We are just a few minutes away from the Miss Universe 2008 pageant to be held at the Crown Convention Center in Nha Trang, Vietnam. I know that everyone is pretty much excited on who will be the next Miss Universe after Japan’s Riyo Mori.

For this year’s Miss Universe a new crown was unveiled. The crown is known to cost at around $120 thousand dollars (USD), it is made of 18K white and yellow gold. It is comprised of over 1,000 precious stones; including 555 white diamonds (30 carats), 375 cognac diamonds (14 carats), 10 smoky quartz crystals (20 carats) and 19 morganite gemstones (60 carats). The colors of the jewels chosen for the crown have great significance: The yellow luster of the gold represents the prosperous thriving economy in Vietnam. White, light pink and cognac are the main hues in the crown which represent inspiration and feeling. Each piece was designed to represent an important attribute of the pageant. The curves of inlaid precious stones represent the strong development and potential of each country. The image of the crane (Lac Bird) symbolizes Vietnamese spirit and culture. The image of the heart represents unified breath, rhythm and vision, which are powerful internal forces that stress faith, hope and unity. The crown will only be awarded as part of the contest this year, with the original Mikimoto design being awarded again next year. (Wikipedia.org)

Will our Jennifer Barrientos be Miss Universe 2008? Watch for the live telecast of Miss Universe 2008 on ABS-CBN at 9:30AM.

MISS UNIVERSE 2008 LIVE STREAM