don't cry for me.

i am soooo lucky. on two counts. first, i got to attend signature theatre's sondheim award gala honoring the one-of-a-kind patti lupone. before you start pointing out that "don't cry for me argentina" was written by tim rice and andrew lloyd webber and not by stephen sondheim, i, um, realize that. but ms. lupone's role in evita really is a classic. even wikipedia lists it first among her many roles. and it was a better title for this post than, say, "everything's coming up roses" (she also played a fabulous rose in sondheim's gypsy.) but i digress.

the other reason i'm so lucky? i got to wear jewelry from i. gorman for the occasion! this gig definitely has its perks. so there i was, all dressed up in the middle of a monday afternoon, in the store, to pick jewelry for my big night at the italian embassy. nicole was my personal dresser and we had a blast.

since my iridescent bronze top was strapless, we started with the necklace. guess what was perfect? todd reed's 41-diamond stunner. rose cut and raw diamonds have never commingled so well as on this beautiful piece. then it was off to earrings... and not being a matchy-matchy type, we walked away from todd (sorry, todd!) and visited antonio bernardo's gold collection. let's just say i've always had a weakness for his unbelievable 360° earrings. would they work? and how.

it was time to give my very bare arms and hands some attention. a statement ring? a bold bracelet? both? (definitely not!) in the end, peter schmid's one-of-a-kind quartz and brown diamond atelier zobel ring won, hands down (pardon the pun.)

bejeweled to the hilt, i gathered my stash and ran off to deal with a much-needed manicure, makeup, and other girly things. once at the event, i felt like cinderella at the ball – which was exactly what i was. and although not a single piece turned into a pumpkin, it was definitely tough to give up my fabulous gems the next morning! hmmm...wonder where i can go next?

oh todd!

you know the lichtenstein blonde? the one with the dots? and the dreamy, faraway look? that's me. and todd reed. only he has no idea. (note: my fiancé and todd's wife have nothing to fear. really.)

todd is such a sweet, warm, deep soul that his boatloads of talent are almost secondary. almost. where would we all be without his quarry of raw diamonds to fascinate us? you can see the love he has for each and every stone. you can feel his earnestness in every purposeful scratch of metal, every teeny edging detail, every fanciful, tipped angle of each little stone within a setting.

"my todd" – a one-of-a-kind grey raw diamond with a halo of white diamonds. ahhh.

he is quiet and gentle but his work is anything but. it is bold, brash, in your face. even something as small and lovely as an engagement ring becomes a can't-miss-it statement. and when he purposefully goes big? watch out. those rocks rock like nothing else.

todd's palladium cuff bracelet, featuring a stunning aquamarine accented with

grey and white diamonds, won Best of Show at the AGTA Spectrum Awards.

i cornered todd at our recent ring event and asked him to talk on camera. what did i get? you can see for yourself, but all of a sudden we were in deep about the "ness" of diamonds. which made me think about the "ness" of todd: kindness, happiness, artfulness, goodness, cleverness, adventurousness (it's a word! i looked it up!) sweetness, friendliness, expressiveness, cuteness...