Local jeweler's Elton John piece sells at auction

PORT CLINTON — A local jeweler designed diamond pieces with Elton John two decades ago. And just last week, one jewelry piece sold for tens of thousands of dollars at a charity auction. Fawley Val Fawley, the owner of Tru-Luv Jewelers in Port Clinton, has a history of designing pieces for various celebrity singers performing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, including Celine Dion and Toby Keith. Twenty years ago, in 2004, Caesars Palace contracted with Fawley to design jewelry for John, the British singer-songwriter, who was also signed to perform at the Vegas casino and hotel. "I got a call from a representative for Caesars Palace telling me that they were interested in having me come down and meet with Elton John's publicist to discuss some of my ideas and to win the bid to sell the product at Elton's store outside of the Colosseum," Fawley said. The pieces made include a diamond-encrusted ring shaped like a piano, which the singer is known for performing during his live performances, and a diamond pendant necklace. The necklace is two-sided: one bears an etching of John's signature and the other diamond letters spelling "The Bitch is Back," the title of a 1974 Elton John song. The London-based auction house Christie's hosted the auction. All proceeds from the auction will be given to various charities of the singer's choice. Christie's valued the diamond pendant necklace in the range of $20,000 to $40,000, and it was sold last Wednesday for $32,760. Throughout the process, Fawley mainly communicated to the singer through his publicist. However, one of Fawley's winning ideas was to have the singer's signature on the back of the pieces. "I had to show Elton how to sign them, and I spent some time with him doing that," Fawley said. "I am very honored to have had the opportunity to work with Elton and his team." Exact copies of the pieces can be seen in person at Tru-Luv Jewelers, 94 Madison St., Port Clinton.