JEWELS: With a reported net worth of $600 to $800 million, romance novel writer Danielle Steel has to find other things to do with her cash besides couture. And diamonds, rubies and other rare gemstones clearly do just fine. Steel has long been private about her passion for collecting, but come April 16 her secret is out. She is auctioning off a selection of her of jewelry at Christie's Jewels — The New York Sale. Among the lot is a diamond-and-black-coral owl brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels, which is estimated to go for $15,000 to $25,000, and a pair of sapphire and diamond Trumpet Flower ear clips by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. In 2006, Christie's auctioned off the jewelry of Ellen Barkin to the tune of $20.4 million. Auctions that involve celebrities typically drive prices above market value.

PEACHES FOR PPQ: Peaches Geldof, the party-loving daughter of Bob Geldof, is the latest celebrity to turn designer. She will create a capsule collection of dresses, separates and bags for the London ready-to-wear label PPQ for fall, all based around her namesake color mixed with Gothic black touches.

Geldof is no stranger to the brand, which thanks to its Eighties-influenced party dresses has become a favorite among London scenesters such as Daisy Lowe, Agyness Deyn and Geldof, who's even modeled in one of the label's shows. "It's a natural progression that Peaches is designing with us, she has always been one of our most confident customers," said Percy Parker, who founded PPQ with Amy Molyneux. "We have managed to provide her with everything a girl needs to party in, and now we have put our heads together and taken things to the next step." The line will launch at PPQ's Conduit Street store in London for fall, and will retail for up to 195 pounds, or $394. And the line isn't Geldof's only foray into fashion — the sometime model and DJ also is set to star in a documentary for MTV in the U.K., in which she'll be filmed editing a weekly celebrity magazine.

NEWBORNS: Celebutantes and on-again friends Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton joined their respective beaus, Joel and Benji Madden, last week for the opening of the Maddens' DCMA Collective flagship store in Los Angeles.

The Good Charlotte rockers and brothers, along with their older brother Josh and fellow partner Tal Cooperman, spent eight months building out the expansive space at Melrose and Martel Avenues — which includes an empty swimming pool set up inside as a skateboarding bowl — to house their skate-and-skull themed line.

Both Hilton and new mom Richie are expanding their sartorial pursuits: Hilton said she was adding hosiery, lingerie and makeup to her namesake line, while Richie is working on an unnamed 50-piece jewelry collection to be released this fall, which she said would be carried in stores like Fred Segal and Kitson. "There are new beginnings all around," Richie said.