Kanye West's Diamond Watch Has A Familiar Face

Kanye West's real diamond teeth are going to be hard for him to top in the bling department, but (lucky for us) that doesn't mean the controversial rap artist won't give it a go.

The latest carat-heavy Kanye creation to make news is a custom-made diamond Tiret watch that took over 5 months to make. Why is this particular ticker so worthy of our Kanye?

Perhaps it's the 8 carats of yellow, black, brown and white diamonds that make it sparkle? Or maybe the dial of the watch, itself, which is made of gleaming gold-colored mother-of-pearl? Or the fact that hot hip-hop entrepreneur, Damon Dash's, company was in charge of the design?

No. The best part of West's latest jewelry jones is that the watch face IS his own face. Yes, jewelry hounds, the 8-carats of diamonds are arranged in the shape of his own glasses-clad countenance. 

And I was worried about his self esteem...

Apparently Kanye isn't the only artist with confidence issues. In a 'my watch face is blingier than your watch face' move, the mighty Usher commissed Dash to make a timepiece with a price tag of $250,000.

 

I don't even want to think what Lil' Wayne would come away with...

West's next venture is the highly anticipated (and aptly named) 'Watch the Throne,' a collaborative album with Jay-Z set to drop this week - or March 1st. 

Jewelry Trend Alert: The 'Eyes' Have It!

Does it get any more extreme than Kanye West replacing his entire bottom row of teeth with real diamonds? Yes, jewelry hounds. Yes, it does.

A new trend has emerged that has diamond divas putting real platinum gems - on their eyeballs.

(And you thought vajazzling was the final frontier.)

According to Trendhunter, eye surgeons at the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery have been implanting tiny pieces of jewelry called “JewelEye” under the surfaces of eyes as far back as 2004.

The procedure involves inserting a 3.5 mm (0.13 inch) wide piece of specially developed jewelry (the range includes a glittering half-moon or heart) into the sclera - or the white part of the eye. And here's the heart-warming video to prove it.

But there is plenty of other 'eye candy' available that doesn't involve the pleasantries of peeper piercing.

Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek has an eye catching line of bejeweled contact lenses. And I mean 'eye catching' literally.

And D-lister divas, Lisa and Brittny Gastineau, have a popular jewelry line with the Hollywood set that features the eye shape throughout.

Or you can eyeball these little ditties for your next night at the asylum...um, I mean...on the town.

 

So. What do you guys think of the eye candy trend? Edgy or 'Ay, yay, yay'?

Kanye West's Diamond Dental Work

Kanye West is topping his giant gold jewelry display at the BET Awards earlier this summer with a doozy of a diamond statement. According to his recent 'tweets', the self-proclaimed king of hip-hop has replaced his lower teeth with, um, diamonds. (And apparently his cerebral cortex with Play-doh).

This isn't your run-of-the-mill diamond grill a la Lil Wayne, folks. When asked by his Twitterati if he was for real, he came back with this:

"No seriously ... I said my teeth are real diamonds... these are not fronts... I replaced my bottom row of teeth with diamonds."

These are his twitpics to prove it!

It seems bling is back in a big way for Kanye - but will the world care? Maybe he should just stick to peeving off pop stars? What do you guys think of his icy move?

Kanye West's Big-Time BET Bling

Bling. We used to see oodles of it during hip hop's heydey - from Lil' Wayne (who coined the term) and 50 Cent to old schoolers Flav-o-Flav and Run DMC. But times have changed, with the lingering recession keeping diamond grillz and oversized pendants to a fading glimmer.


Until Kanye performed at the BET Awards last weekend.

If you're going to make your 'comeback' opening an awards show on top of a volcano, you better have the goods to back it up. And Kanye's Pharaoh-inspired look certainly rose to the occasion with giant gold jewelry Sarah Palin could probably see from her back yard.

Hip hop jewelry supplier, Jacob & Co. created the custom-made link chain and charm depicting Egyptian god Horus, as well as a four-finger pyramid knuckle ring - both made of 24kt yellow gold.

And the price tag? They each retail for a nice two-bedroom in the burbs - a mere $300,000.

(The Horus. The Horus.)

What do you think of Kanye's quest to regain his throne through jewelry? Would you wear a Horus pendant to your July 4th BBQ? Weigh in!

Diamonds, Divas and Drama at the MTV VMAs

Before I get to the jewelry fashion and the Kanye West outburst during the MTV Video Music Awards last night, I’d like to just take a moment to reflect on what I thought was – by far - the best part of the night.

MTV isn’t always known to be a class act, and the VMAs is certainly not the place to go looking for it, but whoever was in charge of producing the opening Michael Jackson dance tribute ought to get some kind of award.

Who doesn’t remember running to the TV everytime an MJ video would come on – from Thriller to Beat it? And we ran because we wanted to see those synchronized dance numbers, right? And if it wasn’t Michael it was his sister, Janet, who carried the torch.

Well, for those of you who are square in my demographic – here is a link to the thing. The dancers were amazing - and the Janet Jackson finale was a great way to top it off. I teared up all the way through. It’s not the same as seeing it live, I’m sure, but you’ll get the idea. Nicely done, VMAS.

Now, on to the fashion. First of all, if I see another starlet in a metallic mini dress I’m going to hurl. Enough, already! And Pink and Shakira showed up wearing the same friggin’ one! They are cool, sure, but someone think outside the box, will you?

Diamonds simply dripped from Beyonce, who wore $1 million worth of Lorraine Schwartz jewelry; Taylor Swift showed in the same designer’s diamonds and a stunning beaded Kaufman Franco gown, and the third part of this ill-fated trio, Kanye West, just accessorized with his girlfriend in an unfortunate jumpsuit.

So by now, you’ve all heard about how Mr. West took it upon himself to interrupt Taylor Swift’s wispy acceptance speech to lament the fact that Beyonce didn’t win for Best Female Video. I’m thinking Beyonce will be just fine without yet another award in her trophy case (she won the night's top prize for the video anyway).

In other words, let well enough alone, Kanye. MTV is a corporate juggernaut out primarily to promote big stars (including yourself), not to make fine-tuned artistic statements. If getting a Moon Man was the same as winning the Pulitzer, maybe he'd have more of a point. Maybe he didn't get hugged enough as a child?

Thoughts? On any of this diamond-filled drama?

Stay tuned for Fashion Week updates as the week progresses! I love this time of year!

Diamonds and Divas Debut at The Met

Diamonds, gold and gorgeous fashion were all on display at last night’s glittering gala celebrating the Metropolitan Opera’s 125th anniversary.











The Opera (with a capital “O”) is NOT the place for the pants suit, and I’m happy to report nary a one could be found as stars like Brooke Sheilds, Patricia Clarkson and Juliana Marguiles lit up the runway with tasteful diamond looks and gowns galore by the evening's sponsor, Yves Saint Laurent.











Big Love’s Gennifer Goodwin looked lovely in a YSL printed dress with black diamond earrings and metallic cuffs, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer opted for a similar statement on the wrist with a series of silver bangles to go with her basic black.



















Other red carpet highlights included Kanye West’s main squeeze, Amber Rose, in icy diamond studs, Becki Newton and Diane Kruger keeping the bling to a minimum with gorgeous strapless gowns – both by YSL – and Zoe Saldana in verdant green with diamond drop earrings.



















Fashion misses included Parker Posey in a burgundy bolero and layered gold chains, Emily Mortimer in an unflattering maroon sequined YSL number with minimal bling, and Mary Kate Olsen, whose right hand rings and black kimono dress would have worked better without the Elvira make up and bed- head hair.

Not to be missed, however, were the amazing gala performances, which included a tribute to Placido Domingo and a star-studded sampling from The Met’s upcoming season. Clocking in at over three hours, the jam-packed program perhaps gave the crowd a reason to root for the ‘fat lady’ to sing. But regardless of the singers’ stamina, a diamond-filled, pants suit-less night at the opera is a glowing success in my book.