Russell Simmons

One More Day To Buy Kimora Lee Simmons' Old Stuff

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Want to get your paws on some of Kimora Lee Simmons cast-offs? You've got one more day to visit the former home of Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons in Saddle River, New Jersey to buy their belongings. The pair has moved on with new partners and new homes but their prodigious collection of clothing, furniture and other household goods remains. Those with deep pockets can pick up art like a $100,000 painting by Faith Ringgold, "The Dinner Quilt" or a pair of $20,000 bronze lions. Furniture is also for sale including Versace's bed for $200,000 and a $5,000 chaise lounge. Those with little to spend can pick up a $3 mug. The sale has been going on since Thursday which might make Saturday the ideal day to pounce because there may be deals to be had. It's not clear what will happen to the unsold goods.

A-1 Liquidators is in charge of the sale which has drawn people from surrounding states to get a look at the house which was featured on MTV Cribs and was also our estate of the day. It's got a new low price, just $13.9 million down from an original asking of nearly $24 million. The 10-bedroom home famous for its cinema-worthy home theater, professional fitness center, wine cellar with bar seating and painted rotunda has made the rounds of various television shows and magazines. It has both indoor and outdoor pools, staff quarters, a pool house and a security system designed by the White House security company.

Gallery: Kimora Lee Simmons In Saddle River, NJ

Tags: Def Jam Records, kimora lee simmons, Russell Simmons, saddle river

Rachel Bilson Designs For The Diamond Empowerment Fund

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity, Celebrity Design

Last December Rachel Bilson traveled to Botswana and South Africa to see the work being done by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund. Now the actress has created a new bracelet to benefit the cause. The leather bracelet features a 1/6 carat diamond in an Everlon Diamond Knot setting (the latest design from De Beers). The round-cut diamond is set in 14k gold over sterling silver. The bracelet sells for $100 at Macy's and $20 from each sale goes to the Diamond Empowerment Fund to support the education and empowerment of African people.

The Diamond Empowerment Fund was founded in 2007 and first raised money with the selling of a malachite bracelet crowned with a rough diamond. The non-profit international organization raises money to support education initiatives that include the fund's first project, the CIDA City Campus, located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The four-year school educates students and sends them back to the townships as teachers. It offers liberal arts education and business classes and the students do all the work at the school except teaching. Profits from Bilson's bracelet will help purchase additional student housing for the campus.

[via In Style]

Tags: de beers, DeBeers, Def Jam Records, diamond empowerment fund, Diamond Empowerment Initiative, DiamondEmpowermentFund, everlon, rachel bilson, RachelBilson, russell simmons, RussellSimmons

Art Basel Is Fun Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Art Basel was fun again this year. After a recession-stained climate last year led to toned down partying, collectors and dealers (and everyone else) was back in style this time around. According to the Wall Street Journal, it seemed like everyone was throwing a party this year, with the likes of Larry Gagosian and Lance Armstrong getting in on the action. And, the parties didn't suck. Hosts went all out -- with live music and other attractions -- to separate themselves from the competition. Some even tried something new, with the words "Everybody has a Damien Hirst" uttered.

Of course, there were enough celebrities in supply to ensure that every host had one to boast about. Scott Stapp, lead singer of Creed, and Russell Simmons, for example, were present at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel. Simmons is a committed collector of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Barbara Krueger and was in town to raise money for his charity, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

An after-party hosted by Julian Schnabel's art dealer son, Vito, attracted some big names, as well. Peter Brant, an art collector who recently tried to move "Brother Sausage" by Basquiat at auction, was there, along with Abby Rosen.

Yet, there were more intimate dinners and cocktail parties than in past years, according to Art Basel regulars. A few corporate sponsors still made the plunge, including UBS, NetJets and Cartier.

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Tags: art, art collecting, art collection, art collector, art dealer, art exhibit, art exhibits, art fair, art show, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, ArtCollector, ArtDealer, ArtExhibit, ArtExhibits, ArtFair, ArtShow, basquiat, cartier, damien hirst, DamienHirst, jean-michel basquiat, Jean-michelBasquiat, julian schnabel, JulianSchnabel, Lance Armstrong, LanceArmstrong, Larry Gagosian, LarryGagosian, miami, miami beach, MiamiBeach, NetJets, Parties, peter brant, PeterBrant, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, Scott Stapp, ScottStapp, south beach, SouthBeach, ubs, UbsAg

Kimora Lee And Russell Simmons In Saddle River, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

A recent post on the Real Estalker inspired me to take a look at the real estate doings of Kimora Lee Simmons. Simmons and ex-husband Russell Simmons have a variety of properties. Kimora made our slow sellers list for a home in the Beverly Hills Post office area that she was trying to sell for over a year but after knocking the price down to the price she bought it for ($5.9 million) it has been pulled from the market. Meanwhile Simmons has put a modest three-bedroom ranch-style home in East Hampton, New York on the market for $800,000. The simple home has none of Kimora's ostentatious style and may have been used for guests.

For a real look at Kimora's style check out the Saddle River, New Jersey home that Kimora Lee and Russell have been trying to sell for a few years. We've been talking about this home for a few years but never given in full estate of the day treatment. It was once listed for $23.888 million dropped to $19.888 million and then pulled off the market. But as Homes of the Rich pointed out last month, the exes are giving it another trying, relisting the lavish mansion at $16.5 million. The 10-bedroom home famous for its cinema-worthy home theater, professional fitness center, wine cellar with bar seating and painted rotunda has made the rounds of various television shows and magazines. It has both indoor and outdoor pools, staff quarters, a pool house and a security system designed by the White House security company.

Gallery: Kimora Lee Simmons in East Hampton

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, east hampton, EastHampton, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, kimora lee simmons, KimoraLeeSimmons, new jersey, NewJersey, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, saddle river, SaddleRiver

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Russell Simmons Gave Me a SpongeBob SquarePants Alarm Clock Radio

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Men's Style

He lives in a Swarovski crystal studded pineapple under the sea.

Russell Simmons gave me a SpongeBob SquarePants alarm clock radio. No, I did not dream this.

I was recently at an event for Simmons Jewelry Company when who should walk in but Russell Simmons himself, wearing a glimmering SpongeBob SquarePants pendant! He was very cordial and said I looked familiar. I said he looked familiar, too. He said "I'm Russell Simmons."

The event was to celebrate and exhibit the new Simmons Jewelry Co. collections that will be coming out this fall and for the holidays, and there is a whole line of luxury SpongeBob SquarePants jewelry for men and women.

"Why SpongeBob?" I asked Russell. His answer was simple: "SpongeBob is the Hello Kitty for men."

Genius! As you may know, Kimora Lee Simmons of the Simmons family has had a line of Hello Kitty jewelry for quite awhile now (you can read Rigel's article about the Zodiac collection here) -- and even designed the $50,000 Hello Kitty necklace Britney Spears wore in her music video for "Do Somethin'." There's a lot of great new Hello Kitty stuff coming this fall, too -- including Swarovski crystal studded earbuds and a USB drive I've got my eye on.

For now, let's have a look at the SpongeBob and Bikini Bottom items, which come in sterling silver, 18kt gold plating, enamel work and Swarovski crystals (as shown). Who knows? Maybe they'll make a $50,000 one for Justin Timberlake!

As for the alarm clock radio in the gift bag? I gave it to my landlord's kids.

Gallery: SpongeBob SquarePants by Simmons Jewelry Co.

Tags: hello kitty, HelloKitty, jewelry, luxist previews, LuxistPreviews, Russell Simmons, RussellSimmons, Simmons jewelry company, SimmonsJewelryCompany, spongebob, spongebob squarepants, SpongebobSquarepants

Buyers Bounce to Beach, ArtHamptons Flops

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

The artists are blaming the weather. Despite the fact that we're in a pretty nasty art slump, the optimistic believe that three days of sunshine lured potential art buyers to the beach instead of the ArtHamptons fair in Bridgehampton, Long Island this weekend. Purchases were made, but in general, they were disappointing. Realistically, the sales made sense, given what we've seen at auction over the past year.

Several celebrities did attend the art fair, but they brought little excitement, it seems, beyond their appearances. Jon Bon Jovi, personalities from The Real Housewives of New York City, Kelsey Grammer and Russell Simmons were all spotted, but Bloomberg didn't report any purchases.

The biggest name at the ArtHamptons fair, of course, was Michael Jackson – a creation by Andy Warhol. Originally, Vered Gallery had hoped to sell it via silent auction, but the gallery yanked the portrait late last week ... claiming that collectors were looking at the piece but "needed more time to assess the value."

Or, maybe they were just at the beach, like everyone else, apparently.

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Tags: andy warhol, AndyWarhol, art, art fair, art galleries, art gallery, art market, ArtFair, ArtGalleries, ArtGallery, ArtMarket, artwork, bon jovi, BonJovi, bridgehampton, hamptons, jon bon jovi, JonBonJovi, kelsey grammer, KelseyGrammer, long island, LongIsland, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, new york, NewYork, real housewives of new york, real housewives of new york city, RealHousewivesOfNewYork, RealHousewivesOfNewYorkCity, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, the real housewives of new york city, TheRealHousewivesOfNewYorkCity, warhol

Simmons Jewelry Co. Steel Collection for Men

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Men's Style

Simmons Jewelry Co., run by the family of Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, has a terrific line of jewelry for men that exudes style and strength without being too flashy.

Seen here on the new 90210's Adam Gregory are items from both their Wrist and Neck collections which retail for $155 to $7,000 here on the Simmons Jewelry Co. website. There is also a Finger collection (of rings) for $195 - $3,500.

Normally, for a very special occasion, the customary gift for a man is a pen or a watch. But what if he already has a pen and a watch? Some men I know have their father's or grandfather's watch, or the pen their parents gave them when they graduated from grad school. These gifts have a high sentimental value and are unlikely to be outshone by any price tag.

The Simmons Jewelry Co. Steel Collection is the perfect gift alternative for the man who already has a pen and a watch.

The collection combines diamonds with rubber and stainless steel in modern bracelets, chains, dog tags, and rings. We compiled a gallery of the most extravagant and attractive items below.

Gallery: Simmons Jewelry Co. Steel Collection for Men

Tags: adam gregory, AdamGregory, jewelry, kimora lee simmons, men, mens jewelry, russell simmons, simmons, simmons jewelry co, SimmonsJewelryCo

SpongeBob SquarePants Fine Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The allure of cartoon characters on jewelry eludes me but there must be a market for it since we've seen a fair amount of it on the market. Simmons Jewelry Company, Russell Simmons's company and Nickolodeon have partnered on a new fine jewelry and watch line inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants, The line will include pieces in gold, silver and enamel and products will sell for $150 to $75,000. The line will debut in the fall. The 12-carat total weight diamond-encrusted SpongeBob pendant shown here will be auctioned off for charity with proceeds benefiting Simmons's Diamond Empowerment Fundwhich funds schools in Africa. Simmons Jewelry is also the creator of the Hello Kitty fine jewelry line.

Gallery: Cartoons Go Glam

Source

Tags: russell simmons, RussellSimmons, simmons jewelry company, SimmonsJewelryCompany, spongebob-squarepants

Russell Simmons Speaks at JCK Las Vegas on the Diamond Empowerment Fund

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity

Greetings from the JCK Jewelry Show in Las Vegas. The show is one of the jewelry world's major events where manufacturers and wholesalers show their latest wares to retailers and industry professionals. The keynote speaker this morning was Russell Simmons, the hip hop impresario behind Def Jam Records and Baby Phat and now Simmons Jewelry and the Diamond Empowerment Fund. Simmons first became interested in the jewelry business a couple of years ago. He began thinking about jewelry when his then wife, Kimora decided it would be a good idea to make jewelry. His initial response was that he would never buy her fur coats or diamonds, two things he associated with hurt and damage to others.

He changed his mind after doing more research with the Clinton Initiative and other groups and taking his own trip to Africa where he met with Nelson Mandela and learned that while diamonds have caused a lot of pain and suffering they also can do good in the world. He found that in some areas people would starve without the sales of diamonds. This led to the formation of the Diamond Empowerment Fund. DEF works to promote higher education for Africans and so far has raised $9 million for a school in South Africa, the CIDA school which serves 3300 students, It is a four-year school,which is basically a college to teach students and send them back to the townships as teachers. It offers liberal arts education and business classes and the students do all the work at the school except teaching.

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Tags: diamond empowerment fund, diamonds, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, south africa, SouthAfrica

Continue reading “Russell Simmons Speaks at JCK Las Vegas on the Diamond Empowerment Fund”

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Tommy Mottola has re-listed his North Salem home with a new price of $19.5 million, it was an estate of the day last year at $21 million.
--Producers Kathleen Kennedy and her husband, Frank Marshall, have paid $2.695 million for a pied-a-terre at 120 Central Park South.
--Rumor has it that one of the buyers of one of the $50 million-plus condo at The Plaza is Italian real-estate tycoon Luigi Zunino, the CEO of Milan-based Risanamento S.p.A., one of Italy's largest real-estate development companies.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Richard Gere has sold his New York townhouse for around $9 million.
--Mary and Donald Graham, the C.E.O. and chairman of the Washington Post Company, have paid $4.65 million for a pied-à-terre at 262 Central Park West.
--The fabulous Lindemann apartment, an estate of the day back in 2006, has sold for $16.1 million.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--A contemporary-style house in the Beverly Hills area that once was owned by award-winning pianist and composer Burt Bacharach is available for $3,495,000. The listing is here.
--Actress Lisa Vidal has reduced the asking price of her five-bedroom, traditional-style house in Los Angeles' Studio City neighborhood to $1,995,000.
--Retired major-league baseball player David Cone has sold his mansion on 10 acres in Greenwich, Connecticut for $12 million and the buyers turned around and sold the house again for an undisclosed price, according to the Wall Street Journal.
--Talk-show host Larry King has sold his longtime Beverly Hills house for an undisclosed price.

From the Real Estalker:
--Might Michael Eisner be looking to sell his massive Malibu compound?
--A house that may belong to supermodel Rachel Hunter is on the market for $2.995 million.
--Ellen Degeneres and Portia Di Rossi are selling another home, we'll be looking at this as our estate of the day later today.
--If you need a gorgeous visual experience for your Sunday take the virtual tour for the fantastic home of screenwriter Akiva Goldsman on Cole Crest Drive in Los Angeles, CA, shown above. The home has a unique A-frame studio and an amazing view for $2.595 million. Goldsman is moving onto to another gorgeous home, Anthony Kiedis's pleasure palace.
--Jack Black has listed his Beachwood Canyon home for $1.699 million.
--Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons have now put their Doheny Drive home on the market for $5.8 million.
--The Osbournes Beverly Hills home may be back on the market for $11.995 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Christopher Lloyd, has listed his residence in Montecito at close to $11.3 million. It looks like this one is the Montecito home we recently featured as an estate of the day.
--Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson and his wife, Melinda, have sold their Lake Arrowhead home for close to its asking price of $6.25 million.
--A Beverly Hills home once known as the See's Candies estate and owned by a founder of the company has sold for $35 million.

Tags: david cone, ellen Degeneres, jack black, JackBlack, kimora lee simmons, michael eisner, portia di rossi, richard gere, russell simmons

Russell Simmons Sells Green Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

Simmons Jewelry Company, the company owned by Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons, is going green. They are launching the Green Initiative, a line of jewelry that raises money for the Diamond Empowerment Fund, whose mission is to raise money for African communities. The designs feature steel, rubber, diamonds. At the Academy Awards, Forest Whitaker wore the Los Angeles stainless steel and green rubber cross bracelet with laser engraved logo and diamonds. 25% of the proceeds from this piece and most of the others in the collection go to the Diamond Empowerment Fund.

The Green Bracelet shown here features malachite beads and a rough diamond, catching on to the current trend for rough diamonds in jewelry designs. 50% of the proceeds of the piece go to the Diamond Empowerment Fund. Each bracelet comes with a Kimberley Process certificate, a Gem Certification Assurance Lab certificate, and a DVD message from Russell Simmons with footage from his trip to Botswana and South Africa last year. Prices for the collection range from $200-$35,000.

Source

Tags: diamonds, do no evil, green initiative, russell simmons, RussellSimmons, simmons jewelry company

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Howard Stern has spent more than $600,000 for an oceanfront rental in Southampton, The home is listed for sale at $35 million. The listing is here. The shingle-style home sits between Wickapogue Pond and the ocean and has nine bedrooms. a two-story living room, elevator, wine cellar and an oceanside pool with a gazebo.
--Russell Simmons has been spotted looking for a Hamptons bachelor pad.
--Roy Scheider is selling his house in Sagaponack for $20 million.
--A 26.6 acre summer camp that philanthropist Anthony Drexel Duke donated to the Boys & Girls Harbor in East Hampton is now on the market for $12 million.
--Jennifer LeRoy, daughter of late restaurateur Warner LeRoy, has sold her apartment on West 13th Street for $2.6 million she is moving up a few floors into a smaller unit and seeking a house in West Palm Beach.
--It turns out that apartment Tommy Mottola recently bought for $6 million at 170 East End Avenue is for his daughter.

From the NY Times Big Deal:
--J. Darius Bikoff, the founder of Glaceau water, has paid $5.6 million for a 4,000-square-foot duplex penthouse in a new building at 330 East 72nd Street. He is selling his East 77 Street condo for $2.5 million, the listing is here.
--Gregory Olsen, an inventor and entrepreneur who paid around $20 million to fly to space on a Russian rocket, sold an apartment at 1 Central Park West, Trump International Hotel and Tower, for $6.45 million. He still owns an apartment near the top of the Time Warner Center.
--Screenwriter, Leslie Dixon and her husband Tom Ropelewski have bought a 1,350-square-foot condominium at 45 Christopher Street for $1.9 million.
--Actor Patrick Wilson and his wife, Dagmara Dominczyk, bought a duplex apartment last month in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for $972,428.

From the New York Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Russell Simmons is still trying to sell 114 Liberty Street. It's now listed at just under $6 million, a big dip from the original $11 million it was listed at in May 2005.
--Minnesota businessman Edward Bazinet recently placed his five-story Tribeca penthouse on the market for $28.5 million, a new record for the area. The listing has pictures of this stunning glass penthouse (shown above) which is on top of a 19th Century warehouse building
--Te Spence-Chapin Adoption Service is selling their 60-foot building for $23 million. It could become either a single-family home or luxury condos. The listing is here.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Christina Ricci is putting her Los Feliz house on the market for $3.1 million. The 1928 house is a local landmark which was preserved and updated by Diane Keaton in the 1990s. The listing is here.
--The late Eddie Albert's house was purchased for around $8.25 million. The Pacific Palisades estate was sold for the value of the land only since the house is a teardown.
--Kate Jackson has purchased a Sherman Oaks home for just under $1.1 million.

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, howard stern, luxury real estate, new york real estate, russell simmons