Gretchen Koback Pursel is the new chief people officer at the company formerly known as Saks Global.
The Oscars’ Most Dazzling Diamonds
Awards season culminated in a smattering of bold statement pieces from the likes of Chopard and Tiffany.

Tiffany & Co. had beautiful red carpet moments on director Greta Gerwig and actress Gal Gadot, and Bulgari, Cartier and Harry Winston also made their annual appearances.
The biggest winner of the night? That honor went to Chopard, which was absolutely ubiquitous on the red carpet.
Below, see all the jewelry that stole the show.
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Emily Blunt donned an incredible pair of earrings and ring by Chopard.
The former was the highlight, featuring a cascade of round brilliant white and yellow diamonds that dangled in a graduated row.
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One of the stars of “Black Panther,” actress Danai Gurira, sported a choker at the Oscars, and she proved that the item can be timeless rather than trendy.
Featuring different cuts of white diamonds, the Messika choker was the highlight of the actress’ classic-yet-fashion-forward look, which also saw her sporting unique hair art.
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Hollywood royalty Helen Mirren gave a master class in old-school fine jewelry glamour. She sported an incredible Harry Winston platinum, diamond and sapphire earring and necklace set and her dusky blue gown was an ideal backdrop.
The necklace featured 115.27 carats of diamonds, and the earrings 25.22 carats. The whole look is valued at $3.8 million.
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Nicole Kidman rarely has had a red carpet misstep and Sunday night’s awards were no exception. One of the best-dressed stars of the night, the actress wore a dramatic royal blue gown with a bow.
To accent, she relied on a pair of Harry Winston platinum and diamond earrings featuring a graduated row of stones totaling more than 23 carats, much like Blunt’s style, though not quite as impactful.
She also wore Winston platinum and diamond bracelets and rings (not pictured).
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She finished the look with stud platinum and diamond earrings, as well as a platinum, aquamarine and diamond ring.
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Blue was trending at the Oscars, both in gowns and jewelry. Actress Jennifer Garner wore Piaget on the red carpet, and her 18-karat white gold and diamond earrings featured a bold pop of color courtesy of approximately 10 carats of sapphires that matched her dress.
She also wore a Piaget “Secrets and Lights” ring, which opens and closes, in 18-karat white gold with diamonds and sapphire, as well as another 18-karat white gold and diamond ring.
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With her light complexion and pale pink Calvin Klein gown, Best Actress nominee Saoirse Ronan was channeling a young Gwyneth Paltrow on the night she won her Oscar in 1999 wearing Ralph Lauren.
To go with her minimal look, Ronan chose a pair of timeless Cartier platinum and diamond drop earrings.
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Ronan’s “Lady Bird” director and Best Director nominee, Greta Gerwig, sported this editor’s favorite look of the night, another dream of a look from Tiffany & Co., this one from the archive.
An elegant necklace rendered in platinum, diamonds, sapphires and moonstone was design-forward for the period it was created--between 1910 and 1920--and for today.
Gerwig also sported platinum and diamond stud earrings and a sapphire and diamond ring from the 2018 Extraordinary Colors of Tiffany collection.
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Actress Zendaya was outfitted in vintage Bulgari earrings, bracelets and rings circa 1930, all made in platinum with white diamonds.
The earrings were the best part, showcasing a distinctly Deco design that was partly structured and partly fluid.
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Camila Alves’ white gown called for colorful jewels, and her stylist clearly got the memo.
The best colored gemstone look of the evening, Alves, who is married to Matthew McConaughey, wore a delicious Chopard ruby, sapphire and diamond necklace featuring dangling pear-shaped rubies that could be seen a mile away.
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Recognize those fantastic gemstone gumballs? Comedian and actress Maya Rudolph gave the jewelry crowd a rare indie moment in designer Irene Neuwirth.
Mixing subtle pops of color with turquoise and pink opal set among white diamonds in a classic chandelier design, there’s nothing not to love about this modern rendition of a classic style.
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Bold white diamonds and a red dress are the perfect backdrop for a gold statuette. Allison Janney flaunted the combination while taking home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “I, Tonya.”
Her Forevermark by Premier Gem platinum and diamond stud earrings and simple yet impactful Forevermark by Rahaminov diamond riviere collar proved why actresses on the red carpet turn to bold white diamonds again and again.
The look didn’t stop there; Janney also wore a platinum and diamond bracelet and ring by Forevermark by Rahaminov and Forevermark by Premier Gem, respectively.
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Is it even an awards show if actress Octavia Spencer isn’t nominated? Spencer has become very familiar with the red carpet over the last several years, and it shows.
She paired eye-catching emerald and diamond earrings with her forest green gown that set her apart from the diamond pack.
Stylists, take note: Jewelry editors would like more of this, please.
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