There's no time like the weekend to catch up on some of the hottest gossip, this time courtesy of the 82nd Academy Awards.

The Oscars, which is a must event for anybody who's anybody in Hollywood, requires the actors, actresses and various celebrities in attendance to display their, or rather their stylists', clothes- shoes-jewelry-accessories coordinating talents, which sometimes proves challenging.

Sarah Jessica Parker, for instance, was proof that diamonds really are a girl's best friend – especially when they happen to be the only thing to rescue what was otherwise a miserable ensemble.

Parker found herself on almost every worst-dressed list following the ceremony, with nearly everyone saying that the only thing redeeming her golden Chanel gown was the truly eye-catching jewelry.

The unusual pieces were Fred Leighton creations and were stacked mostly on her wrist: Parker wore a cluster of bracelets which included a rose-cut diamond and platinum bracelet, a cognac-diamond flexible bracelet in 18k gold, diamond bangles, and a sapphire Wave bracelet.

Other jewels which came to her rescue were flower-shaped19th-century diamond cluster earrings and an old-mine-cut diamond ring.

A stark contrast was Nicole Richie's Reem Acra gown, which was elegant and sophisticated, but Richie has her mind on other things these days – she and longtime boyfriend Joel Madden are finally getting married.

Richie and Madden already have a toddler daughter and a baby boy and Richie seems excited to begin planning her wedding.

In a recent TV interview, Richie admitted she's about to start flipping through bridal magazines and start making the most of her engaged status.

Madden's seemingly long overdue proposal didn’t disappoint: Richie's engagement ring is a stunning four-carat diamond, handmade by chic jeweler to the stars Neil Lane.

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Photo Credit: Music4mix, images.askmen.com

Maybe it's time to keep our diamonds under the floorboards – an Indian diamond merchant and his family, who were staying in Belgium, were held hostage by robbers for 18 hours and freed them only after taking millions of dollars worth of gemstones. 

The heist took place Saturday in Antwerp, the world's biggest diamond center, which is considered a crime-free zone. Just two weeks ago I listed the top five most notorious diamond robberies in the world. Luckily, I don't have to change it due to this robbery.

According to the Antwerp police, five or six armed men walked into the villa of Pankaj Maldar, who head Carp Impex NV diamond firm and took his wife and two children hostage.

The gang, who apparently knew the exact nature of the diamond stocked by Maldar's firm, called up Maldar at his office and demanded the diamonds in return for his family's safe release. Maldar, left with no choice, did as he was ordered. 

Vasant Mehta, chairman of the Gems and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), said the industry would take up the issue with Belgian Crown Prince Philippe during his visit to India beginning March 25.

"Antwerp is perhaps the safest place in the world. This robbery has come as a very big surprise," he added.

A spokesman for Ludo Van Campenhout, who is in charge of Antwerp's diamond quarter, criticized the attack but said security measures in the area were adequate: "attacks on diamond merchants are virtually non-existent in Antwerp. If attacks happen, they are at people's homes," he said.

Antwerp robbery aside, European swindlers seem to have had a lucrative weekend: some €800,000 was stolen from a poker tournament held in Berlin's Grand Hyatt Hotel, at the Potsdamerplatz business square.

The heist, which Der Tagesspiegel magazine already dubbed one of the most spectacular robberies of the last few years, was perpetrated by several masked men during a 10-mimute interval between the hotel security guards' shifts. They fled the scene using a black Mercedes which was waiting for them outside.

The robbers probably had their eye of the $1 million dollar prize waiting for the winner of the poker tournament, but that was kept in the hotel safe, leaving them only the "small change" of the floor. 

The Israeli Diamond Industry will be one of the largest participants of the Hong Kong International Jewelry Show, which will take place between March 5-9. This year's show will see, the Israel Diamond Pavilion, organized by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI),  be the largest national pavilion.

The Israeli Diamond Pavilion will feature 60 companies, 20 of them first-time exhibitors.  Twenty additional Israeli companies will be exhibiting in various locations throughout the show.
Look for real-time updates from the show in IDI posts on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

IDI sources say that the unprecedented participation of Israeli companies asserts the overwhelming interest the Israeli diamond industry is getting in the Asian markets.

The Israel Diamond Pavilion is located in Hall 3F. IDI’s information booth is located at 3FF29 in the heart of the pavilion and will provide background on the Israeli diamond industry, as well as help buyers find their way throughout the pavilion.

An online mini-site, which can be accessed through the IDI portal, enables buyers to visit the pavilion virtually prior to the show. The mini-site includes contact details of all Israeli exhibitors, including those not participating in the pavilion, as well as a map indicating their location at the show.

Hong Kong is Israel’s second largest market for polished diamonds, representing 26% of total polished diamond exports in 2009. Net exports of polished diamonds to Hong Kong in 2009 came to $1.043 billion.

IDI Chairman Moti Ganz said that now more than ever, Hong Kong, as the gateway to the Far East, is a major focus for the Israeli Diamond Industry: “For many years we have developed excellent relations with diamond companies in Hong Kong and other parts of the Far East.

This will certainly develop as these markets are showing impressive growth. We see the Far East as the direction of the future for Israeli diamond companies and we are working hand in hand with the industry to promote these efforts."

 “Our industry, which is known for its flexibility and adaptability, is seeking to expand its efforts in these markets. This explains the huge participation of Israeli companies in this show, many of them for the first time," IDI Managing Director Eli Avidar said, adding that the Far East, with Hong Kong leading the way, represents a growth market for Israeli diamond exports now and in the future.

Avidar was also optimistic about the long term prospects for Asian markets: “China has evolved into an independent market for luxury goods and jewelry, with a great amount of wealth being created. In the coming years we believe that China will become an important consumer of polished diamonds, and we are focusing our marketing strategy on developing this as well as other markets."

According to Avidar, IDI’s Hong Kong office was spearheading efforts to enhance trade contacts with the region. In addition, he noted that IDI’s Chinese-language portal site has become an important vehicle for facilitating direct contacts between these countries.