Every year we can count on the fact that there will be ups and there will be downs, there will be tears and laughter, joys and sorrows. And, there will be jewels to dazzle up all of those moments! As the holiday’s are basically here, and the year comes to a close, we want to know: Was it all you hoped for?  Joint Venture Jewelry takes the time to reflect on the year’s greatest moments of bling, glitz, and sparkle! We’ve complied our Top 10 Best Jewelry Moments of 2011.

Royal Wedding

It’s easy to say this was the biggest wedding of the decade! As a full day event, starting at 6am in the US, we all woke up early and watched the handsome Prince William and stunning Catherine Middleton exchange vows in Buckingham Palace on April 29. We could go on and on about the hats, the dresses, and the celebrity guest list, but what really caught our attention was the kiss! William and Kate kissed twice on the balcony, and we’re glad they did! Not to mention, Kate’s engagement ring, previously the late Princess Diana’s, and her knack for style has become the talk of the year! We wish the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge nothing but the best!

Best Engagement Ring: Reese Witherspoon

Bring on the bling! In a year filled with high-profile engagements and impressive jewels, People Magazine overwhelmingly picked Reese Witherspoon’s rare 4-carat Ashoka diamond ring (set on a pavé diamond-and-platinum band) as the hands-down best of the year! And we couldn’t agree more- Reese is the perfect combination of sultry, classy with southern flair! The Oscar winner’s ring has 62-displayed facets and rounded corners to create a dazzle like no other – no wonder she said “I do” to the sparkler.

Twilight’s Bella and Edward’s Wedding

When we say sparkle, we can’t forget about Cullen sparkle! It may not have been the biggest wedding of the year, but it sure had the glitz! Twilight fans showed their support as Breaking Dawn Part 1 showcased Bella and Edward’ s long anticipated wedding. Although the jewelry was not a focal point, we couldn’t resist Bella’s diamond and sapphire comb and vale. Such a classic, something blue, vintage piece.

Goodbye To the Queen of Talk: Oprah

After a quarter-century on TV, Oprah said goodbye to The Oprah Winfrey Show in May in several spectacular, star-studded Farewell Specials. Oprah is know for many things, but I think we will miss her classy style, that sparkle in her eye and willingness to change the lives of everyone she encountered! Her “aha” moments will never be forgotten.

Oops, Britney Spears did it again!

It’s an understatement to say Britney Spears has had an up and down career. Yet, 2011 has proven good for her. “She’s in a good place now,” says ex-husband and father of her two children, Kevin Federline. She’s got her life back on track now, just finished up her Femme Fatal Tour, turned 30 at the beginning of December, and is now newly engaged, (again) to long-time boyfriend and previous manager, Jason Trawick. She’s got a sparkler 3 ct Neil Lane original. We hope 2012 is just as good, if not better, for the singer.

Gene Simmons & Shannon Tweed, Finally Married

After spending 28 years together, Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed finally exchanged vows on October 1, in front of 400 guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Besides Shannon’s three dresses, another stunner was her 27-carat Goel Talasazan engagement ring. Gene’s ring, by the same designer held special meaning to the couple. They took gold from her fathers wedding ring who died when she was 24, to make a two strand wedding band which represents the couples two children. “I look at my wedding band now and think, what was I afraid of all this time?” shares Simmons. We are so glad the two finally tied the knot and wish them much happiness in the future!

Kim’s (not so) Fairytale Wedding

Kim Kardashian got engaged to NBA basketball star Kris Humphries in May, after only 6 months of dating. Whether or not we want to admit it, we all became engulfed with the Kardashian wedding. The nuptials took place on August 20th, while E! News was set to air Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event over two nights in October. We all watched the over-the-top wedding, only to be disappointed after Kim filed for divorce after just 72 days of marriage. We all want to know, could the latest Kardashian spin-off be the final straw for viewers? Is this the end of the Kardashian Era?

“Big girls need big diamonds” -Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was known for many things: screen icon, humanitarian, and hopeless romantic. When she died on March 23 at age 79 she left behind an extraordinary jewelry estate amassed during her glamorous life as a movie star and high-maintenance beauty. To liquidate Taylor’s estate, an auction took place at Christie’s in New York. The first day of the auction saw a record-setting $116 million sell-off of Taylor’s fanciest jewels. The highlight of the auction was a huge pearl “La Peregrina,” once worn by European royalty. The piece (shown on right) sold for a record $11.84 million. All profits from the sale went to the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, and her AIDS Foundation. Christie’s said the sale was a recognition of her ‘taste and style’ as well as her ‘panache and glamor’.

Beyonce’s Baby Bump

It was the most rocking performance of the year, as Beyonce, who stopped mid-performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards to rub her belly shocked us with her baby announcement with husband Jay-Z. The singer dazzling in purple sparkles above, has won 16 Grammy awards and said in an interview recently that she felt she had achieved enough in her career to settle down and make family a priority. “I  just wanted it to be from me, and I wanted it to be something that was a celebration of something so beautiful,” Beyonce said of her theatrical announcement. And it is a beautiful thing, many couples mark the special occasion with “Push Gifts” for the Mother to be, and of course something sparkly would always be best!

Trend Alert: Collar Necklaces

Collar necklaces can never truly go out of fashion, they’ve just evolved and made a huge comeback on the Fall 2011 runways. And we just can’t get enough of these statement collars! Hence why we think they have become the biggest jewelry trend this year!

Did we miss your favorite sparkling moment? Leave us a comment with your Best Jewelry Moment of 2011. We hope 2012 is filled with just as much bling!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Staff of Joint Venture!