Lords of the bling-bling rings
Advertiser Staff
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| Tiffany & Co. photo |
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| Bling-bling from Hawai'i designers: Fingers 1, 3 and 4 are by Robert Wander, who is displaying work at Haimoff and Haimoff Jewelers at Halekulani Hotel. Finger 2 has a diamond ring by Maui Divers.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser |
At some point, you are sure to see former Super Bowl winners flaunting their rings.
Huge, gaudy, bling-bling rings.
You think Smeagol was consumed by his quest for the ring? He has nothing on these guys.
St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk described the quest for a Super Bowl ring like this: "The ring is everything. There are so many guys who play this game that have never got an opportunity to play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one. There's no sense playing if you can't ever get the feeling you're standing on top of the mountain, saying, 'I'm the king of the hill.'"
ESPN analyst Joe Theisman, a former Super Bowl quarterback with the Washington Redskins, puts it more bluntly: "The Super Bowl ring is the single most important thing in sports. It's the best of all world championship rings."
It is further proof, in other words, that rings aren't just for engagements any more.
Rings still signify love, matrimony and unity, but they're also about status, power, independence and wealth.
And what about bling-bling rings closer to home? Hawai'i is, after all, a state of excess for many. While we have friends and families living together and working two or three jobs to support their way of life, we also have Benzes around every corner, multimillion-dollar condos and billionaires island-hopping on private jets. We checked in with local designers who have created their share of bling-bling.
Simple treats
Tom Wheeler of Opal Fields in Ward Warehouse custom-designed a $10,000 black opal and diamond ring for a male customer who simply wanted to treat himself.
A recent traveling collection of fine jewelry from Chanel included lots of bling-bling. Among the rings was a black-and-white diamond camellia that opened and closed like a flower waking up to the sun.
At Maui Divers, there's a red coral stone that measures 19.4 mm wide, 26.5 mm long and 13.8 mm high, surrounded by a carat of diamonds. (Jewelers measure coral in millimeters rather than carats. 19.4 mm is a skosh more than three-fourths of an inch. A carat is a fifth of a gram. Twenty-eight grams is an ounce. Got it?)
There's also an eight-carat diamond ring on hold for a woman cruising on the Norwegian Star who may buy it when her ship comes in.
While Cartier often is thought of as understated elegance, the spring 2004 collection borders on bling-bling. The rings feature bauble-like spheres of diamonds, amethyst and turquoise that dazzle on the hand.
At Neiman Marcus, Jewelry by Rosalina is all about bling-bling. She designed a mesh white gold and diamond ring for singer Li'l Kim that covers almost the entire length of her middle finger. When Kim holds a microphone, all you see is a flash of diamonds.
Deanna and Robert Wander, who own dk Finds and Haimoff & Haimoff Jewelers in Honolulu and on the Big Island and Maui, are big believers in bling-bling. Their new collection "Crystal Candy" includes plenty of double-digit-carat gem stones. Of their four Island stores, they said bling-bling sells best in Honolulu at the Halekulani.
Although Tiffany & Co. offers a classic, simple line of jewelry, Edward Girarzd, who oversees the Hawai'i stores, said the firm is seeing an increase in "statement jewelry" costing more than $50,000, as well as a trend toward unique, one-of-a-kind gem stones.
Worn right
"The rock I'm rocking, I've got it 'cause I depend on me," sang Beyoncé Knowles in the Destiny's Child hit "Independent Woman."
It's the anthem of the right-hand bling-bling ring, a symbol of empowerment, achievement and "I can do it alone. I don't need a man to buy me a ring."
Deanna Wander has endorsed the concept with her jewelry line dk Finds. It's all about "a young woman who's going to buy her own jewelry," Wander said. "We don't have to ask, or wait for them to buy us a ring."
At Cartier in Ala Moana Center, manager Kellyn Kubo said, "Women are looking for diamonds on their right hand." Among the best sellers is a bling-bling ring from the Les Delices de Goa collection. It consists of baubles of turquoise, amethyst and coral with diamonds set into the stones.
Venessa Lau, in W Jewelry magazine, called the right-hand ring a "disengagement ring" — a matter of "individuality and female empowerment, versus union and devotion; self-expression and personal freedom versus romance — even luxury and indulgence versus obligation."
Jewelry ads in glossy fashion magazines proclaim: "Your left hand is your heart, your right hand is your voice."
For the sake of safety and security, many Island women prefer not to publicize their multicarat bling-bling rings. But trust us, they are out there, wearing rings with pride — on the right hand.
Honestly, now
Not all jewelers welcome the bling-bling trend. Michael Parker of Michael's Fine Jewelry in Pearlridge said he dislikes the connotation of "gangster stuff" and dishonesty that comes with bling-bling. "It's made for flash," he said. "It's the opposite of good taste.
I believe jewelry should follow an individual and not a trend.
"I think they are made to make you look like a millionaire when you're not. A millionaire wouldn't wear something like that."
There are exceptions. Particularly the $4 million bauble that Kobe Bryant gave his wife after he was accused of rape this past summer.
There's no accounting for taste.
Or what counts as forgiveness.
Advertiser staff writer Paula Rath and Island Life assistant editor Dave Dondoneau contributed to this report.
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Occasion adds sparkle to some coveted carats
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| A $4 million, eight-carat diamond ring spoke to Vanessa Bryant after husband Kobe was charged with rape.
Associated Press library photo |
1. Super Bowl rings: Power, prestige, the ultimate wearable trophy. No wonder the pros call their football careers incomplete if they don't earn one before they retire.
2. Lord of The Ring. Sure, it's fiction, but any ring that can possess men and nearly cause the destruction of mankind — and Middle Earth — has to be high on any ring list, as any Hobbit would tell you.
3. The Hope Diamond, 45.52 carats, worn by both Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV, is said to bring bad luck to its wearer. ... We'd like to take the challenge. Estimated value: $100 million to $400 million.
4. "Honey, I'm sorry ... real sorry." Better known as the $4 million dollar apology Kobe Bryant bought his wife after he was charged with rape last summer. Diamonds, it would appear, also buy forgiveness.
5. The West Point ring: Among the most sought-after accessories in the military world.
6. The ring Richard Burton gave to Liz Taylor: She segued diamonds into a second career. And it all started with the diamond ring Richard Burton gave her as a token of his affection.
7. The Chalk Emerald, 37.8 carats surrounded by 60 diamonds, purchased by O. Roy Chalk, owner of the Washington Transit Authority, for his wife to wear to the White House to meet Queen Elizabeth II. When she saw that the Queen was also wearing an emerald ring, but less impressive, she turned it around so it wouldn't outshine the Queen's.
8. The 423-carat Sri Lankan sapphire, which changed its name. In the '50s, art doyenne Polly Guggenheim's husband, Charles Guggenheim, bought her the legendary 423-carat Sri Lankan sapphire. When she later married John Logan, it became known as the Logan Sapphire. It's now in the national gem collection in the Smithsonian.
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Sports' top bling-bling seen in Kailua
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Though he now divides his time between Oklahoma City, Southern California and Nebraska, he feels passionate about his Hawai'i ties and his size 13 Super Bowl ring.
"Next to my son Riley being born, and Michelangelo's David, it is the most beautiful and memorable thing I have ever seen," he said.
"I wear my Super Bowl ring from time to time at special events like the San Francisco 49er alumni events, or sometimes I just wear it to remind me of a special day in my life with some very special people: my
teammates, my coaches, our entire organization, our fans and my friends and family from Hawai'i who came to the game to cheer the boy from Kailua on."
— Advertiser staff
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What does Super Bowl ring say?
Where does the Super Bowl ring come from? Each year, the owner of the winning team selects a jeweler to craft the rings. Last year, for example, Tiffany worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to create the Super Bowl XXXVII ring.
The ring has to be big enough to flash the team names, game score, the date and place of the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl and NFL shield logos on one side. On the other side are the player's name and number.
All this, plus diamonds galore.
Correction: Smeagol's name was misspelled in a previous version of this story.
