Serena Williams has a fancy pair of tennis earrings and now Maria Sharapova, the top-ranked women's tennis player has her own jewelry deal. Sharapova has inked a deal with Tiffany & Co.She will wear Tiffany designer Elsa Peretti's Wave earrings in 18K gold at the French Open, May 25-June 8, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Tiffany will also accessories her custom French Open tennis dress. The "Paris dress," by Nike is a 1920s-inspired design with contrasting chalk white satin ribbons and double layered pleated skirt. The dress is finished with a Tiffany pearl button closure that fastens at the back of the dress. The deal extends for the next two years and will cover the four Grand Slam Tennis events: The French Open, Wimbledon, and the US and Australian Open. During each event, Ms. Sharapova will wear Tiffany earrings that will be sold at Tiffany & Co. stores around the world as the Tiffany for Maria Sharapova collection.

Whenever a celebrity tries to sell something expensive on eBay there's always speculation as to motives, but here's a case where it's pretty obvious what the deal is: music producer Scott Storch is short on cash. He's selling his yacht, called "Tiffany," on eBay for well under its $20 million value (per Rolling Stone magazine) because apparently he can't afford to keep it anymore. As of right now it's going for just under $1,000,000. What a deal.

I'm no eBaying expert but I'm not sure it's such a great sales technique to display in big bold letters "THE BOAT IS BEING SOLD UNDER DISTRESS ,OWNER BOUGHT HER AND NOW GOT SHORT ON MONEY." Seems more than a little on the tacky side, and hardly inspires the celebrity "cool" factor that might help it sell for more.

UPDATE: Bidding has ended at $1,000,101, that's a fair amount of cash but not enough to meet the reserve, looks like Storch is going to have to try again.

Elsa Peretti's designs for Tiffany & Co. are aways stunning, with fluid lines and a classic feminine allure. Keira Knightley wears her Elsa Peretti Pendant with EVERYTHING! Available on the Tiffany & Co. website for $595, this 18k gold pendant sits on a 16" chain. Simple and elegant by itself or perfect to layer. Of course the little blue box that it comes in isn't bad either... who doesn't LOVE that box?!

[via People's Stylewatch]

Softbank Mobile is in the process of launching their new line of 15 cell phones, one of which was created in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. Japan Inc. The new handset is encrusted with more than 400 diamonds totaling 20+ carats and will cost about $94,000. For that kind of money I hope it looks better in person than in any of the pictures I've been able to find!

The phone is available starting this month in Japan, with the complete line of new phones to be launched by the end of March.


Via LuxuryLaunches

Want even more bling for your ring, check out our gallery of other diamond headphones.

Although anybody can take gold and diamonds and make jewelry, some jewelers have the gift of putting precious metals and gems together to form truly beautiful and inspiring pieces of art. Much like in the art world every person has their own personal tastes and preferences when it comes to jewelry, but of the best jewelers in the world have you ever wondered who was the best of the best? The Luxury Institute in New York did, and so they recently interviewed 500 wealthy luxury consumers and asked them to rate 20 of the world's top jewelers in order to come up with a ranked list of the top 10.

Harry Winston came out as the #1 most prestigious jewelry brand.

Do you agree or disagree? See the rest of the top 10 and then let us know in the comments!

Tiffany & Co. and watchmaker Patek Philippe have announced the opening of a Patek Philippe salon inside the Tiffany's flagship store at 5th Avenue and 57th Street in New York city. The salon is the first Patek Philippe salon in the U.S. and will open in April 2008. The 3,000-square-foot salon will present some of the watchmaker's unique and most sought-after timepieces, a collection of all current models, an extensive library, individual customer consultation areas, and a studio for on-site repairs. The salon will also feature a collection of traveling museum pieces on loan from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. In conjunction with the salon opening, Patek Philippe will host a three-day exhibition titled "The Values of a Family Watch Company" on the fifth floor of Tiffany's flagship store from April 24, 2008 to April 26, 2008. Shares of Tiffany & Co. rose on Thursday after the announcement.

Romantic getaways are one of the most popular ways for couples to celebrate Valentine's Day, and for those who have money a private jet charter is a pretty appealing way to get there. Even more appealing is a private jet charter with a cabin packed full of diamonds, roses, and all kinds of other goodies. On that note Halcyon Jets is offering the $1.5 million DreamDate package that includes a long list of high-end luxury gifts. You'll get a diamond necklace from Tiffany's, a bottle of 1996 Vintage Krug Champagne, Noka chocolates, Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty, a pair Christian Louboutin Sequin Peep-Toe Pumps, a 9 piece set of Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Luggage, and DreamSpa treatments for 2.

Whew! What a list. Anybody have $1.5 million I can borrow?

Tiffany & Co, has made an interesting move with regards to their watch business. They currently produce a small line of classic watches under their own brand. Now they have announced an alliance with Swatch Group for the development, production and worldwide distribution of Tiffany brand watches. The agreement is for 20 years with an optional ten year extension. Swatch will incorporate a new watch-making company in Switzerland that will operate under the TIffany name and use Tiffany trademarks. This is far from Swatch's first foray into luxury watches. Swatch's brands include far more than Swatch watches, their brands also include Breguet, Blancpain and Omega. As a result of the deal, Tiffany will stop selling some of their luxury watches. No word on what sort of watches will be produced but I would bet that they will involve far more complications than their current line. Part of the evolution of luxury watches has been to elevate them above simple elegant time-telling devices but to wear a piece that is a reflection of the highest iteration of the watchmaker's art.

It's not big news that counterfeit items can be purchased on eBay but the lawsuit by Tiffany against eBay may be a turning point for the fight against counterfeits at the popular auction website. In his opening statement in the suit, James Swire, a lawyer for Tiffany, said that a full 75% of 325 items that Tiffany has bought on eBay through a buying program the company started in 2004 were counterfeit. That's a pretty damning statistic. The lawsuit alleges that eBay has failed to stem the tide of counterfeit Tiffany merchandise available for sale on their website.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Bruce Rich, eBay's lawyer, said the company is always working to ferret out sellers of fraudulent goods and has always been responsive to the complaints from Tiffany. Tiffany first sued eBay in 2004 saying that they should automatically screen their listings for counterfeit products. Mr. Rich's take is that according to federal trademark law it is the responsibility of the trademark holder to deal with counterfeiters. He also said that hundreds of thousands of sellers have had their accounts suspended after reports of counterfeit sales. The Verified Owner Rights program on eBay does provide an online form through which a company can notify eBay that their intellectual property rights are being infringed upon and this often results in the auction listing being pulled.

This is far from the only suit that has faced eBay over counterfeiting. They have faced legal action from Louis Vuitton and Rolex over the same problem. In 2001, Rolex sued eBay's German subsidiary for trademark infringement and lost. Earlier this year, Germany's top court ruled that eBay must do more to halt the sale of counterfeit goods on its site.

For the consumer who wants to avoid counterfeit merchandise on eBay, a little research can make a big difference. Looking at the feedback score of the seller and reading the comments can give you some insight into the seller's history. A feedback score of at least 99 percent is best. Also when you are in the seller's history click on the past auctions. If this seller has sold a lot of similar or even identical branded items this is a big red flag. Also, sadly, if it sounds too good to be true and the price is really low you may be looking at a fake.

Another option for online brand name shopping is Portero, an auction site which guarantees 100% authenticity and sells directly to the consumer rather than through sellers. The only problem with Portero is that it is a much smaller operation and the selection is limited. Also the prices are generally higher.

Tiffany & Co. which just opened their new huge store on Wall Street, shown above, is now expanding in a smaller way. The purveyors of fine jewelry have a plan to open 70 stores that are 2,000 square feet. The stores, tentatively titled Tiffany & Co. Collections won't be where a man goes to big up the big sparkly I do maker. In fact, WWD reports that the stores will feature women's jewelry but no engagement or "statement" (translation: huge mega rocks) pieces. The stores are meant to attract today's women who can buy their own jewelry, thank you very much. Pieces will be priced from just under $100 to $15,000 and the first store is et to open next year.

The rubies that are mined in the Mogok Valley in Myanmar are some of the most beautiful and prized stones in the word. The rich red color and uncommon clarity of the "pigeon's blood" stones means that they command some of the highest prices in the world. They are also coming under increasing scrutiny. Much as diamonds from certain African countries such as Sierra Leone have been used to fuel wars and have been labeled blood diamonds, there are worries that stones from Myanmar are helping to fund the country's military regime. In light of the protest which occurred last month in which people were killed as soldiers opened fire on monks and civilians calling from democracy, the focus on these gemstones has increased.

The concern is not just over the money fueling wars but also the conditions in mines in Myanmar. A recent article in the Scotsman offers a chilling portrait of mining in the area. Allegations include the fact that mine owners may get workers addicted to drugs so that they can control them better.

Bans on Myanmar gems are nothing new. There has been a ban in place for several years, since the Congress banned the importation of products from the country. Tiffany & Co stopped buying rubies from Myanmar in 2003 and Cartier and Bulgari have joined them. Also the Jewelers of America has asked Congress to amend the ruling of the original ban to specifically mention gemstones mined in Myanmar. A Reuters article mentions that the reason for this is because some gem dealers are not taking the issue seriously. A quick scan of eBay revealed many listing for "Burmese rubies." Some of these are likely not from the region, unscrupulous dealers often tag rubies as "Burmese" because the rubies have such a reputation for beauty.

For a counterpoint, check out this post from Gary Roskin who writes for JCK and is a gemstone expert. He is in contact with dealers in the region who say that the gemstone money doesn't go to the government and that instead of hurting the government, a ban could hurt the Burmese people.

Despite the controversy, Myanmar has said that they are going forward with a planned auction of gems and jade next month. Unlike the regimented world of diamonds, the colored gemstone industry is far less centralized and regulated. There is also no Kimberley Process that addresses the human rights concerns for gemstones.

Celebrity jewels are on the auction block again this fall. The Magnificent Jewels sales from Christie's on October 16 in New York City will include more than $25 million worth of jewels including property from the estate of actress Lucille Desiree Ball. The collection features signed jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels such as a suite of yellow sapphire and diamond jewelry that includes a pendant necklace, a pair of ear clips and ring. A portion of the proceeds from this collection go to the The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. The sale will also feature a variety of important diamonds including a 38.47 D,VS1 diamond estimated to sell for $2,300,000-$2,500,000 and several colored diamonds such as a pear-shaped fancy blue-gray diamond of 7.88 carats with an estimate of $700,000-$1,000,000 and a pear-shaped fancy vivid orangy-yellow diamond of 12.55 carats with an estimate of $800,000-$1,200,000.

Christie's is also holding a separate sale on the same day of 40 pieces from a private collection valued at $4 million. The collection features a variety of Harry Winston pieces including a rectangular-cut, D, VVS2 Type IIa 23.14 carat diamond ring which is estimated to sell for $800,000-$1,200,000. Type IIa diamonds are sometimes referred to as Golconda diamonds because they were first seen in the Golconda region of India and they are exceptionally clean and dazzling. My favorite piece of the 40-piece collection is the Tiffany & Co. brooch shown above. It is shaped like a Maltese cross with a stained glass design of sapphires, gold and diamonds around a central square-cut aquamarine, weighing approximately 19.48 carats. It is estimated to sell for $15,000-$25,000.

Platinum Today picked up on an AME info story about the latest collection from Tiffany. The Blossom jewelry collection is a group of platinum and diamond pieces with a delicate flower theme. Pieces include a blossom ring, pendants, bracelets and earrings. So far the collection does not seem to be available in the U.S. and I haven't been able to find it on the Tiffany site but I suspect that will change since this looks like it would be very popular here.

The huge diamond shown here is the Tiffany Diamond, the largest diamond currently on display in the U.S. It recently made its debut at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The 128.54 carat cushion-cut stone is on loan from Tiffany & Co. until Sept. 23. On top of hte stone is a gem-encrusted bird which was designed in the early 1960's by Jean Schlumberger. It is gold and platinum with white and yellow diamonds and a ruby eye. The priceless yellow diamond has only been worn twice, once by a Rhode Island socialite and once by actress Audrey Hepburn in a promotion for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The rough stone was discovered in South Africa in 1877 and was 287 carats before cutting.

DId you perhaps forget to send flowers on Valentine's Day? If you did or perhaps messed up in some other way, this bouquet from Beautiful Orchids guarantees that your money is where your mouth is. The bouquet of 12 perfect stems of freshly cut White Phalaenopsis orchids with crimson red lips are arranged in a Tiffany Jade Blue vase. The package comes in two separate boxes. Each flower stem has four to eight blooms and has an individual water vial. The vase is in a separately wrapped blue box and it sells for $1,200.