Jude Frances is designed by a delightful duo whom I met six years ago when the line was just starting out. Judith and Frances were moms in Suburban Orange County who wanted to create an affordable line of whimsical jewelry that women can buy for themselves. They felt a woman should treat herself to a trinket whenever she felt like it! The line has grown so much, including a high end "Couture" jewelry line for Jewel Snobs! At the core of the line, however, are the reasonably priced baubles like the ones above. The small princess ring is just the thing to lift your mood, and at that price, you should get two to stack! I love Jude Frances' signature motif, the Maltese cross. Chic and timeless, it's jewelry you can wear daily without looking ridiculous. At Saks.
Jude Frances Small Princess Ring
Jude Frances Single Maltese Cross Charms

The romance and mystery of the past and the elegant restraint of the present distinguish the work of jewelry designer Temple St. Clair. Rooted in the mystery and the romance of the past, Temple’s pieces feature an elegant restraint, a clean modern line, and a sensitivity to color that are indisputably contemporary — yet utterly timeless. I had lunch with a girlfriend who was wearing a delicate gold chain with a gold pendant made of sparking sapphires. Without asking, I knew it was Temple St. Clair. Her signature style is unmistakable as is the workmanship of her jewels.

I was recently introduced to the spirit of Cindy Chao, a jewelry designer based in Taiwan. I love discovering new jewelry designers, especially those with an incredible eye for detail and design like Cindy- one of the most promising jewelry designers I have seen in a very long time! A friend of mine had several pieces made by Cindy and showed them to me during her last visit, the pieces were extraordinary and exquisite and like nothing I had ever seen. Inspired by her Eastern roots and by the forces of nature, Cindy's jewelry is astounding and fascinating. Owning one of her pieces is like capturing the essence of nature and owning the spirit of beauty. Each piece is carefully designed and meticulously handcrafted- a conch pearl rests delicately against the sensual curves of lily petals made of diamonds, a golden pearl mounted as the exotic center of a spray of diamonds, a diamond nestled in a cluster of pearls, each piece unique in its own way. I am waiting for my first Cindy Chao pieces, I was told the wait would be long, but as all things worth owning, it is worth the wait. Email her showroom for details and point of purchase.

More photos after the jump!

Our friends always say I have my husband wrapped around my finger; just to give you a quick example, he spent hours (it was a workday and he had to cancel meetings, luckily he is self employed!) looking for a dress I forgot to pack to New York for Fashion Week last month and after he found it, he sent it to me Fed Ex overnight so I could wear it to a party. Not gallant enough? What about the time he sent me Easter cookies via Fed Ex International overnight (with a Bvlgari diamond necklace hidden inside) when I was working in Asia so that I wouldn't miss out on one of my favorite holidays? I could go on but it would just make you sick and hate your own husband. His friends constantly tease him but he just laughs them off, there are worse things in life than being lovesick! If there is someone in your life you'd do anything for and are just lovesick over, show it to them with the Pianegonda Lovesick Heart Wraparound Ring, at eLuxury.

Wearing Temple St. Clair's jewelry is like carrying a Monet painting on your arm. Each piece of her jewelry is meticulously designed and crafted, a masterpiece in its own right. I met Temple at one of her trunk shows years ago and through the years have thought of her when looking for a special piece of jewelry to treat myself. I am in love with this stunning blue moonstone ring, made of Royal Blue Moonstones set in 18k gold with diamond accents and Temple's signature archer's granule, it is just the thing to perk up a LBD or a pair of jeans.$5,900 by Special order at Temple St. Clair.

I love buying jewelry for myself and have always encouraged girlfriends to do the same. I never understood women who felt the need to "wait" for a man to buy them beautiful jewels! Not that I don't appreciate my husband when he brings home prettily wrapped boxes from Cartier or Bvlgari (which he does, often!) but I just think women should buy jewelry for themselves if they are able to. I designed a line of jewelry sold at major department stores and you have no idea how often I sat at trunk shows listening to women say, "I really shouldn't buy this, I should wait for my husband/boyfriend/dad to buy it for me. I just feel too guilty to buy it for myself". Well now you can buy all the jewels you want without any guilt. Jewelry designer Joan Hornig brilliantly devised a model of giving 100% of the profits on each piece to the purchaser's charity of choice and challenges women to use beauty and fashion in a new way. This means you can buy to your heart's content because every penny of the profits will go to your favorite charity! Now that is worth splurging on. I love the cuffs above and the diamond earrings and no, I will not be waiting for my husband to buy it for me. Go to Joan's website to pick your favorite bauble and help your favorite charity at the same time.

I think right hand rings are extremely important for single and taken women alike. I personally wear a diamond ring on my right hand that was passed down to me from my mother and a light blue topaz ring on my left hand that my great-grandmother purchased in Greece as my mother's high school graduation present. I love wearing beautiful stones on my hands for two reasons: one, hands, like shoes, reveal a person's personality and secondly, I think it is really important to wear something beautiful that makes you smile. These rings are of course better when they are accompanied by a story. Whenever I look at my light blue topaz ring I think of my great-grandmother. She was a strong, intelligent and charming woman who was born in 1901. She learned how to drive a car before women were expected to do so, and also attended college. She made her husband chase after her for years before she finally agreed to marry him. He wrote her love letters addressed to his "beautiful blue eyed darling" and my great-grandmother would insist that he had the wrong girl because she did not have blue eyes (which was a lie). The next time you're on a trip pick up a piece of jewelry and make sure to include a story with it before you give it away. If you're not traveling anytime soon grab your mother/sister/daughter/best friend and treat yourself to a day without any responsibilities that you will remember forever. You can end it with a shopping spree at Saks where you can find these beautiful rings. It's the memory, not the place, that counts.Stephen Dweck Bronze Flower Ring, $236.90, saksfifthavenue.com; Jude Frances Small Princess Ring, $1,250.00, saksfifthavenue.com; Julie Sandlau Black Onyx Ring, $245.00, saksfifthavenue.com.

In 1932 Coco Chanel walked into a Parisian jewelry workshop and demanded the impossible. As the pièce de résistance of her first fine-jewelry collection, the ever-progressive Mademoiselle had dreamt up a 600-plus diamond necklace that featured an irregularly shaped star and draped around the neck like a light French foulard. "I can only imagine the astounded faces in the workshop when she proposed this," says Marc Auclert, director of Chanel Fine Jewelry.

Ivanka Trump Earrings $27,750

Ivanka Trump's eponymous line of Fine Jewels shows that she is more than Daddy's girl. Ambitious and beautiful, she's figured out at an early age how to parlay all of her assets to her advantage and the result is a breathtaking collection of fine jewels. I love all the ultra feminine pieces she created for her line, from a pair of $750 black onyx earrings to a $350,000 disco balls pave diamond necklace, the collection is elegant, understated and gorgeous, just like her. Ivanka Trump fine jewelry collection, $750-$350,000, at Ivanka Trump, 683 Madison Ave. New York.

Clockwise from top left: Black onyx and diamond earrings $750, Black onyx diamond ring $4,500, Disco ball necklace $350,000, White agate and diamond ring $4,500

Check out what Lucifer (the jeweler, not the devil) is tempting us with. The curved cervello ring made of 18k rose gold and diamonds is a delicate ring with bold design. The four connecting circles glittering with diamonds wrap around your finger and no matter which way it's turned, you're guaranteed a vision of bling. I like unique pieces like this, some people want a giant rock without design (well, I want that too, okay- I want it all. Ask my friends and husband, no one loves jewelry more than me! Well maybe Liz Taylor- which is what they call me) but I appreciate the craftsmanship put forth in a piece like this. Having taken metalsmithing classes and an attempt at a career in jewelry design (sold at Nordstrom thank you very much!) years ago, I can tell you this was no easy piece to make. The artisan had to first figure a way to connect the rings seamlessly in addition to setting the diamonds in well enough to stand the banging it will get on the inside of the finger. Now this is something you can treat yourself without guilt, it's like getting 4 rings for the price of one :) $4,195 at Barneys.com