SpongeBob SquarePants is getting into bling, and fabulosity.
Rap impressario Russell Simmons’ jewelry company has struck a deal with Nickelodeon and Viacom to create a SpongeBob SquarePants line of diamond jewelry, officials said Wednesday.
Marking the first luxury-brand jewelry partner for SpongeBob SquarePants, the collection will be available for both men and women, retailing for from $150 to $75,000.
Simmons Jewelry Co. and Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products are partnering on the line inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants, which is now celebrating its10th anniversary year.
Russell Simmons is the ex-husband of model and businesswoman Kimora Lee Simmons, whose show Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane airs on the Style Network.
Led by the creation of an exclusive, 12-carat total weight diamond-encrusted SpongeBob pendant that will be auctioned off for charity, the retail collection will feature “a variety of fashionable, distinctive and avant-garde designs utilizing materials such as enamel, gold, silver, and diamonds” under the design direction of 2009 GEM Award recipient for Jewelry Style, Russell Simmons.
The diamond-encrusted SpongeBob by Simmons Jewelry pendant -- containing a total of 12 carats of white diamonds as well as color enhanced yellow, red and blue diamonds set in 18 Karat yellow and white gold -- will make its debut display in Park City, Utah, during the 2009 Film Festival. It will be auctioned off at a later date with proceeds benefiting the Diamond Empowerment Fund. The pendant will be displayed in a one of a kind, custom-made abstract box.
“We are so thrilled to partner with the innovators at Simmons Jewelry Co. for such a creative, and absolutely beautiful SpongeBob SquarePants jewelry collection in celebration of its 10th Anniversary year,” Hal Snik, senior vice president of domestic licensing for the Nick-Viacom consumer unit, said in a statement. “Simmons Jewelry Co. has a unique ability to reinterpret iconic brands into beautifully crafted jewelry, and their work with SpongeBob is going to yield an absolutely gorgeous line appealing to die-hard fans and trendsetters.”
Kicking off during the 2009 Film Festival in Park City with the first-ever SpongeBob live cast reading, Nickelodeon will celebrate the pop culture icon throughout the year with TV specials, original online content and new lines of apparel, toys and games. SpongeBob also will be a featured part of Nick’s multi-year pro-social campaign, The Big Green Help.
Simmons Jewelry holds the licenses to Kimora Lee Simmons for Hello Kitty fine jewelry and watch collections (North America), Hello Kitty by Simmons Jewelry Co., Baby Phat Fashion Watch Collections, Simmons Jewelry Co. Steel Collection and Brown Sugar by Justine Simmons.
