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...

color me happy!

as promised, here's more from munich...and it's a direct reflection on what you're already seeing in fashion everywhere: color, color, color. pick up any magazine or newspaper, check out any fashion website or style blog and what do you see? big, bold, beautiful color. missed it? well, crawl out of your dark hole and see the light. shed the blacks and grays of winter (winter?) and embrace it all.

if you want to tiptoe into adding color, or tip-finger to be precise, go straight for these fun, funky rings from designer monika seitter. we've had some pieces from her in the past, compliments of gellner, but these new, delectable goodies are sassy personified – no wonder i love them. who can wear just one? put on a couple – it's like wearing a fistful of totally tasteful jelly beans!

nicole's big discovery at inhorgenta this year was german designer petra meiren. petra's work is as colorful and fun as anything we've seen in a long, long time. while her "low" materials may be unusual for high-fashion jewelry, the budget-friendly prices let you dabble with as many palettes as you can handle.

and what would a color report be without mentioning our dear friends at margoni? their grecian delights are brighter and dreamier than ever. with vivid turquoise added to their rainbow of gemstones, if you must hide behind a rock, you should definitely pick one of theirs!

the fashion police are already giving out tickets for dull and drab, day and night. don't get caught colorless – there are too many bright and beautiful baubles around to keep us all safely stylish!

nicole went to inhorgenta and all i got was...

a sneak peek at all the new pieces that will be coming! first, let me explain... as much as inhorgenta sounds like some fascinating country you've never heard of, it's really a humongous international jewelry trade show in munich. but it almost sounds like it could be its own country: vast acreage of all that is beautiful and brilliant (in the jewelry universe, at least.)

i digress. nicole is back but the poor girl is exhausted – she left mid-sale, and returned just in time for our ultimate ring event. i let her rest, but not for long, and then i was in her face, like a little kid, with a demanding "what'd you bring me?"

well, let me tell you...she brought me – ok, all of us – some fabulous finds. i can hardly wait for the first shipments to arrive!

nicole did not shop small. a visit with i. gorman favorite gellner found her (with gellner's randy pavlow) actually holding the biggest baroque white south sea cultured pearl in the world. seriously. could i make that up? she promises she ordered dozens of beautiful pieces (with slightly smaller pearls) for spring. one of her faves is an ombre-inspired strand of tahitian pearls that gradually goes from light to dark and back again.

peter schmid from atelier zobel didn't fail to surprise her with his latest one-of--a-kind pieces of innovative gold work sprinkled with diamonds and sporting incredible stones. try on a piece and you won't want to take it off. in fact, i still haven't determined if nicole gave that magnificent cuff she's wearing back to him or not...

what about majoral? niessing? michael weggenmann...? actually, nearly all of i. gorman's designers were there with all of their latest collections. there's plenty more to report, but we'll save it for another post...promise.

one final note: one of the few designers not represented at inhorgenta was antonio bernardo of brazil. but fear not...the globe-trotting nicole will have an exclusive one-on-one with the amazing jeweler on his home turf next month. don't think i won't be nagging her the second she returns!

are you that girl?

it's fascinating to see which designers attract which brides and vice versa. so we took a totally non-scientific approach to the topic and thought we'd match up the dozen designers at our ultimate ring event with the type of girl we envision selecting one of their designs as the ring of her dreams.

if you consider yourself arty, funky, offbeat or simply singular, we see you orbiting the powerfully particular universe of todd reed and alishan. todd's unique work with raw diamonds is absolutely magnetic to a certain audience (full disclosure: i'm a todd girl; more about that in a future post.) alishan's handcrafted rings are a little frillier, but far from fussy – think teeny, intricate, artistic carvings and you're headed in the right direction.

below: todd reed, alishan

slinky? sensuous? dramatic? look no further than etienne perret or the colorful world of omi gems. even before etienne blew us away with his ceramic bands, his sense of style was always in a class all its own. omi gems colored stones are intentionally sensational, not shy. you want drama? you've got it.

below: etienne perret, omi gems

the classic, vintage, society girl can go easily from kirk kara to ambar to mona taner to precision set. lots of diamonds and sparkle turn all their very pretty rings into heirlooms you can only wish you'd inherited. or add a twist to traditional and sashay down the aisle in a just-a-step-away beauty from sholdt or maevona.

below: kirk kara, ambar, mona taner, precision set, sholdt, maevona

finally, we have the ultra-modern, sleek sophisticate. if you can walk past coge or gebruder schaffrath without turning your head, you'll leave us scratching ours. their designs are straight out of a modern art gallery – just the thing for the way, way, modern bride.

below: coge, gebruder schaffrath

so that's our match game for today...we hope to see you at the ultimate ring event friday and saturday, february 24 -25. let us know which girl you are...or which girl you're marrying. did we get it right?