Sightings: Katy Perry "This Is It" Premiere

Pop singer Katy Perry was spotted earlier this week rocking an original JBH piece at the Los Angeles
premiere of "This Is It Premiere".

The rocker-chic heart and chain pendant was cleverly worn as a charm bracelet and was the perfect accessory with her vintage Christian Lacroix beaded dress. She looked gorgeous and glam as usual; loves her.

For more info on the black diamond and ruby chain necklace and more, go to www.JasonofBH.com ~vK

2009 Lakers Championship Rings

Making of the Lakers 2009 Championship Rings

The Los Angeles Lakers celebrate their 15th championship win in style this year with a little help from celebrity jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills. To mark this monumental achievement for the franchise, they opted to select a fresh, new designer to unveil a championship ring like none other.

While breaking from the norm in terms of style and execution, Jason of Beverly Hills utilized his vast expertise in creating statement making pieces for the stars. With a clientele of more than 300 professional athletes to date, the famed jeweler set out to design a ring that was both unique and significant to the Lakers dynasty.

A special batch of 15 karat yellow and white gold was used to commemorate the 15 historic championships for the Lakers franchise. For the first time in championship ring history, each player is immortalized with their face and jersey number on their respective piece using rare, state-of-the-art laser technology. Fourteen round brilliant white diamonds surround a centered championship trophy also signifying the 15th victory. One unmistakable feature of the rings is a unique shape that is inspired by the Lakers home arena, The Staples Center.
Representing the new generation of fine jewelry making, Jason of Beverly Hills upheld their standard of expert craftsmanship, superior diamond quality and cutting edge design. “Championship rings were desperately in need of a new and fresh direction, every ring began to look the same” says Jason Arasheben, CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills. “As a personal jeweler and friend to a number of professional athletes, I know what the players want. We chose a design that reflects the LA lifestyle which is bigger and flashier while maintaining an element of class”.

At this years unveiling ceremony, each ring was hand delivered by Jason of Beverly Hills in custom boxes, complete with a rotating platforms to display the rings under LED lights.

ICYM: Laker Ring Unveiling Ceremony

In case you missed it, last night's Lakers Championship ring ceremony was nothing short of amazing! Jason received a huge shout out by the announcers as the designer of this year's ring.
I was able to see all the action from courtside (Jack Nicholson is alot taller than I expected).

A few NBA Legends and former Lakers championship winners welcomed the 2009 roster on the floor including Jerry West, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Johnson, A.C. Green, Rick Fox and Robert Horry.

Check the vid. ~vK

LA Fashion Week Wrap-Up

So, your girl vK was lucky enough to spend all of last week covering LA Fashion Week 2009! When I wasn't drooling over the endless 2010 spring collections, I got a chance to meet a number of local designers that presented this year. I like.
Check out my fashion week highlights in the vid below.


I'm very excited to witness our fair city's growth among the major players in fashion week's past. Los Angeles designers have fought long and hard for equal recognition that is granted to New York, Paris and Milan who have been doing it of years.
I'd say that they deserve it and are well on their way. ~vK

Friday Fire: Diamond Skateboards

Yellow and white diamond skate boards.

Kick, Push ~vK

Damien Hirst "The Blue Paintings"

Hate him or love him, Damien Hirst has returned to bless us with his 25 piece collection of eerie artwork, The Blue Paintings. Known for creating shocking pieces with dissected animals, maggots and dead sharks, Hirst's latest installment is already receiving mixed reviews.
His work is now on display at the Wallace Collection from October 14- January 24, 2010.


You may remember a little piece called For the Love of God; a platinum cast of an actual human skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds (that's 1,106.18 carats folks, do the math).
I always thought this piece was stunning despite all the flack Hirst caught for creating something with such an alarming price tag. Hey, if you've got it...

Check out the vid below for more on The Blue Paintings. ~vK

Iridium Jewelry

Manufacturer of engineered and advanced material products, American Elements is dropping the newness in the world of jewelry. In a recent announcement, jewelry pieces made of the precious metal Iridium (grab your periodic table) are now in production.
If you slept through science class, Iridium is actually a member of the platinum group of metals. It is the most corrosion resistant metal in the world and has a melting temp that's 2000 degrees above gold. You haven't seen it used in jewelry until now because its damn near impossible to work with in it's solid form. But now they "have the technology"...

American Elements' technology capabilities, which it uses to design parts for the NASA space program, allowed the company to work with jewelers in New York and Los Angeles to create the first pure iridium wedding band, along with bracelets, earrings, watch bands and necklaces.

"The response has been fantastic," American Elements Chief Executive Officer Michael Silver said in a media release. "The introduction of a new precious metal to the global jewelry industry is an important and exciting once-in-a-lifetime event."

"There is no doubt that if it had a significantly lower melting point, iridium would have been the preferred precious metal of royalty and the wealthy for the past 1,000 years," Silver said. "It's absolutely beautiful, but the technology to produce it just wasn't available."
Source: National Jeweler

Iridium is also said to give off a spectacular luster and is the lowest tarnishing element in the universe.
Don't be two-thousand and late; Iridium is the new platinum ~vK

ICYM: Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 RTW

Hands down, one of the most visually captivating shows this season! From the aquatic extraterrestrial looking models to the digitally printed, reptilian ensembles that came down the runway-- Alexander McQueen's "Plato's Atlantis" was simply breathtaking.

Two enormous robotic cameras were cleverly incorporated in the show which added to the futuristic fantasy runway. The entire show was streamed live via SHOWstudio.com, but in case you missed it, check the vid below.

Voyage to Atlantis ~vK

Out and About

Motivated by my increasing efforts to satisfy a healthy shoe fetish, I decided to stop by LA boutique EM & CO for the KM2 custom shoe fashion show.

My fellow zapatos zealots and I enjoyed a brief runway show featuring vivid color combos, chained embellishments....and feathers. Lots of them.

The models worked it out on an all white stage that exposed them only from the legs down, showing off some fearless footwear. After cupcakes and cocktails, I spotted a few pair that I wouldn't mind throwing in rotation.
Good art, good music, good shoes. Overall goodtimes. ~vK

About KM2 Shoes:

KM2 Shoes, founded by sisters Megan, Katelyn and Mattison Gelber, was born from a desire to be unique. The three sisters developed a collection of shoes whose distinctive, high-class style is rooted in nostalgia, yet has an edgy flair that is relaxed and comfortable. The style of the shoes is influenced by their mid-western roots and life experiences in New York and L.A. www.KM2shoes.com

Birthstone: October

Opal vs Tourmaline

October is another one of those fun months with more than one traditionally recognized birthstone.
The first is the Opal, or "Opalus" the name for "precious jewel" in Latin. They date back to prehistoric times; to put it in perspective, dinosaurs were stomping around as these precious gems were being formed. Most that are mined today are around 50-65 million years old. They are created when non crystallized silica combines with ground water and hardens in cracks and cavities underground.
The majority of quality opal are found in southern Australia. Other sources are Brazil, Mexico and Czechoslovakia. Although they are known for their milky white and iridescent colors, black opal can be found in South Wales. These are very rare and often cost more per carat than some diamonds. Their intensity and color are a factor in determining their value.


As of 1912, the American National Association of Jewelry adopted the pink tourmaline as the official birthstone for October. In addition to the range of pink hues, tourmaline can be found in just about any color from black (most common) to colorless. The very popular "watermelon" variety have a stunning color fade from pink to green. Many of these stones have a dichroic effect meaning that they appear to change color when viewed from different angles.
What's more fascinating, is the pyroelectric properties of the tourmaline. When heated, they take on a static electric charge and have the ability to move small objects.

Although tourmaline aren't as popular as say the ruby or sapphire, you will occasionally see them paired with other precious stones to create some very impressive pieces. Lara Spencer, co-host of The Insider and Entertainment Tonight, rocked an amazing pink tourmaline ring and bracelet set at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards this year. I wouldn't have thought to pair tourmaline and turquoise, but it works!
~vK

Chad Ochocinco's "Kiss The Baby" Pendant

Oct 3rd 2009 BEVERLY HILLS--

In the case of Chad Ochocinco, kissing babies has little to do with politics.

The catch phrase, “Kiss the Baby”, popularized by the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver has now taken on a life of its own. Today, Ochocinco announced via twitter that after every catch he will celebrate by revealing a tiny baby pendant made by Jason of Beverly Hills that he will kiss. From his mouth to the field, he is determined to show football fans that it is indeed “all over” for the Cleveland Browns this Sunday.

Earlier this year, Ochocinco brought back his controversial “Dulce Venganza”/ “Sweet Revenge” checklist of every cornerback that fails to hold him during the season. Staying in theme with his Spanish related neologisms, he commissioned celebrity jewelry designer Jason Arasheben to create a diamond encrusted baby pendant that he calls “Bebe Esteban”. On his twitter page he says, “The kiss da baby chain will be worn under my pads and kissed after every catch”.

“Chad wanted a fun way to commemorate his return this football season” say Jason Arasheben, CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills. “If he has his way, there will be a lot of people kissing the baby”.

(pucker up)~vK