The Crux Vaticana is back on display after a two-year restoration process. The restoration is meant to make the the 6th century Crux Vaticana look more like it did originally. The Crux Vaticana is rumored to hold fragments of the cross Jesus was crucified on. The Telegraph has before and after photos here. Some of the colored gems were removed and replaced with pearls. Candle wax and smoke resideue were also removed from the Crux Vaticana. It certainly looks better now. You can also see it in the AP video below. Take a look:
WWDreports that Michelle Trachtenberg will be designing jewelry for Coach. She will collaborate with Coach designers to create a collection for Coach's Poppy line. Trachtenberg's collection will arrive in stores next spring.
Dow Jonesreports that Liz Claiborne is closing a Rhode Island jewelry distribution center as part of its cost cutting efforts. 100 jobs will be lost as result.
The retailer, which has been struggling with its own brand issues as well as the recession, now has 12,500 employees compared with 18,000 at the end of 2006.
Earlier this month, Liz Claiborne posted a much wider-than-expected third-quarter loss, part of a run of losses the retailer has been experiencing. Chief Executive Bill McComb at that time stopped short of saying the company could return to profitability next year, but did indicate that new plans for the Liz namesake line, in which J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) will be the only U.S. department store to carry and expand the brand, should allow that part of the business to show earnings in 2010.
WPRI says the distribution center will close in February.
The Kardashian sisters are launching a jewelry collection called the Kardashian Collection for Virgins Saints and Angels. Kim Kardashian says the collection embraces their unique style, "Romantic, edgy, and classic vintage." They also tried to incorporate their Armenian culture in the collection. The collection will debut April 15 at boutiques including Blue Bee in Santa Barbara, Sparkle Fred Segal and Nordstrom.
Badgley and Mischka has landed at HSN. American Glamour Badgley Mischka launches on tomorrow night (Tuesday, November 17) with a two-hour special, but the items are already on sale on the website. Pictured above are the animal print handbags, which retail for $349. The collection has handbags, apparel, shoes and costume jewelry.
Here is the Maltese Cross necklace, which retails for $69.
And here are the matching earrings, which retail for $39.
You can see the rest of the collection at HSN.com.
Louis Vuitton's leomonogram bracelet was inspired by the jewelry from Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2009 fashion show. The bangle features a leopard pattern alongside the LV logo. It is also available in navy and fuchsia but looks best in gold. It retails for $265 and can be purchased on louisvuitton.com.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have designed a serpent themed jewelry collection for Asprey. WWDsays the collection will go on sale at Asprey stores in London, New York, Beverly Hills, Tokyo and Dubai later this week. All net proceeds from the sale of jewelry will go to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which Angelina Jolie cofoundedin 2006. The only pricing information given so far is for the baby snake spoon, which will cost $525.
Nervous System's jewelry is inspired patterns found in coral, algae, plants and other life forms. They also sell some unique looking rings using the same concept. Prices range from $45 to $75 for most pieces.
Vogue UK reports that Courteney Cox and David Arquette have partnered with Satya to create a collection of butterfly themed jewelry to benefit the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation. Courtney Cox and Daivd Arquette learned about EB because the son of their close friends was born with it.
"There is a beautiful child named Brendon, the son of one of our dear friends, Andrea Pett Joseph, who was born with EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA or EB," Arquette told VOGUE.COM. "We were not aware of the condition until it affected us personally but, of course, once we got to know this incredible child we wanted to do whatever we could to help."
EB is a rare and life-threatening genetic condition which results in the skin developing burn-like wounds, making even simple tasks incredibly difficult. David and Courteney designed the collection with the Satya founders, Beth and Satya, and used the butterfly motif to symbolise the fragility of the EB childrens' skin
You can view the collection here on Satya's website. Prices for the jewelry pieces range from $24 to $328. The Satya Foundation donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the jewelry to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation.
Hallmark Jewellers has launched the world's most expensive Christmas bauble. The bauble which retails for £82,000 ($136,000) was designed by Mark Hussey and made in Hallmark Jewellers' workshop. Every millimeter of the 18 carat white gold sphere is covered. Over one and half thousand diamonds were used to cover the sphere. Three one carat diamonds adorn the center band of the 18 carat gold Christmas decoration. Two ruby encrusted rings orbit the bauble. You can find out more about the bauble here.
National Jewelerreports that Jason of Beverly Hills has designed special rings for the Los Angeles Lakers. The jeweler was selected by the team. The rings celebrate the Lakers 15th NBA title which they won last year. National Jeweler says the rings were delivered at a special ceremony and arrived in custom boxes that contained "rotating platforms and light-emitting diode (LED) lights."
The special Lakers rings reveal an image of the Staples Center when viewed from the side. The 2009-2010 NBA season just got underway. There will be a lot of pressure on the Lakers to repeat.
Here is a video that shows the making of the special Lakers ring.
This ring concept design by Victor Soto would allow you to control playback and volume on any of your Apple media devices. You can learn more about it here. Unfortunately, it is a possible design for the future and not manufactured today. The iBangle is also a cool jewelry iPod concept.
After avoiding getting involved in the diamond sourcing, cutting and polishing business for 172 years, Tiffany and Co. has changed course. Earlier this decade jewelers were concerned about a dwindling supply of diamonds. So Tiffany headed to Africa and invested in the supply end of the diamond business.
Tiffany's is an extreme example of an industry shift that started during the recent luxury boom. Like most other diamond retailers, Tiffany long bought the vast majority of its diamonds pre-cut and pre-polished from industry middlemen. But with global diamond jewelry sales soaring earlier this decade, Tiffany and others worried they would soon be fighting over dwindling supplies.
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The retailer invested in mine operators, and in 2002 it began opening cutting-and-polishing plants in Canada, Belgium, South Africa and Vietnam. In the past two years it added similar operations in China and Mauritius. The in-house unit Tiffany founded in 2002 to run these plants, Laurelton Diamonds, now employs 1,100 workers, or 14% of the company's work force. It will supply more than 50% of Tiffany's diamonds this year -- up from 40% last year and none in 2003.
Others have made similar bets. Privately held retailer Graff Diamonds International owns a majority stake in a South African diamond wholesaler and polisher with facilities from Antwerp and New York to Botswana. Suppliers have made incursions on retailers' turf. Mining giant De Beers Group operates retail stores in a joint venture with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. Canadian miner Aber Diamond bought a controlling interest in retailer Harry Winston in 2004. Indian jewelry manufacturer Gitanjali Gems Ltd. transformed itself into a global retailer starting in 2006, buying U.S.-based Samuels and Rogers jewelry chains.
Some industry analysts see risk in running operations that span from mining and manufacturing to high-end retailing and marketing. "[They're] all totally different types of activity -- and one needs tremendous expertise, skills, infrastructure to be truly competitive" in each, says Chaim Even-Zohar, principal of Tacy Ltd., a Tel Aviv-based industry consultant.
Now that the bottom has fallen out of the luxury jewelry business, Tiffany's has had to drop the retail prices of its diamonds. The mining part of the business has not gone well for the company and it was forced to write off a $12.4 million investment into a mining operation in Sierra Leone.
But the company says it is quite happy with its cutting and polishing operations. In fact, it plans on expanding those operations in Botswana, where the government is happy with its policies of training local workers in the trade. And when the market turns, Tiffany says it will benefit from in-house stocks and trained cutters and polishers that will be able to meet Tiffany's exacting demands.
Christie's will auction an extremely rare vivid pink, 5 carat, cushion-shaped diamond, which is set in a ring which was designed by the jeweler Graff. The ring is on display at Christie's in New York now, but it will be auctioned off in Hong Kong on December 1st. Christie's chose Hong Kong because the diamond market is better there. It's an exquisite stone which is expected to sell for at least $1 million a carat.
The diamond was mined in South Africa. Christie's jewelry specialist Mei Giam says that Hong Kong is the best place to sell rare diamonds such as the vivid pink. It's an absolutely stunning ring. Take a look:
Kirstie Kelly designed Disney's recently launched line of bridal gowns. National Jewelerreports that Kristie Kelly's deal with Disney has expanded to include a line of diamond engagement rings and wedding bands called "Kirstie Kelly for Disney by Mouawad." Each ring was designed to go with a different Disney princess just like the wedding gowns are. For example, the ring pictured on the right is for Belle, the heroine of Beauty and the Beast. The dress below is the wedding gown for Belle.
Displayed against a backdrop of Kelly's Disney character-inspired wedding gowns, bridesmaids' and flower girl dresses called "Kirstie Kelly for Disney Fairytale Weddings," the line consists of six rings with matching wedding bands.
Each ring and its matching band, like the wedding dresses, were designed in the spirit of a one of six Disney princesses, including the classic princesses Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and modern-day heroines, including Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, Ariel from The Little Mermaid; and Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
"It's different, in the sense that there's a story behind each princess," Kelly said.
You can see Kirstie Kelly's entire bridal collection for Disney at DisneyBridal.com. The ring collection retails in price from $1,200 to $6,000 and can be seen here on Pascal Mousad's website.
Dow Jones 
National Jeweler 
Kirstie Kelly designed Disney's recently launched line of bridal gowns. National Jeweler 
