Carly's Jewelry / Accessories Blog

Imagine toting this 38 carat pear-shaped diamond around your neck. Sure, it's gorgeous, but the weight would be unbearable after a few hours of social time, and you'd have to take a bodyguard along for the ride (course, that might not be a bad thing, depending on the bodyguard). I think I could be perfectly happy with a one or two-carat pear instead. The diamond was once owned by Christina Onassis (do you think she ever wore it?) and sold recently at Christie's International in London, fetching a hefty $7.1 million. Christie's auctioned over forty pieces of jewelry owned by the Onassis family, with sales totaling about $13.5 million.

Take a closer look at the Christina Onassis Diamond.

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Swarovski's Runway Rocks event returned to a London venue last month for the city's first Jewelry Week. When it's time to prep for Runway Rocks, Swarovski commissions designers from around the world, challenging them to create the ultimate catwalk jewelry in a way that showcases the company's many products. The show included a wide range of styles. This model is outfitted in Softmachine, by designer Francesca Bristol, whose theme focus was fertility. Chimera, by Collado Garcia, was part reptile and part cyborg. Johnny Rocket's Love Hurts was inspired by ethnic tattoo designs.

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We always see a wide range of jewelry on celebrities who attend awards ceremonies, and it isn't unusual for earrings to rule. That happened again at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards on June 25th. You can see that Alicia Keyes' large pendant earrings coordinated with her dress. Queen Latifah wore big diamond-studded hoops. Jacki-O wore a stunning ear-hugging design (the dress is another story). All of the jewelry is worth a look.

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When I was a kid, my parents took me on all kinds of adventure rides in and around our county. Up and down and around curvy mountain roads -- and me in the back seat feeling carsick. I wasn't real fond of some of those rides, but the drive to Franklin, North Carolina, is an exception. Not that I enjoyed the winding roads any more in that direction, but it was always fun to visit one of the native ruby or sapphire mines just outside of town. The gems aren't like ones you find in stores. They're natural, and still covered with matrix, the rocky crust that's protected them since they were born. Want to see? Come along on a virtual trip to a local ruby mine -- in honor of July, the ruby birthstone month.

I think you'll find something you love in this assortment of turquoise necklaces, because the collection includes many styles and price ranges. When you shop, remember that most turquoise in today's jewelry has been treated in some way. A good portion of it has been stabilized to make it more durable, and some turquoise has been color enhanced. You'll also find reconstituted turquoise -- stones made by mixing turquoise chips with resins and then forming nuggets and other shapes from the mix. There's nothing wrong with treatments -- they allow jewelry makers to offer turquoise at affordable prices, but treatments should always be disclosed.

See Also:

• Turquoise Care & Treatments
• Turquoise Bracelets

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Cartier introduced its popular Love Bracelet in 1969, and in 2006 developed a twist on the design, the LOVECHARITY version, made from a colored cord connected to a ring of LOVE. Cartier donates a portion of its receipts from sales of the bracelet to charity. Each bracelet's cord color represents a different cause: blue for children, pink for the underprivileged, red for research and green for the environment. Many charities around the world benefit from sales -- in the U.S. it's the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. June marks the third year for Cartier's annual event to promote the bracelets and charity awareness, and celebrities who attend are always loaded with Cartier jewels. Several wore variations of Cartier's Panthere jewelry, like this long tassel necklace draped around Eve's neck. Vintage Cartier was popular too -- Emmy Rossum and Hilary Duff were two celebrities who chose classic styles.

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Fashion designers who sent models down the catwalk in Sydney, Australia, recently weren't shy about tacking on jewelry and other accessories. One designer used facial rhinestones to add sparkle. Another put rhinestones in models' braids. And the jewelry? Some of it was the real thing and some of it was out there. Would you wear Christmas ornaments around your neck? Some baubles were big enough to give the women a Wilma-Flinstone-gone-bad look, but they did what they were supposed to do -- draw attention to the entire package as models took the walk.

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She's grown up and she's married, but one glance at Anna Chlumsky is all it takes to recognize the pre-teen who charmed everyone when she played Vada Sultenfuss in 1991's My Girl. Anna's been cast to co-star with James Gandolfini in The Loop, a political satire film. I like the delicate filigree earrings she's wearing in this photo, and found a pair that's almost a perfect match.

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Fluorescence is a characteristic that makes some diamonds appear to change color when they are exposed to ultraviolet light, and that means your brand new diamond jewelry might look totally different inside than it does outside. The change can be a pro or a con, depending on your attitude and the type of color shift that occurs. Here's why.

Sarah Jessica Parker's classic multi-tiered ribbon necklace was a good fit for the busier floral dress she wore to a showing of Then She Found Me in New York City. Hubby Matthew Broderick was with her, and although he's one of my favorite actors, his lack of visible jewelry means I couldn't justify a close-up photo. (Daniel covers Matthew's style over at the Men's Fashion site.) To get Ms. Parker's look, choose a rope necklace that's long enough to wrap around your neck a couple of times, or something with ready-made layers -- multiple strands secured to each side of a clasp.

Get the Look

• Kimberly Faith's Triple Strand Ribbon Necklace is made from gold and silver. Three strands are held together at the back of your neck by a vintage rhinestone clasp. (Buy Direct)

• Fossil offers a gold-tone 5-chain necklace. It's a similar look, but with delicate chains. Two extra layers help give it some punch. (Buy Direct)

_{Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images}