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For Valentine's Day Tie Your Love Up In Pearls

Some people have very romantic ideas about Valentine's Day. Notions that involve flowers, chocolates, a dinner at a fancy restaurant and love poems while others wishes are of a more carnal nature.

There has often been a correlation between the stores that sell intimate products and the seedier neighborhoods of any given town. Kiki de Montparnasse has always made sure that sexy and sensual does not have to mean low end and trashy. The flagship stores are located in New York's SoHo on Greene Street and in Los Angeles on Melrose Avenue and feature beautiful lingerie, jewelry and other objects of desire. The Las Vegas store located at Crystals in the MGM CityCenter is slightly more steamy, as befits sin city, with a Couples Dressing Room and Portrait Booth so customers can turn elegant shopping into foreplay. The company also features a well designed web-site which sells their products.

If you'd like to have a naughty Valentine's Day but still want to do it in luxury and style there are several products from Kiki de Montparnasse that might pique your interest. One is the Pearl Restraints, ten feet of strung pearls handmade by the craftsmen of E.R. Butler & Co. Each strand is finished with metal signature loops, can be worn as a necklace or full body jewelry, or just pull the pearls through the metal loops to create very fancy restraint cuffs. This item is a Kiki exclusive and sells for $2,400. They also offer regulation handcuffs covered in 24k gold with the key on a separate gold chain for $350.

If you'd like to invest in something a little tamer, they carry a large selection of body oils, scented candles and pretty lingerie including panties with a satin heart on the rear.

Gallery: Kiki de Montparnasse For Valentine's Day

Tags: handcuffs, kiki de montparnasse, KikiDeMontparnasse, Pearl, pearls, romance, sensual, soho, valentines day, ValentinesDay

Ocean Ripple Necklace

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Convertible jewelry hits the high end in this piece from Mikimoto from the Elements of Life: Ocean collection. The Ocean Ripple pendant can be worn three ways. It has an Akoya cultured pearl topped by a .04 carat diamond which can be worn alone or with a white gold ring set with a spectrum of graduated shades of blue sapphires meant to invoke the rippling beauty of the ocean in the sunlight. The sapphire pendant can also be worn separately. The pendant is on a 18" white gold chain. This necklace sell for $4,050.

Tags: jewelry, mikimoto, necklace, pearl, sapphire

Dolce & Gabbana's Diamonds & Pearls

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Jewelry, Charity, Books

Italian fashion duo Dolce & Gabbana are publishing a gorgeous new coffee table book called Diamonds & Pearls this month, available exclusively in a handful of their U.S. boutiques. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana personally selected clothing and accessories featuring jewelry of all kinds - gems, multicolored stones, sequins, pearls, gold leaves and diamonds - photographed on a variety of "life-like, yet otherworldly mannequins." The book, which retails for $270, contains texts written by university professors analyzing the psychology, history and sociology behind the creation of Diamonds & Pearls. Proceeds from the book benefit children's charity Butterfly Onlus Foundation.

Tags: Diamonds, Dolce and Gabbana, Dolce Gabbana, DolceAndGabbana, DolceGabbana, Pearl

Win a Strand of Mikimoto Akoya Pearls

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Many years ago my mother went to Japan, and one of the things she brought back was a string of pearls from Mikimoto. I've always associated pearls with Mikimoto, and I'm sure many others do as well -- the company originated the cultured pearl and has been in business since 1893. Thanks to Mikimoto, there's a bright spot in this challenging holiday season: The company is sponsoring a contest whereby one random winner will receive a strand of Mikimoto Akoya Pearls estimated at $2,500. No purchase necessary, and contest ends March 31, 2009. Rules are here.

Tags: contest, contests, Mikimoto, Mikimoto pearls, MikimotoPearls, pearl, pearls, sweepstakes

Gossip Girl Inspired: Badgley/Sneed

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

The divine, $3,200.00 carnelian and citrine necklace above comes from designer dream team Badgley/Sneed. Their gorgeous, richly creative, intricate pieces ooze sophistication and style. See the gallery below for some more of our favorite Badgley/Sneed designs!

The Badgley/Sneed team is comprised of Jan Sneed and Lynne Murphy Badgley, two longtime friends. Combining class with semi-precious stones, their work is exquisite, yet attainable.

We hear there's a new line coming--and in our gallery, you'll see Lynne Badgley wearing an item from said line. Though it is currently untitled, we understand the line is inspired by Gossip Girl.

It's no coincidence Lynne Badgley is Penn Badgley's mother! Penn and Blake Lively have been seen promoting Badgley Sneed designs together. Fun fact: Jan Sneed is Penn Badgley's godmother.

Keep an eye on this pair, they've got beautiful designs and celebrity connections. You can't buy luck like that!

Gallery: Badgley/Sneed Designs

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Tags: amethyst, aquamarine, badgley, badgley sneed, badgleysneed, blake lively, carnelian, cirtine, fashion week, gossip girl, lively, pearl, penn badgley, sneed

Heavy Pearl Is Lumpy But Rare

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

It may not look as pretty as a strand of Mikimoto cultured pearls, but this lumpy specimen is a rare treasure. It is a non-nacreous natural blister pearl found inside the giant clam Tridacna Gigas off the waters of the Philippines. The stone is over six inches in length and weighs five pounds. National Jeweler reports that a team of expert gemologists from the EGL USA lab analyzed the pearl using high tech tools including digital radiography, close magnification and data provided by a handheld X-ray fluorescence unit. The pearl has been deemed one of the most valuable of its kind in the world today and the owner, Hadjzad Biteng is currently considering his options with regards to its future.

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Tags: blister pearl, BlisterPearl, pearl, phillippines

Lucky Couple Finds Rare Purple Pearl in Dinner

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

A couple of years ago, I reported on a story about a man who bought a purple pearl brooch at a sale thinking it was costume jewelry and found himself with a piece worth around $250,000. A Florida man recently found another rare purple pearl this week and all he had to do was order a steamed clams. George Brock and his wife, Leslie found the pearl while eating at Dave's Last Resort & Raw Bar. Their pearl isn't quite as big the one in the brooch but it could be worth thousands. The couple will have it appraised and then decide if they will sell it.

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Tags: florida, pearl, purple pearl, rare

Fiore Fiore Pearls

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

I have a weakness for jewelry that uses gradient coloring of gemstones in the design. The Fiore Fiore collection from Hodel Pearls is made of white South Sea pearls surrounded by white gold petals set with blue sapphires. The collection also comes in green, pink and gold with pearls of different tones to match. The necklace sells for $9,800, the ring is $9,000 and the earrings are $18,000.

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Tags: hodel, jewelry, necklace, pearl, sapphire

Sea Change Ring

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The Sea Change Ring from Anthropologie is a "wow" piece of jewelry and will grab more attention than rings that are far more expensive. It is made of sterling silver and coated with mother of pearl, giving the effect of a pearl that is slowly being revealed from inside a shell. It is 1.5-in. in diameter and handmade in the US. Price: $498.

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Tags: anthropologie, jewlery, pearl, ring, rings

Lucina Pearl Wrap Necklace

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Jewelry that wraps is always an interesting fashion item because it is so versatile. One piece can be worn as a bracelet or necklace, and as a necklace, can be wound like a choker around the throat or worn loose. The limited edition Lucina Pearl Wrap Necklace by Oregon-based designer Scarlet Chamberlin is just such a piece, 60" long and easy to match. There are several things that make it noteworthy, however. The handmade chain is made from Ethiopian Recycled Silver (from past-circulation silver coins) with sterling silver components and it is studded with many 8mm freshwater pearls. Lucina is committed to bringing "together the craftsmanship of artisans in developing countries and the talents of American designers." Price: $325.

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Tags: designer, ethiopia, jewelry, lucina, necklace, oregon, pearl, pearls, silver

Tony Duquette Pearl and Diamond Necklace

by Dakota Smith (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

This shopping section of this week's issue of New York magazine highlights a pretty amazing pearl and diamond necklace by legendary decorator Tony Duquette. The bib-style necklace contains 62 Baroque South Sea pearls and 29 carats of diamonds, and is set in white gold. Duquette, who decorated homes for J. Paul Getty and the Duchess of Windsor, died in 1999; the line of one-of-a-kind Duquette pieces is actually created by Hutton Wilkinson, his business partner. This necklace is available exclusively at New York's Bergdorf Goodman for a whopping $227,675.

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Tags: Bergdorf Goodman, Diamond, Hutton Wilkinson, Necklace, Pearl, Tony Duquette

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