We all watch the Oscars to see who the winners are.  Maybe some of us are also drawn by the acceptance speeches or the potential flubs that occur with live T.V.  But the fashion and jewelry industry keep a sharp eye on the red carpet to predict upcoming trends.  In general I found this year’s red carpet to be a bit subdued from the jewelry point of view.  There were a shocking amount of empty necks – it seems this year’s trend is the beauty of the bare décolleté.  To make up for it though most of you’re A list stars wore wide cuff bracelets – stacked or worn alone, these versions of arm candy, helped bring a little bling to the red carpet.  Dazzling earrings were the accent feature of choice for most of our leading ladies.  Hats off to Annette Bening, Reese Witherspoon and Marisa Tomei for bringing color back.  Although not very visible, thanks to the camera angles, large fashion rings seemed to be all the rage.  When all is said and done, the Oscar for most stunning jewelry goes to the ever-stylish Nicole Kidman.  The 150 carat, old-mine cut diamond necklace was a show stopper.  Now that’s a piece of jewelry worth writing home about – yummy!

Over the years I have seen many objet d’art created to give “buzz” to certain jewelry designers, or bring attention to branded products.  While everything I have seen thus far was either beautiful or unusual (like a diamond encrusted watch in the shape of a dragon), I have never before seen one I would actually want to own – until I went to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA.  As I wandered through the halls, drooling over the stunning cars, I came across The Elvis II – a 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz Convertible.  This car was built in homage to Elvis’ love of Cadillac’s.  My eye was first caught by the beautiful lines of the car and the sparkle of the crystals used in the hood ornament but I didn’t fall in love until I learned that the custom “Ice Blue Pearl” paint job contained 10 carats of crushed diamonds.  I’ll take one to go please!

If you need a little love inspiration check out the story of Cupid and Psyche on the advice on THE RING facebook page.

**Don’t forget to click  “view full note”

There are only two days left before the big V-Day – have you gotten your special someone a special something?  Looking for something romantic other than a fancy dinner and flowers but don’t want to break the bank?  Here are a few suggestions that might be worth a try……  How about a romantic, candlelit, bubble bath with your sweethearts favorite cocktail (chocolates are always a winner in this situation as well).  If you are not a poet you can always Google romantic poetry and copy the words of famous romantics and leave them as little love notes around the house for your sweetheart to find.   Flowers are always a good idea but maybe instead of the standard roses you could give your honey their birth-flower – for help check out http://birthflowersguide.com How about making your sweetie breakfast in bed for a nice surprise – even if you can’t cook, a bowl of cereal with toast, or fruit and some juice will still win you points.  Book a couples massage – that’s a win, win for all involved – I promise!  Pack a picnic lunch, grab your sweetheart and head off to your closest body of water – the beach, the river, a lake – find a secluded spot and enjoy some much deserved private time.  Sign up for a cooking class – you know what they say about couples that cook together, they really cook together.  Surprise your sweetie at their work place for a spontaneous couples lunch.  Why not download the Star Walk app, grab your honey, a blanket and head away from the city lights for some romantic stargazing.  Of course, what kind of engagement expert would I be if I did not recommend the ultimate Valentine gift – a proposal!

Remember being in grade school and passing out Valentine’s cards to the entire class.  The Valentine Piggy has come to remind us of Valentine’s past – to not only express your love to that special someone but to all those you care about.

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