Duchess Catherine Jewelry Roundup

 

Now that Princess Kate and Prince Wills have left the continent, I've finally been able to sift through all of the elegant and surprisingly conservative jewelry statements our favorite royal wore on her whirlwind tour.

Before I get to it, I'm thrilled to announce that my sugar mamma, Jewelry.com gave me a little corner of their blingy universe to bring you all the great celebrity looks I gush about here at prices we mere mortals can afford. Click here to see my first go at it - A Princess Kate-themed bauble extravaganza with all of the looks featured in this post and then some!

Perhaps we should have known from the moment we saw her down-low diamond tiara choice for her walk down the aisle that this princess-to-be is not one to 'BRAG' about her bling. Rather, we're seeing a continuation of that 'splash of sparkle' trend I've spotted on the red carpet this summer - along with a few sartorial surprises.

They don't call her the "Discount Duchess" for nothing. I like that she's open to using her accessories with more than one outfit - like the sapphire drops pictured above and below with her diamond cross pendant.

And our Kate loves to bring out the basics - crosses, circles, and studs. Certainly not a 'fashion-forward' choice but a great way to bring the jewelry box classics back on trend.  

Chandeliers made a swinging appearance - on loan from the Queen - at the tony BAFTA event held in Los Angeles, where the Duchess rubbed elbows with Hollywood royalty like Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon.

And the surprises? I don't think I've ever touted a celebrity citrine piece - and these barely there drop earrings by Kiki McDonough are just lovely. Citrine. Who knew?

These tiny treasure-esque gold leaf earrings are just the right touch of whimsy. Remember her diamond acorn earrings from the wedding (pictured above)? Somewhere, The Lorax is smiling... 

Speaking of tree-themed accessories? Everyone was talking about the diamond maple leaf brooch the Duchess wore on several occasions while visiting our Canadian friends to the north. It's another loaner from the Queen's coffers - and continues to give the brooch category some oomph (Michelle Obama? Watch your back.)

But with 40 outfits making the rounds for her 9 day adventure across the pond, this is just the tip of the 'ice' berg. A reminder to visit Jewelry.com for a complete sale curated by yours truly, where I've collected all the top Kate jewelry looks and paired them with pieces you can bring home to your own jewelry box.

Get in touch with your inner princess, jewelry hounds! Kate's style makes it easy. Jewelry.com makes it affordable.  Enjoy!

Royal Wedding Fashion: Kate Wears McQueen!

I'm over the moon. As I had hoped, Kate or CATHERINE Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, I should say, wore a dress by Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen! From Lady Gaga to the future Queen of England, it doesn't get any better for this designer.

"Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work," Clarence House officials released in a statement.

The design includes hand-cut lace flowers hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle that incorporates rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock silhouettes. French Chanitlly lace and English Cluny lace were used in the Irish Carrickmacross needleword tradition, according to the release.

Catherine also wore an ivory silk tulle veil held in place by the Cartier ‘halo’ tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. (more on the tiara soon).

She's Audrey Hepburn meets Princess Grace! G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!

Kate and William's Rainbow Connection

Kermit, eat your heart out. Britain's Daily Mirror reports that Kate Middleton and Prince William are going to be GIVEN the world's most expensive diamond stash, The Rainbow Collection, by some uber rich Saudis who want to buy the $120 million treasure chest from gem collector, Eddy Elzas.

It's good to be the king (in waiting).

These special 'crown jewels' are made up of 301 of the world's largest and finest fancy colored diamonds.  Few have seen the fabled collection (which is why I'm having a hard time tracking down pictures), and a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family even tried to buy them as a wedding gift for Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981, but the offer was turned down by Mr Elzas.

“Lots of Middle Eastern investors are keen to buy the collection and give them to William and Kate because it would be a huge badge of honor,” a source said.

“A deal is now very close to being done and an announcement is set to be made soon. Mr Elzas is due to retire soon so is looking to sell. But he will only sell if they go to William and Kate. He thinks it would be a fitting gift for the couple.”

What will the tony twosome do with the donated loot? Hard to tell - but I would give my pinky finger to see a new rainbow crown or tiara designed in Kate's honor. Can you imagine?

In the meantime, click here for more crown jewel craziness - and here to see another colored diamond display that took my breath away.

Wear Jewelry Designed by Kate Middleton

Official engagement photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton are the latest buzz coming from the royal wedding front, but I found this little tidbit to be much more interesting:

Kate Middleton used to be an assistant jewelry buyer for British retailer, Jigsaw, back in 2007. Who knew?

Sure it's not as juicy as the pics of the happy couple taken by renowned fashion photog, Mario Testino, but it's a sure sign the future Queen of England not only has good taste in men - she knows her way around the accessories landscape.

While most of us won't be able to wear anything close to the jewelry in Kate's stash, we can own a piece of jewelry designed by her.  PEOPLE reports this simple bean charm necklace was created by Kate when she targeted a gap in the teen marketplace for a sophisticated style both mother and daughter could wear together.

 

Designer, Claudia Bradby, helped Middleton realize her vision back in 2007.

“Kate was very clear in what she wanted,” Bradby told PEOPLE of Middleton’s involvement (they met three times during the design process). “It was completely her initiative because she thought there was a gap in the market for something real and sophisticated, that had longevity for that age group.”

The final result is this silver bean pendant, rose quartz and freshwater pearl charm on a long silver chain, priced at 46 pounds ($73). Visit Bradby's website to stock your stuffing with one of your own. 

I also found these whimsical charm necklaces on sample sale sensation, JewelClub, that are great for new moms:

Or just for fun (loving that both Sex And The City silhouttes are represented here - the clover and the horseshoe).

What do you guys think of Kate's jewelry idea? Is there still a gap in the market for sophisticated mother/daughter jewelry? I think she was on to something....