling rumors that she was engaged.

'It is not an engagement ring. It is her own ring, designed by her friend, Lenore Marusak, for La Paix,' said the star's publicist.

It seems that Cameron is quite simply a Right Hand Ring woman. And talking about diamond Right Hand Rings, Jewelry.com has the perfect diamond sparkler for a star like Cameron. A double diamond star by-pass ring - for a double glammy whammy.

Uma Thurman is engaged and has a mighty big ring to prove it.

The Kill Bill star broke the news in none other than the wedding section of the UK's The Times newspaper. In last week's Saturday edition of the paper, it read "The engagement is announced between Arpad, son of Mr Pascal Busson, of Paris, and Mrs Florence Harcourt-Smith, of South of France, and Uma, daughter of Mr and Mrs Robert A. F. Thurman of New York."

Uma's fiance is Swiss multimillionaire Arpad "Arki" Busson. He was previously married to supermodel Elle Macpherson. This will be her third trip down the aisle - her first marriage was to Gary Oldman and then to Ethan Hawke whom she divorced in 2003.

According to the papers, her engagement ring is a mega-rock - an 8-plus carat center stone surrounded by 20 smaller stones. One report in the New York Daily News, quoted a source saying "it's so big, she can't fit it through the sleeve of her coat".

Ellen's Engagement Ring To Portia

According to People.com, a jubilant Ellen DeGeneres is about to tie the knot with long-time girlfriend Portia De Rossi. At the recent 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Ellen announced that they've set a wedding day - this follows their May announcement that they planned to make it 'official' following California's Supreme Court ruling that the previous ban on gay marriages was unconstitutional.

It was a happy night for the talk-show host and her fiancee (who was sporting a stunning Neil Lane ring that featured a marquis cut diamond set with pink diamonds) - she went home for the fourth year running with the title of outstanding talk-show host.

People.com says they are still preparing “the dream wedding,” which DeGeneres says “is very stressful. It is crazy. My gardener is now invited." The 50-year-old four-time Emmy winner said that only “incredible people” would perform, and parts of the wedding will be aired on her talk show.

The Black Diamond Un-Scandal

Oh please - sometimes people (i.e. tabloids) come out with the most ridiculous ideas. My latest peeve is the headlines slamming Carmen Electra's new fiance, Rob Patterson. The poor guy apparently committed a greater sin than mere cheating, lying, stealing, drunk-driving, shooting-up etc. (i.e. the regular misdeamnours). What did he do? Well, he apparently bought a diamond ring and didn't want to pay more than he had to.

Apparently the Korn musician has a brain. Instead of going to a 'name' and paying a fortune just for the pleasure of having his finance state it's a #### ring. He searched around - found a different (black diamond) ring, something he thought his beloved would like. Probably researched the prices and bought something that was value for money.

According to the papers - this was not a wise move. “She seems really embarrassed,” an insider tells Life and Style Magazine. “I think the ring is a real deal breaker. She thought she’d be getting this giant rock. Instead, Rob bought it online for a bargain price!”

A bargain price???? Shame on him....

Actually shame on whoever thinks that finding a bargain is wrong. Since when is love measured by the price of the ring. Apparently too often. Surely a ring should be something the betrothed loves. Something that reflects her personality. Something unique to the couple. And surely internet bargains are great deals. After all, who wants to spend more than necessary.

Apparently - the black diamond ring cost just under $2000.

If only he'd asked, I would have sent him to Jewelry.com for JCPenney where they have this gorgeous, Champagne, Black and White diamond ring for under $900.