MTV Awards Allow Stars to Flash Their Bling

Marching down the red carpet like brides on their special day, music celebrities flashed their ice under the hot Miami sun at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, flaunting huge diamond stud earrings and pushing the Right Hand Ring trend even further.

Perhaps surpassing the Oscars as the biggest diamond promotion event of the year, the MTV VMA gave diamond designers an opportunity to showcase their creations and drum up some attention. Here are the highlights:

Right Hand Rings:
Rapper Lil' Kim - 26 carat pink Diamond Right Hand Ring by Sol Rafael
Jessica Simpson - 22 carat Diamond Right Hand Ring by Jacob & Company
Ashanti- 15 carat Diamond Right Hand Ring by Fred Leighton
Gwen Stefani- 12 carat Diamond Right Hand Ring by Lorraine Schwartz

Diamond Studs:
Beyonce - 9 carat Diamond Studs by Lorraine Schwartz
Gwen Stefani-15 carats Diamond Studs by Lorraine Schwartz

The Complete Diamond Jewelry List:

Ashanti - Art Deco diamond bracelet valued at $15,000, Diamond Right Hand Ring valued at $25,000, Art Deco diamond necklace and diamond chandelier earrings valued at $22,500 by Fred Leighton.

Beyonce - 15 carat diamond studs and 32 carat yellow diamond ring valued at $2 million all by Lorraine Schwartz.

Missy Elliot - $500,000 of diamond jewelry by Jacob & Company. Diamond turntable pendant with diamond necklace, diamond turntable ring and customized diamond watch with her name by Jacob & Company.

Nelly - 500 carats and $5 million dollars of diamond jewelry by Chris Aire.

P. Diddy - $8.3 million dollars of diamonds including an 18-carat diamond ring, 23 carat yellow diamond ring, diamond bracelet and diamond watch by Jacob & Company. Later at his post ceremony party he also sported an HP iPod set with diamonds.

Remy Martin ("Lean Back" video with Fat Joe) -- Diamond necklace with fancy yellow and white hearts totaling 80 carats, valued at $135,000, multi-colored diamond cross and chain totaling 15 carats, valued at $30,000, diamond bracelet totaling 15 carats, valued at $80,000 and diamond chandelier earrings totaling 19 carats, valued at $89,000 all by Sol Rafael.

Usher - Rose gold diamond watch by Jacob the Jeweler.

Mob daughter Victoria Gotti - Pear-shaped diamond necklace totaling 95 carats, valued at $395,000, pear-shaped diamond bracelet, totaling 58 carats, valued at $165,000, Asscher-cut diamond right hand ring totaling 25 carats, valued at $500,000 all by Sol Rafael.

Singer Alicia Keys - Fancy yellow diamond earrings and yellow diamond ring totaling 11 carats valued at $500,000 by Sol Rafael.

Amy Lee - Diamond stacked necklaces.

Ashlee Simpson - Three-row stacked diamond bracelets and diamond flower brooch.

Christina Aguilera - Three-row diamond bracelet and three stacked diamond bracelets.

Gwen Stefani - 9-carat diamond stud earrings, rose-cut diamond bangle and 12 carats yellow Diamond Right Hand Ring by Lorraine Schwartz.

Gwyneth Paltrow - Diamond disc earring by Stephen Russell.

Haylie Duff - Diamond Right Hand Ring by Neil Lane.

Hilary Duff - Gold and diamond bracelets and Diamond Right Hand Ring by Neil Lane.

Jennifer Lopez - Diamond chandelier earrings by Stephen Russell, multicolored natural blackened diamond mesh bracelet and two blackened rose-cut diamond cuffs by Lorraine Schwartz.

Jessica Simpson (Arrivals) - Diamond drop earrings, 22 carat Diamond Right Hand Ring and two diamond bracelets by Jacob & Company.

Jessica Simpson (Performance) - Diamond drop earrings, eight-stacked diamond bracelets, a diamond cuff bracelet and a 22-carat princess-cut diamond ring by Jacob & Company.

Jo Jo - Pink diamond hoops and pink diamond bangles by Lorraine Schwartz.

La La (MTV VJ) - Yellow diamond pear-shaped chandelier earrings by Joel Rosenberg.

Lil' Kim - 26 carat pink Diamond Right Hand Ring and Asscher-cut chandelier earrings and diamond bracelet by Sol Rafael.

Paris Hilton - 24 carat diamond bracelet.

Queen Latifah - Diamond hoops with inner chandeliers valued at $100,000 and diamond rose cut flower cuff valued at $200,000 by Lorraine Schwartz.

Vanessa Minnillo - Diamond chandelier earrings by Joel Rosenberg.

Rapper P. Diddy Sports Diamond iPod

Proving the rising prominence of the iPod as an icon of musical culture, rapper, musical fashion setter and multi-branded music personality P. Diddy (AKA Puff Daddy, Puffy, Sean "Puffy" Combs) arrived at a highly publicized party with an iPod set with 120 diamonds.

Hosting a post MTV Video Music Awards party celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Bad Boy Entertainment Company, the rapper sported the customized music player as part of a marketing tie in with computer and electronics giant Hewlett Packard (HP), which sponsored the awards ceremony.

Celebrity guests received a new HP iPod as part of the promotion, albeit, without the diamonds.

Some source material reprinted with permission from IDEX Magazine