Hard Rocks

Okay, Las Vegas might be my least favorite place to visit for more than 2 days with the exception of during the jewelry shows.  The top jewelry designers in the world descend on Las Vegas for the  Couture, JCK and Luxury accessories shows each year—and I was lucky enough to mingle with quite a few top designers (both burgeoning and well-known), as well as my fav editors.  Thank goodness for Graham Kostic (Modern Luxury), Tanya Dukes (Elite Traveler) and Samantha Milner (Vanity Fair) – they made it fun and kept me sane. Luckily, the show was also filled with some real talent.

Sevan Bicakci, a Turkish artisan, features full cityscapes sculpted into proportions so dainty that he was able to fit them into a stunning chandelier earring.  His work, which was new to me, moved even the toughest Vogue editors. Janice Debell, design director for Kwiat diamonds, actually introduced me to the collection.  Her latest addition to the Kwiat collection—a finely cut rose gold diamond Lotus flower ring was my favorite piece at the show. Her use of negative and positive space along with cognac diamonds was astounding. The Lotus flower truly looked as if it was floating lightly on my finger.

Hard rock jeweler Stephen Webster took away the award for hottest party (hosted by an uber platinum blond Christina Aguilera), and Best In Diamonds. Kwiat diamonds rose gold red carpet cuff with rose cut diamonds was also featured in this category. 

Rachel Zoe, who is a huge supporter of RARE Vintage NYC, was on hand at the awards ceremony to honor her friend Yossi Harari with the Best Haute Couture design award. I was able to sneak in a quick hug and brief hello before she breezed on stage in a stunning nude cascading dress and gold platform heels. 

Have some cocktails and debauchery in honor of Vegas, until next time….

Sources: www.elenavotsi.com, www.sevanbicakci.com, www.stephenwebster.com, www.kwiat.com