Truth or Dare shines at Nicole Richie’s bash
Showbiz Desk

Diamonds, yellow and blue sapphires, dazzling amethysts were all on display in abundant supply in Beverly Hills when noted bauble maker Judith Ripka threw a bash to fête Nicole Richie’s debut novel, “The Truth About Diamonds.” And so were the white lies. The press communiqué that went out to advertise the event promised a guest list straight out of a teenager’s (or a promoter’s) wet dream: “Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Kirsten Dunst, Selma Blair...”
But none of them materialized on Tuesday night at the Judith Ripka luxe Via Rodeo boutique, located next door to a Gianfranco Ferré store and a stone’s throw from Beverly Hills’ glitziest thoroughfare, Rodeo Drive. Maybe it was all meant to be in keeping with the roman-à-clèf theme of the book - a catty, thinly veiled but pretty hilarious attack on a onetime best friend of the author depicted as a well-intentioned but none-too-bright celebutante prone to coke highs and fashion faux pas.
Outside the boutique the velvet rope was up and waiters from McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant around the corner passed seafood dumplings, shrimp mousse and glasses of white wine to an increasingly restless flock of paparazzi.
Inside, Brian Ripka, who is Judith’s son and the acting C.O.O. of the enterprise, talked about his mother’s pioneering place in a trade traditionally dominated by males. Launching her business in New York City in 1970 with $1,000, the jeweler opened her first retail space in 1987; now her company boasts 11.
Commenting on the longtime friendship between his mother and Nicole Richie’s family, Brian Ripka said that it was natural to provide the young author with the baubles she wears on book cover and inside it. “I don’t know how that fits in with your expectations, but Nicole’s as sweet a girl as you can ever hope to meet,” he added.
When the “Diamonds” author finally arrived, she posed on the doorstep for about 10 seconds, then scurried inside the tiny boutique where a small battery of Judith Ripka publicists immediately declared the guest of honor off-limits for interviews. Still, before Richie braved another assault of flashbulbs, we managed to pry from her lips the provenance of her cobalt-blue halter dress with a pretty ruffled bib of floaty chiffon: “Ralph Lauren.”
Then it was time to model the yellow sapphire Judith Ripka Luxe ring set in 18K gold and sprinkled with “lots and lots of diamonds” featured on the cover of Diamonds (it retails for $9,000), and a18K gold diamond-encrusted Pia cuff priced at $8,150). Richie gamely posed adorned with them, but seemed otherwise seemed eager to keep to herself and spoke in an animated fashion only to WireImage chief photographer and founder Jeff Vespa - a man as responsible as anybody for making her the celebrity she is today.
In spite of the hullabaloo, business seemed to go on as usual at the store’s counters. Marla Paxson was doing some Christmas shopping and parting with some serious cash in the process. “I got a ring for my daughter and a couple of bracelets - and I also put some things on hold for my husband to pick up,” she explained, adding that the said husband works “in television.” Paxson first fell in love with the baubles a couple of years ago, and was so enthralled that she contacted the company and asked them to help her throw a Judith Ripka jewelry party at her house. She invited her girlfriends, and they became fans too. “I love her stuff because it’s younger and more fun to wear sometimes than the pieces that my husband sometimes gets me,” Paxson said.
“Nowadays everybody’s into the denim and diamonds look, but Judith was among those who pioneered the pairing,” added Judith Ripka publicist Hayley Miller. (Let is be known that Miller was looking quite fabulous herself in denim, plenty of diamonds and a shiny mink capelet.)
At 7:30, Richie departed as the revelers continued to drink and make merry in her wake. As party favor, they all took home copies of “The Truth About Diamonds,” which may or may not tell the truth, but surely dares.