Tag Archives: diamonds

Luxurious Lester Lampert

Picture 97Lester Lampert, located on Oak Street in the Gold Coast lives amongst neighbors such as Harry Winston, Hermes and Bvlgari to name a few. But yet it’s possible you’ve not heard the name before — if you’re not a jewelry connoisseur or a Chi-town native. Well, Lester Lampert is both.

One visit to his retail space of dreams, which doubled its original size in 2005, is enough to make anyone weak in the knees. The sparkles, the baubles, the diamonds! But it’s Lester’s unique designs that have gotten him where he is today. Chosen as the designer of the Field Museum‘s most noteworthy gems, Loyola University’s stained glass windows and more Chicago icons, one look and you’ll understand why.

Word of the wise: This is not a store to skip. It is a must visit when in the Windy City…if you like gorgeous things that is.

Piercing Fine Jewelry at Venus by Maria Tash

Ever wonder where the likes of Britney Spears, Jessica Alba, and Christina Aguilera get their, um, naval jewelry? Celebrities, including men (Mickey Rourke is a client), go to the custom, classy, one-of-a-kind designs for pierced body parts at Venus by Maria Tash.

Picture 9Belly button rings, nose piercings, and even multiple earrings tend to look more trashy than classy, but not with Maria Tash’s designs. All her jewelry is made of the finest metals and stones like 18k white gold, diamonds, and even rare opals. Her famous “floating”naval piece highlights the top part of the piercing  so your belly button is bare with a glimmering piece highlighting it on top. The jewelry also comes with some bells and whistles, like the internal threading that guarantees no tearing of the piercing, custom post lengths for different sized bodies, and custom designs that are interchangeable and can be updated at any time.

If you don’t have a piercing, that’s not a problem. Upstairs, Venus by Maria Tash offers a relaxing, clean, and very private piercing area that is more like a spa than a piercing parlor (Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon had all her daughters pierced here) as well as pierce-free jewelry like rings and necklaces.

Chanel Fine Jewelry Boutique

If any name is synonymous with luxury, it’s Chanel. Here at their jewelry and watch boutique, you’ll find some of the most opulent pieces you can imagine. And when you visit this store, you’ll feel elegantly transported back in time as the salon is modeled after Coco Chanel’s own apartment!

Fred Leighton

Fred Leighton has draped countless red-carpet stars in diamonds, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, and Catherine Zeta-Jones (who was married in them). Explore this Madison Avenue boutique and find antique cushion-cut diamonds and estate brooches. Leighton also designs delicate diamond and platinum engagement rings for brides-to-be.