Politics and diamonds...

[swimmer]

In reading this Vanity Fair bit, I was wondering if the comment writer is correct on either of his points. Here in the political hotbed of a diamond forum, we shall figure it out no doubt.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/cindy-mccains-300000-outfit.html
or link

text, but you might want to see the images:

Cindy McCain''s $300,000 Outfit
by Vanity Fair
September 4, 2008, 10:29 AM

One of the persistent memes in the Republican line of attack against Barack Obama is the notion that he is an elitist, whereas the G.O.P. represent real working Americans like Levi “F-in’ Redneck” Johnston.

It caught our attention, then, when First Lady Laura Bush and would-be First Lady Cindy McCain took the stage Tuesday night wearing some rather fancy designer clothes. So we asked our fashion department to price out their outfits.

Laura Bush
Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500
Stuart Weitzman heels: $325
Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500
Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325

Cindy McCain
Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000
Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500
Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000
Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000
Shoes, designer unknown: $600
Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100

Wow! No wonder McCain has so many houses: his wife has the price of a Scottsdale split-level hanging from her ears.

(All prices except Laura’s shoes and Cindy’s watch are estimates, and the jewelry prices are based on the assumption that the pieces are real.)


The question, is that a possible price for 3ct earrings? Do such things even exist? (Sapphire gal here, sorry)

 

[meresal]

LOL!!! That disclaimer at the bottom literally has me on the floor rolling.

How can you estimate something when you''re not even sure of the designer?? And the $280,000 for 3 ct studs, why didn''t they just throw Harry Winston''s name in there as well!!! LOL!!! This is a joke.

"Hey boss, I can''t figure out who the shoe designer is."
"Ehh, just put unknown and price them at $600."

LOL!!!

Thanks for posting, I needed a good laugh.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 9/5/2008 2:29:42 PM
Author: meresal
LOL!!! That disclaimer at the bottom literally has me on the floor rolling.

How can you estimate something when you're not even sure of the designer?? And the $280,000 for 3 ct studs, why didn't they just throw Harry Winston's name in there as well!!! LOL!!! This is a joke.

'Hey boss, I can't figure out who the shoe designer is.'
'Ehh, just put unknown and price them at $600.'

LOL!!!

Thanks for posting, I needed a good laugh.

LOL...no doubt...they'd have better luck finding out the price of those shoes by posting the pic on PS & letting our resident shoe experts investigate!

ETA: Obviously Cindy can afford everything she's wearing, but does anyone else suspect they get these things donated/loaned to them? I mean, it's not like she would wear it more than once after being photographed in it so many times...

 

[Beacon]

Silly price on those earrings. They could cost only a small fraction of that price. I did notice her Chanel watch though. She wore it at the convention last night.

I like the way she dresses, very attractive.

 

[diamondfan]

I have the same watch so I noticed!

She looked nice each night, and I am sure many of them are not buying their clothes, most of Hollywood is not either. She is a pretty woman and was so gorgeous when she was younger. She has an elegant look to her.

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 9/6/2008 12:20:24 AM
Author: diamondfan
I have the same watch so I noticed!

She looked nice each night, and I am sure many of them are not buying their clothes, most of Hollywood is not either. She is a pretty woman and was so gorgeous when she was younger. She has an elegant look to her.

Yeah, if I was any kind of famous I would totally be trying to get as much given/loaned to me as possible, regardless of if I could afford it! She looks like a classic beauty everytime IMHO.

 

[diamondfan]

Look, I spend a lot on clothes but I do not consider gems an outfit. They are things you have for years and years and wear over and over again. Counting someone''s earrings is silly to me. Purse, shoes, outfit, yes. Not jewelry, which could have been in her family or given to her. Also, many of these top designers want to have the exposure and they loan the items to these people so they get written up. It is worth the price of the item to get all the press.

 

[swimmer]

SDL, you are so correct. The political spotlight does terrible things. I posted because I figured that earrings of that size would be too large for the human ear and that we would be de-bunking VF. Also I have no freaking clue how much diamonds cost, so didn''t believe the price at all. I wasn''t a fan of her dress, but then again, way better than back when Hillary wore headbands and shoulderpad dresses to speak for Bill at conventions.

 

[partgypsy]

Yeah it''s this weird thing, where you would hope that the spouse of the president would be at least presentable, as part of the informal duties of a presidential spouse is to show up to functions, play hostess to foreign dignitaries and the like, you would hope she/he would look at least as nice as the people they are hosting! On the flip side too much ostentation is frowned upon (Mary Todd Lincoln was very disliked in part because she kept extensively redecorating the White House) because then it smacks of royalty, which we were trying to get away from in the first place.

One question only somewhat related: Often see foreign dignitaries present the President and first lady with incredible pieces of jewelry as gestures of good will. What ever happens to that stuff? You don''t often see it afterwards. Does it belong to the president it is presented to or does it belong to the position? And where is all this stuff kept, is there a big vault in the White House somewhere?