JCKstyle - March 16, 2007
Certain phrases garner immediate attention. Fire! Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! Free diamonds!
Whoa—free diamonds? Those words may be common to spoiled celebrities, but not to us average folk. Well, not until next week, at least.
That’s because winners of a Valentine’s Day contest dubbed “A Million Ways to Say I Love You,” sponsored by Hearts On Fire and Godiva Chocolatier, have actually won HOF diamond jewelry. Some 100 “instant” winners got $1,000 worth of HOF jewelry by finding certificates in boxes of Godiva Valentine’s Day collection chocolates. Meanwhile, three finalists—Karen Sanders, 36, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Tony Griggs, 48, Bellevue, Wash.; and Jennifer Barnier, 50, Austin, Texas—convene on Tuesday at Manhattan-based Michael C. Fina to find out exactly how many rocks they get; one person wins a grand prize of $1 million in merchandise, while two others walk away with $50,000 worth. The shopping sprees take place the following day at the Fina store before it opens, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
These fortunate few finalists—who were chosen randomly from more than 600,000 online entries—will peruse “a nice selection” of pieces, according to HOF. Some $1.5 million in basic, classic, and couture looks will fill Fina cases. But wait, there’s more: Winners also receive a year’s worth of Godiva chocolates. And if all of this sounds too good to be true, it kind of is: Winners have to pay New York State and City sales tax of 8.375 percent.
Elizabeth Hurley married Arun Nayar last Saturday in India. The affair was reportedly Hindu, and expensive. Hurley wore a diamond-encrusted sari worth $7,700, earrings worth $53,000, and a bracelet valued at $26,000. Nayar’s jeweled coat and turban set the couple back $6,600. At least sensible Hurley didn’t waste funds on fleeting pleasures: Her henna hand tattoos cost just $5.
