T Pain’s Big Ass Chain

There’s not much else to say about rapper, T Pain’s, latest jewelry statement that the diamond mega-chain doesn’t actually say itself.

Other than, “What recession?”

The rapper bought the 197-carat diamond dazzler for a mere $410,000 and debuted the piece at the Summer Jam concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey according to MTV.

"I just figured I had to shut down something, some part of the game," Pain said. "I thought I did it with Auto-Tune, and so I guess I gotta do it with jewelry ... just show 'em where the money's comin' from. You know what I'm sayin'?”

Mr. Pain., the money is most definitely coming from you.


T-Pain also shocked fans by appearing (with said Big Ass Chain) in a video with country music phenom, Taylor Swift (aka T-Swizzle), during the CMT Awards last night. An unlikely duo, but one that was actually quite cute. The softer side of T Pain, if you will...

If you want to see more Taylor Swift CMT style, check out the jewelry fashion wrap-up on Jewelry.com. Big Ass Chains, blondes and bling. Oh my.

Diamond Deadbeats

Diamonds have inspired the criminal mind to do some questionable acts throughout history – from intricate jewelry heists, to cunning catburglar antics. And Hollywood certainly loves to put a glamorous spin on the whole seedy operation (see the Ocean’s 11 and Pink Panther franchises for more).

But real life is definitely not as glamorous. Two disturbing news reports have me scratching my head this morning. One involves a lame attempt to pull a diamond fast one and the other involves stealing from a corpse. As if being dead wasn’t bad enough.

The first diamond deadbeat is 30-year-old Henry Floats of Hollywood, Florida. Authorities say this jewelry salesman reported that he had been robbed of $500,000 in diamonds on Interstate 95 while changing a flat tire. Unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate the fuzz taking a gander in his trunk - where they found the diamond stash just sitting there in a suitcase.

Henry. You gotta think these things through.

He told authorities he made the false report so that the company he worked for would be reimbursed by insurance and he would (eureka!) get to keep the diamonds. Instead, Henry finds himself charged with grand theft of over $100,000 and is being held on $40,000 bail.


More disturbing is diamond deadbeat #2 – someone who took it upon themselves to rob a dead woman of her 1.5 carat diamond earrings. Carol Arbit's family says she was wearing her favorite diamond earrings when she died suddenly, but that they disappeared after her body was taken from the house.

"How can you do this to a deceased person and to a family. We're sick over it, sick over it," Arbit’s daughter, Sheri Purdy, told reporters.

Purdy says the 1.5 carat diamond studs were her mother’s favorite earrings, and she wore them every day. But when her body was released from the State Medical Examiner's Office in Boston, the diamonds were gone.

While the family is resigned to never finding the earrings again, police are going to look for them at local pawn shops. According to an appraisal by the family the diamonds were worth $2,300 – but the meaning they held was priceless.

UV Protect in Style

Summer is right around the corner, jewelry hounds, so it’s time to start thinking about the tanning ritual. Whether it’s the beach, the lake, the pool or a folding chair in your front lawn, looking fabulous while you fry is always a must.

Now that you’ve Tracey Anderson-ed your way into a more worthy bikini bod, all that’s left is a little protection for your peepers. While we’ve all gone through our fair share of drugstore-bought options that you inevitably sit on or lose within a week, why waste your time this year when you have these supercool shades at your fingertips.


The Porsche P’8499 golden sunglasses are made from 18 carat gold with platinum accents, and the lenses themselves are mirrored with no less than 24 karat gold. The pricetag? A mere $6700 smackers.

Now that’s some serious UV protection.

Only a limited number are available – 911 to be exact – in honor of the Porsche 911 sports car we all need in our driveways. If you're still trying to live out your Risky Business fantasies (you know who you are) , this is certainly one way to do it.

So set the summer season on fire with a quick little trip to a Porsche Design Store near you – before Kanye West wipes out their entire stash.