Shelby's Social Diary
$9 million in bling lights up the holiday shopping at swank De Beers Voguesoirée
Our Christmas list just hit the stratosphere. Thank you, De Beers. Now that we've tried on the $70,000 bracelet with 2,130 diamonds for a total carat weight of 12.90, nothing else will do. Never mind the Mercedes of equal value, diamonds are, after all, a girl's best friend.
That was clearly the message the other night when De Beers and Vogue joined Becca Cason Thrash in hosting an intimate gathering at the Cason Thrash home. The diamond company, established in 1888, sent in $9 million in dazzling bling and along with it came enough security to guard Fort Knox, or at least Hermés in BLVD Place.
The 120-plus pieces came from across the world for this special evening that served to celebrate the re-launch of the iconic Wildflowers Collection. The cocktail party served also to celebrate Vogue: The Covers, a review of the best of the magazine's covers over the years with an intro by Vogue European editor Hamish Bowles who has been to more than a few of Becca's top-rated parties .)
De Beers Galleria manager Bridgette Bottone and her team had their hands full as they helped the ladies try on such amazing pieces as the $1.1 million ring or the 11-line necklace priced at $500,000. These are referred to, my dear, as "statement" pieces.
For the evening, De Beers loaned Becca a truly beautiful necklace, yours for $1 million, and matching earrings, available for a cool $280,000. In fact, all guests were invited to try on something that caughter their eye. Which is why we spotted Lora Clemmons trying on (but not buying) the seven-line diamond necklace valued at $280,000, a move that could have sent her husband, Dr. John Clemmons into cardiac arrest.
Among the window shoppers persuing the heady merchandise displayed on tall vitrines were Rosemarie and Matt Johnson, Nidhika and Pershant Mehta, Kristina Hornberger and Paul Somerville, Dominique Sachse and Nick Florescu, Gregory Fourticq, Linda Gale and former Gov. Mark White, Libby Cagle, Karen Pulaski, Don Mafrige and Leigh and Reggie Smith.