The Jewelry Judge  - Ben Gordon's Blog
September 23rd, 2014
More than 12 million people tuned in last Wednesday to see Mat Franco take home the $1 million grand prize on NBC's America’s Got Talent. But what everyone was buzzing about after the show was not the talented magician, but host Nick Cannon’s diamond-encrusted shoes.

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Valued at $2 million and dripping with 14,000 full-cut diamonds set in white gold, the slip-ons were ordered by Cannon nearly a year ago to deliver a “wow factor” to the season 9 finale.

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The Guinness Book of World Records is currently evaluating Cannon’s footwear for the title of the Most Valuable Pair of Shoes in the World.

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Beverly Hills jeweler Jason Arasheben told Matt Lauer of the Today Show that the shoes took 2,000 man-hours to create and feature 340 carats in diamonds. Lauer, who had the privilege of modeling the diamond loafers during the Thursday morning broadcast, joked that his calves were getting a workout. “They are heavy,” he said.

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In an interview with WWD, Arasheben said, “Not very often do I get a request for the most expensive shoes in the world. When Nick approached me last year, he said he wanted to make history and be so over-the-top. He wanted to set a new standard in diamonds.”

Arasheben also revealed that his team experimented with various shoe brands until they found just the right match for this project — a flexible pair of patent leather Tom Fords. “We didn’t want [Cannon] looking like Frankenstein when he walked,” the jeweler said.

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It is rumored that Cannon is going to take the shoes on tour and then donate them to charity. The talented 33-year-old singer/actor/comedian and husband of diva Mariah Carey solicited recommendations of potential charities on his Twitter page.

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Franco became the first magician to win the America’s Got Talent competition. In addition to his seven-figure cash prize, he will also get to headline a show in Las Vegas.