Like just about everyone else, I was tuned in to the Emmy Awards last night.  And like everyone else, top of my mind was what everyone was wearing.  Lea Michele looked fabulous—great dress, great jewels!  Kelly Osborn looked stunning—I loved the understated elegance of her gown and her hair was, well, beautifully normal and let us actually see her face.  Claire Danes looked amazing, like an old school Hollywood starlet reminiscent of those in the movies Ira and I still love to watch together.  Jane Lynch looked great and I thought the dress and accessories she chose (or her stylists chose!) were perfectly suited to both her body type and her age.  Not to be mean, but January Jones and Kim Kardashian were among my least favorites (January?  Those shoes?  Really?). 

 

Beyond the fashion, what struck me the most was the diversity of relationships that walked down the red carpet.  I never look to Hollywood as a barometer for relationship success, since it seems most celebrities change partners as often as they change shoes, and I realize it must be nearly impossible to maintain the intimacy necessary for a successful relationship under the glaring lights of the paparazzi, but there were a few glimmers of hope worth mentioning.  There were long-time married couples like Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, who still appear to be the epitome of normal in an otherwise messed up relationship world.  Eva Longoria-Parker and Tony Parker look well on their way, after a few years of marriage, to becoming an authentic Hollywood couple, while newly weds like Emily Blunt and John Krasinski seemed very supportive and enamored of one another.  Long time boyfriend/girlfriend couple Jon Hamm (who looked GREAT btw) and “love of his life” Jennifer Westfeldt were sweetly on the same page while evading questions about when they were going to “make things official.”  On the more non-traditional front, we had a glowing Padma Lakshmi, who seems content with her single mom status, and both Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep were having a great time with their daughters.  I also felt such happiness seeing openly gay couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka proudly walk the red carpet like any other happy couple.  All-in-all, it seems like the Emmy red carpet is the new hot spot for a date night and it demonstrated that just one relationship formula doesn't work for everyone.  

 

I'm really thrilled about having been named a recipient of the Triple Zero Awards at this prestigious event.  See the official release from AGS below:

Las Vegas--The American Gem Society (AGS) has announced the 2010 Circle of Distinction honorees, naming Terry Burman, the chief executive officer of Signet Jewelers and chairman of Sterling Jewelers, as this year's recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award, and revealing a slate of Triple Zero Award winners.

This year's recipients of the Triple Zero Awards are: Phyllis Bergman, president of Mercury Ring Corp; Allen Brill, president and CEO of Rolex Watch U.S.A.; and the Clark Family of B.C. Clark, Inc.--specifically B.C. Clark, Jr., chairman emeritus; Jim Clark, chairman; Coleman Clark, president; and Mitchell Clark, executive vice president.

The awards will be given at AGS' 10th Circle of Distinction Dinner, scheduled for Sunday, July 25, at The Plaza hotel in New York City.

"The awards presentation is one of the highlights of the Circle of Distinction Dinner, and it's always a great pleasure to honor each year's recipients," Ruth Batson, AGS executive director and CEO, said in a press release issued Friday. "The dinner is a great opportunity for our members to meet, mingle with their peers, and honor some of the industry's best and brightest professionals."

She added that The Plaza, the Circle of Distinction event and the AGS each share a rich and distinguished history and represent the best of the best, Batson said.

"So it is only fitting that the Circle of Distinction would honor these recipients at The Plaza," Batson said.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails, which will be followed by a three-course dinner and the awards presentation at 7 p.m.

To order dinner tickets or to learn about advertising opportunities in the Circle of Distinction Tribute Book, contact Peggy Campbell at (866) 805-6500, ext. 1005, or e-mail her at pcampbell@ags.org 

We are in the midst of American Gem Society's annual conclave and this year it's taking place in lovely Boston, MA.  Last night, the very glamorous fashion show took place, and I have to say, I think I was the luckiest designer in the room!  My model, Xaviera Lysa, was not only stunning and the perfect model for our diamond intensive jewelry, but she was also charming and personable.  It's no wonder Xaviera was inches away from being selected for Tyra Bank's popular America's Next Top Model! 

 

I spend a lot of time thinking about the women that I'm designing for when developing the Mercury Ring Corp Bridal Collection.  There are so many different styles of women, and of all of the pieces of jewelry a woman will own in her lifetime, the piece she will wear for the rest of her life--her engagement ring--should absolutely match her personality.  Is she romantic, classical, Bohemian, fashion forward?  These are the things that men consider when selecting a ring for "the one" and we like to offer ring styles to suit every aesthetic sensibility (can't wait to reveal our new platinum collection!  Stay tuned!).   

Of course, once the primary decision of the engagement ring (and whether or not to accept the proposal, of course!) has been made, there are a million different decisions a couple must make just to plan the wedding.  That's why I was excited to see this terrific blog post on Brides.com which suggests different styles of dresses for different body shapes.  The thing about a wedding dress or an engagement ring is that, like love, the choices you make should be made from a true sense of who you are.  If you do that, they will never, ever go out of style!  

   

I am thrilled to report that I've been asked to speak at the prestigious New York Entrepreneur Week conference in April!  The week-long conference is being held at the Scholastic Auditoriam in downtown Manhattan and I'll be speaking on a panel on April 15 at 2:45pm.  This is a non-profit organization driven by a single belief--Entrepreneurs change the world.  I'm so honored to be asked to speak, and the panel I'm speaking on, "The Impact on Your Personal and Professional Life," is a subject that's near and dear to my heart.  Running a successful business isn't easy, and doing so while maintaining your personal relationships can sometimes feel impossible.  I've worked very hard to feel fulfilled in all aspects of my life, and I'm happy to share any tricks I have with others!

 Speaking of family, Happy Passover to those of you who observe!!

 

 

So there you have our personality differences, but in order to better understand the strength of our relationship, you have to appreciate our similarities. Same age,same religion,same socio-economic upbringing, same level of education, and most importantly we both had strong parental role models, who each remained married for over 50 years. Take these similarities and mix them with just enough differences to make it challenging, and you have the ingredients for an exciting and long lasting relationship.

However, the most important ingredient in our lives is that we truly loved and respected each other.We were committed to making our marriage successful, to raising a beautiful family, to support them( not only financially),to enjoy them, and finally to grow old together and ride off into the sunset while enjoying all that life has to offer. Mind you we never verbalized these thoughts constantly-- our day to day actions spoke louder than our words.

I usually wait to make my final calls on Oscars fashion until I've watched the wrap-up shows and read what all of the "experts" have to say.  I like to gauge how on-point my first-gut reactions are with Hollywood insiders and note which looks I loved that others hated, and who supposedly looked great that I thought fell flat.  One of the dresses that got a lot of negative publicity that I actually thought was great was the berry colored Marchesa gown worn by Vera Farmiga.  Yes, those were a lot of ruffles, but the color was stunning and the whole look really just worked for me!  Also at the top of my "Absolutely Stunning" list: Demi Moore looked amazing for ANY age (though her nearly 50 years makes her even more impressive), Cameron Diaz has never looked more glamorous, Oprah looked stunning in that midnight blue dress (and her body looks great!), Elizabeth Banks' gray Versace gown was a welcome color-change and her Fred Leighton jewels were the perfect accompaniment....and best of the best, in my humble opinion, was Helen Mirren.  She looked FABULOUS!  She may not have taken home the Oscar, but she definitely gets my vote for best dressed at the 2010 Oscars!

 

Happy New Year, everyone!  What a great time the jewelry industry had last weekend with Kenny Rogers at the 24 Karat Dinner and Madeline Albright at the JIC Gem Awards!  Ira and I had a wonderful time re-connecting with old friends and making new friends; it was a great way to kick off a new and prosperous year!   

I'll get back to blogging about me and Ira and our relationship soon, but in the meantime, I read a great article in the NY Times today and, in the spirit of New Year's Resolutions, I wanted to share.  The Lancet recently published a projection of a century-long rise in life expectancy, and the Time's article focuses on how to live well so that we can actually enjoy these extra years.  I, for one, hope to live many more happy years with Ira, and so I fully intend to take some of the Time's suggestions to heart!  Tragedies like what happened in Haiti are so devastating, and they make us really appreciate the people in our lives and cause us to be grateful that they are healthy and happy, we just need to remember that we all need to work to keep ourselves that way!

While I am happy that Mayor Bloomberg fought against trans fat and I think we're all better off for it, I'm still not sure how I feel about his crusade against salt.  In any event, most of what we need to do to keep ourselves healthy are pretty common sense things.  Eat more fruits and vegies, fewer meats, incorporate more beans and whole grains and into our diets, take calcium and vitamin D supplements and, I know you know it's coming, exercise!  Luckily for me, I live in New York City, which is an extremely enjoyable place to walk around (yes, even in the cold!), and a delicious walk home from dinner with Ira is a perfect way for us to spend time together while also getting our blood flowing.  If you don't like hitting the gym, like so few of us do, remember, you just need to find some physical activity that you enjoy--dancing, walking, snow shoeing, whatever--and just keep moving!   

It's a new year folks, let's all make a commitment to ourselves to get and stay healthy so that we can continue to enjoy each other's company for many years to come! 

I love award season.  Not only are Ira and I huge movie buffs so we're interested in seeing who took home what, but I'm also intensely interested in the fashions that glide down the red carpet!  I could go on and on about some of my favorite (and least favorite) looks from last Sunday's Golden Globes, but I'll leave it to some of my favorite blogs to go into detail on that subject, especially as it relates to jewelry.  I just wanted to mention how pleased I was to hear that many celebrities, including the infinitely talented Meryl Streep and the stunning Olivia Wilde, are auctioning off their red carpet looks to benefit a charity organization in Haiti, "It's my way of turning all this fashion madness into something positive," Olivia explained.  I love seeing fashion and jewelry turned into a good cause, and I'm so happy that the fashion media is picking this up and spreading the good word.  The auction takes place on ebay next week, don't forget to tune in and bid! 

 

Ira, on the other hand, was a little more introverted, very mature, intense, and loved sports, sports and more sports along with a little music and movies. He thought life was all about being a good provider. We often joke that, when he was younger, he couldn't play with his baseball cards untill he finished his school work. I believe that this thought has stayed with him even to this day. Perhaps the hardest lesson that Ira had to overcome was the idea that you could play and still be a responsible person at the same time.