The bling was out of this world in the Jewelry Estate Room at Saks Fifth Avenue when the new manager there, John Evatz, hosted a swell pre-Valentine's book signing for Joanne King Herring, who is touting her tome, Diplomacy and Diamonds, from Houston to New York to Riyadh.

For the evening, John had truly fabulous pieces flown in from New York from Oscar Heyman, Siegelson and Hays Worthington featuring dynamic vintage pieces from Cartier, BVLGARI, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. (A sampling of what he can do for you and me when we win the lottery.)

The ladies got to romp through the offerings with Becca Cason Thrash trying on a dazzling bracelet from Harry Winston, Penny Loyd modeling diamond necklace and earrings by Asprey and Zorah Badar modeling a pair of exquisite diamond earrings.

In a nod to Saks Fifth Avenue's generous hosting of the evening, Joanne wore a diamond necklace from Saks that her late husband Bob Herring had once given her. She also wore the smashing red velvet dress that she wears on the cover of the book. She reminded guests that 100 percent of profits from the book are going to the Marshall Plan Charities to help rebuild Afghanistan.

Jazz vocalist Julie Johnson entertained and light bites and drinks were served while Saks GM Terry Zmyslo mingled with Donna and Bob Bruni, Susan Krohn and Patrick Gehm, Carol and Mike Linn, Joan Blaffer Johnson, Bubba McNeely, Rob Rutherford and Amelia and Brian Culwell.

On track for the Texas Heart Institute

There will be a super reason to root for the Goldstone Ranch Porsche 997 GT3 Cup Car in this weekend's 50th running of the Rolex 24 in at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Drivers John McCutchen of Dallas and Davy Jones of Tahoe (both with Houston connections) will be behind the wheel for the benefit of the Texas Heart Institute.

Just for fun, they're calling it the "Heart Car."

John (a native Houstonian) and his sculptor wife Karen Garrett created Godstone Ranch Motorsports as a non-profit. As the website explains, "We are using the allure of professional motorsports racing as a means to support and to promote awareness of a charitable concern. 100 percent of all net proceeds are donated to Texas Heart Institute." Jones, who once called Houston home, has a daughter living here.

Rooting for the Godstone team, which has partnered for the weekend with the Belgian racing team Muehlner Motorsport, will be John's sister Mica Mosbacher, Iceland's honorary consul general to Houston and widow of former Secretary of Commerce Bob Mosbacher, and best-selling author (Worth Fighting For) and actress Lisa Niemi Swayze. Mosbacher e-mails that she will be attending the race along with A.J. Foyt, who will serve as grand marshal, and Houston's Jimmy Greer.

For the love of history

The historic missions of San Antonio have probably never known the love that they are receiving today as a result of a Texas effort to have the five Franciscan missions designated a World Heritage Site by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Austin-based philanthropist and art collector Suzanne Deal Booth and Bill Dupont, UT-San Antonio professor of architecture, brought the campaign to Houston on Friday for a cocktail reception at the home of Phoebe and Bobby Tudor.

The effort coincides with the 15th annual US/ICOMOS International Scientific Symposium, taking place May 31-June 2 in San Antonio. Silver Eagle Distributors CEO and avid historian John Nau is sponsoring the opening ceremonies for the symposium and he was there Friday as was Stephen Newman, CEO of CultureMap, which will host the conference closing reception.

Among those lapping up info on the symposium and the missions effort were architectural historian Stephen Fox, Rice architecture dean Sarah Whiting and Ron Witte, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance chief Ramona Davis, the mayor's assistant for cultural affairs Minnette Boesel, interior designer Bill Stubbs, Lois Stark, Judy Nyquist, Molly and Ford Hubbard, David Spaw and Neal Carlson.

A windfall and a name change

God bless Tani and Tony Sanchez, who have gifted Texas Children's Hospital with a $2 million commitment, a gift made through the family foundation, to help provide primary care for Hispanic children in Houston's Gulfton area. For their generosity, the center was renamed.

With that donation, the Texas Children's Pediatrics — A.R. "Tony" and Maira J. Sanchez Family Foundation Center is one of the hospital's five Project Medical Homes that serve low-income families.

The gift and renaming was celebrated at a gathering at the center.

A serious focus, a jolly good time

Native Houstonian author Robert Leleux was the center of attention in the party room at Lamar Tower on Friday, when long-time friend Sissy Farenthold hosted a book signing for his witty The Living End: A Memoir of Forgetting and Forgiving. The book was derived from a New York Times article in which he wrote about his grandmother developing Alzheimer's and forgetting being hurt by and angry with her daughter.

Robert and Sissy are working together on a book about her own very interesting life.

Joining the book signing were Lynn Wyatt, Vance Muse, Mary Ann Bruni, Mimi Swartz, Olive Hershey, Gertrude Barnstone, Sue Schechter, Betty and Freck Fleming and Cindy and Robert Hess.