A few weeks ago Elizabeth Olsen, sister to Mary-Kate and Ashley, walked the red carpet at the Critics' Choice Awards wearing a gorgeous dress, and some equally gorgeous rings.  Worn on her index, middle and ring finger are the three rings--two matching bands worn on the index and ring finger, with a red stone gold ring on the middle finger.  

Here are the details:

>> matching stack rings, designed by Meus Designs worn on index and ring fingers

 >>pink beryl "Alice Rose" ring designed by Kara Ackerman, worn on middle finger

I love stumbling upon jewelry designers whose pieces speak to me with the stone choices they use and the uniqueness of their work. Cresta Bledsoe's designs caught my attention with its focus on timeless pieces that hold the lore of a shark's tooth or a fossil, surrounded by the luxury of diamonds. Only launching a few years ago, Cresta's focus on organic fossils and shark's teeth has created quite the collection.

I really like what she says about the shark teeth:

"Sharks shed thousands of teeth over the course of their lives. A tooth then fossilizes over tens of millions of years in the depths of the ocean, eventually adopting the colors of the adjacent minerals. It then gets tousled about and polished by the bountiful waves, and is finally washed ashore and found like a needle in a haystack amidst the sand and shells."

That same tooth may end up set in a beautiful 18k gold and diamond ring and grace your finger someday.

We caught up with Cresta Bledsoe and her fine jewelry collection:

I believe in creating timeless and thoughtful pieces that will always fall into the overall vision of the line and are independent of trends. Therefore I do not design seasonal launches, but rather explore how the line can evolve. I just completed a delicate black diamond and fossil bib necklace and am also very excited about a dramatic cuff with a single large fossil surrounded by sapphire and turquoise cabochons. It has a bold, modern floral feel that creates a gradient of color moving from charcoal grey into the more intense blues.

It has been a surprising mixed bag assortment with a tie between the chrysoprase/turquoise/fossil sunburst pendant, the fossil long station necklace, and the fossil and white diamond cocktail ring. Clients seem to be drawn to the bold statement pieces and loved the made-to-order aspect so they can customize them slightly to reflect their personalities or to personalize the fit so it feels like a second skin. But I will say that the white diamond framework cuff and the tiny diamond stack cuffs are always a favorite, so I think it is just a matter of time until they catch up.

I am an interior designer by training and my career has been heavily focused on product design for a number of years. Designing a fine jewelry line began in a very organic way, as I just loved the idea of taking a relic that is hand found and millions of years old, and working with artisans to handcraft pieces that celebrate and complement the material. We had such amazing success with private sales directly to clients, that we have only recently begun to get placement in boutiques. So, it is very early in the game. Although so far, the proudest moment has been the invitation to do several trunk shows sandwiched right between 2 designers that I have always admired tremendously. Stay tuned - we'll keep you posted...

I have always been committed to creating many paths to rigorously approach design, so that I am able to continue learning and growing... and so life can stay exciting. I hope the same can hold true for the line - I would be disappointed if I were able to guess the evolution! I find it interesting to strike a balance between timeless keepsake and the inherent edginess of a shark's tooth fossil, as the feature gem. And I will also say that the pieces are designed with an understated sense of luxury for a clientele that values simplicity, originality, and handmade quality. For this person, it is more about an adornment that easily transitions between all occasions for her modern lifestyle, and finding an object to treasure that represents her sense of individuality. I hope to find new and exciting ways to explore these core values and attributes.

My wedding bands! They are the perfect representation of my marriage, as I love them more with each passing day. It is four eternity bands that each stand for a promise we made to each other. He gave me three when we got engaged and a forth on our wedding day. They stand for the promise of hope, grace, adoration, and growth. Two are yellow gold and two are white gold so can be stacked differently for subtle effect.

{from top to bottom:

obsessed with this jewelry look from an anonymous reader

bright enamel is always a favorite, all St. Kilda Jewelry

new Rosa Maria rings from TWISTonline, a shop in Portland, OR

single diamond eternity bands by Mark Henry on each finger, as worn by Man Repeller

the Margo Siegel PR girls having fun with rings their clients design

a snapshot from Metier boutique in San Fran, all Cathy Waterman rings

still unsure why this YSL ring is so popular with bloggers

reader Valedia wearing designer Pamela Bosco's unique wrap ring, all one piece

gorgeous assortment of antique engagement rings from Doyle & Doyle

a Twitpic from designer Jennifer Fisher, wearing her own designs}

A few months ago (before the holiday onslaught) I worked with my jeweler to put together this concept-of-a-ring using random parts found around the jewelry store. Both bands were old wedding bands purchased as scrap gold from broken marriages of the past, and the chains are extra 14k gold safety chains we had laying around from repairs. I've gotten lots of comments on it since wearing it around, and it surprisingly doesn't get in the way like I would have thought! I call it the Double Chain ring.

I really enjoyed watching the Golden Globe Awards last night--it was easy to pick some jewelry favorites as many jewelry fans were slightly disappointed by no particular star dripping in jewels.  This year, for me, it was more about whose jewelry really complimented their overall look and which gems stood out, making you stare right at them!  A top favorite of mine from the very start was Nicole Richie--I thought her jewelry choices were each unique, very interesting and complimentary of her look.  I also thought Helen Mirren was gorgeous; everytime the camera went to her throughout the ceremony those sapphire and diamond earrings just stood out and looked beautiful on her!  Freida Pinto was another favorite because her Chopard necklace was breath-taking!  It really went well with her dress.

Favorites:

• Nicole Richie: Jewelry from Neil Lane; Multi-ruby and diamond bracelets with matching ring, pearl and diamond chandelier earrings, and a large antique diamond heart ring
• Helen Mirren: Jewelry from Fred Leighton; 1950s sapphire and diamond pendant earrings in platinum and 1930s sapphire and diamond barrel link bracelet in platinum
• Freida Pinto: Jewelry from Chopard; 144.96 carat yellow diamond custom statement necklace

I also took part in the Live Tweet during the red carpet show, here's what I said: #globejewelry

 Sofia Vergara wearing over $5 million dollars worth of Harry Winston jewels #globejewelry

Why is Jessica Biel not wearing an engagement ring?? #globejewelry

Madonna wearing a very large cross necklace, with stacks and stacks of antique diamond bracelets. #globejewelry

Loving Charlize Theron's antique Cartier jewels and raspy laryngitis voice. #globejewelry

Obsessing over Nicole Richie's rings, Freida Pinto's necklace and Julianne Moore's earrings #globejewelry

Model, turned jewelry designer Beth Yorn designed an entire collection based on wild animals and the lore that is behind each one. From claws to talons, Beth creates each piece of jewelry in 14k yellow, rose or white gold--even platinum. Diamonds can be added to suite your sparkle needs. Above are recent photos from the 2012 lookbook for Elizabeth Bell Jewelry--the first necklace is a one-of-a-kind featuring a meteorite surrounded by rubies on a cast quail bone chain! Amazing! I just love that.  Check out her website for more designs and information.

An inspiring and moving website, called Women You Should Know (WYSK), is a portal which features women who are making a name for themselves in their field.  Each personal interview goes in depth and showcases every dynamic side, making light of passions, stories, triumphs, struggles and happiness.  The interviews I found most inspiring so far are Marion Fasel's and Carol Brodie's.  Both women have extraordinary stories, each relating to jewelry in a totally different way.  Check them out for yourself:

WYSK Profile: Marion Fasel from Women You Should Know on Vimeo.

WYSK Profile: Carol Brodie from Women You Should Know on Vimeo.

Bid & Hammer Auctioneers has a nice batch of jewelry going up for auction on January 30th. The actual auction is located in Bangladore, India however anyone can bid online through Artfact.com.  I enjoyed browsing through the virtual lots...some really over the top pieces. The necklace suites below really stood out to me. All are set with diamonds, and precious stones like rubies or emeralds.  Check out the other jewels in the upcoming auction as well as browse some other jewelry auction over at Artfact.

The holidays have come and gone, but the gifts remain and will continue to sparkle for years to come! I got some really awesome jewelry this year, thanks to a great workplace and Matt. I was surprised to get a huge, heavy box for Christmas--only to unwrap it and find all these jewels! I am hard to fool, but it worked!

>>If you received a beautiful piece of jewelry for Christmas, send me a photo at charitybracelet@gmail.com or on Twitter @gemgossip

Above jewelry:

• 14k yellow gold vintage lion door knocker stud earrings with emerald eyes
• 10k yellow gold 1940s "Add-a-pearl" necklace & 14k white gold diamond sideways cross necklace (I designed)
• 14k yellow gold vintage graduated coral bead necklace
• two gold charms--a tiger claw & gargoyle with diamond and ruby eyes

The jewelry business needs new, young, inspiring talent--Jessica Winzelberg fills that void with her unique designs. With her background in business and finance, Jessica branched out and focused on a passion of hers--jewelry design. Classes in metalsmithing became her catalyst to creativity. She launched her first collection in the Spring of 2011 and has been catching the eye of jewelry enthusiasts ever since.

I am really looking forward to see what Jessica will do in the future and what gorgeous jewelry she will create--for now, let's catch up with her:

I am currently working on my Fall 2012 collection as well as filling and refilling orders. Almost everything is done in my studio, so when I say I'm a "hands-on" designer I mean that! Almost all of my stone pieces are one-of-a-kind so I'm constantly creating new pieces year round.

My stone earrings are really popular. I hand pick and match the stones to make sure they have great coloring and wonderful patterns and they're very unique and quite beautiful. My Quillpen series is also very popular, I do 3 different sizes in the earrings and necklaces in sterling silver and yellow and rose gold, so they work for everyone!

Press is really important for young designers, as it helps clients and stores find you, so to see Heidi Klum wearing my Quillpen necklace on one of the covers of Lucky was really incredible for me, and then to see Miley Cyrus wearing my signature teardrop rings on a Marie Claire cover the same month was just unreal. But I am most proud to see women wearing my jewelry, or when someone tells me how much my pieces make them happy, that is hands down the best for me.

In the near future, I am moving into a larger space where I will be able to bring my beloved labradoodle with me to the studio. I'm also launching my webstore in the beginning of 2012. Eventually the webstore will have customization features built in which I'm really excited about. I'm also planning slow expansion to some really great stores across the U.S., and would like to open my own flagship in the next few years. Since I make so many one-of-a-kinds, I would love for people to come in and see a lot of them in one place.

Aside from my own jewelry, my favorite pieces are sentimental. I treasure my Cartier love bracelet that was given to me by my mother after graduating summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis. I also love my modern take on the diamond tennis bracelet from Tiffany's that I received for my 21st birthday. Two of my absolute favorite pieces are gold bracelets my father gave me when I was very young before he passed away. One is an etched and engraved hollow cuff and the other is a charm bracelet with hearts. I love to stack all of these pieces with my gold bangles from my own collection, it feels very special this way. I also treasure the pieces that were passed down to me from my grandmothers, including some really special rings. One of these rings is one that my grandmother found when she was a little girl and used a hammer to shape the band so it would fit her tiny fingers.

From my own collections, I love so many of them it's hard to say, they are like children to me after the hours of work I spend on each one! Each of the stones I use is incredible in its own way. I'm also really in love with my the new pieces that will be available on my webstore that are customizable with diamonds and sapphires.