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Nov 03, 2024

“Shopping” Neiman Marcus’s Second-Ever Bejeweled Ball | Vogue

After I had heard how fabulous the first-ever Neiman Marcus Bejeweled Ball was, I had to experience it myself. Last year, the Dallas-based retailer took over the Swexan Hotel in their home city,

After I had heard how fabulous the first-ever Neiman Marcus Bejeweled Ball was, I had to experience it myself. Last year, the Dallas-based retailer took over the Swexan Hotel in their home city, bringing the retailer’s glossy “Bejeweled Jewelry Collections” annual catalog to life. (For the unfamiliar, it’s what high jewelry dreams are made of: Dozens of pages featuring top models—Karen Elson, Grace Elizabeth—draped innumerable carats from leading jewelers and goldsmiths.) But at the Bejeweled Ball, you can look and touch; all the pieces are for sale.

This year’s Bejeweled Ball landed in tony Bel-Air, Los Angeles. The brainchild of Neiman Marcus CBO Nabil Aliffi, the event needed a venue that matched the splendor of what it was meant to house. “I had envisioned a Belle Epoque setting and somehow we found it in Bel-Air!” Aliffi told me while we swanned up the home’s imperial staircase. The party (which had about as many security guards as it did carats) was set in a residence heavily doused with Old World nods—boiserie, lavish stucco work, moldings, and mirror-paneled hallways—and made the perfect backdrop for jewelers Buccellati, Piaget, Messika, Rahaminov, David Webb, and Neiman Marcus’s won curation of vintage timepieces to set up a dazzling showcase.

Fresh off a plane to L.A., I slipped into a dress (the black-tie event is formatted with a shopping spree cocktail hour followed by a formal dinner) to venture to the second-ever Bejeweled Ball. Chatting with the jewelers Valerie Messika and Luca Buccellati was an added treat. Think you fancy a lace-like Buccelati necklace? Well, you’ll want it even more when Luca himself tells you he actually doesn't know if he wants to sell it! “This probably belongs in our archives,” he says of a sapphire necklace I was immediately drawn to.

While taking in the splendor, I crafted my own fantasy wish list. The pieces, below.

I was immediately lured to the color-splashed display of David Webb jewels. On hand was Mark Emanuel, co-owner of David Webb, who designed these gorgeous cubistic clip-ons. I was quickly corrected when I mistook the mogul-esque carvings on these earrings for jade—it's all emerald! And the design comes to life with black enamel, gold, platinum shapes, and pavé diamonds. Here is Emanuel fastening the stunners on my ears and displaying the architecture of a well-designed clip. “See, it feels weightless, right?” They felt just right to me!

I can’t deny an evening watch. It's the equivalent of a clutch bag—glamorous! Neiman Marcus is also a destination for vintage timepieces, and this beauty comes from this curation. A wisp around my wrist, the 18k white gold piece features about 6 carats of white diamonds and a teeny watch face. And unlike most jewelry-watch hybrids, this was fully crafted by Patek Phillip—most watch-makers outsource to jewelers. But who really needs to check the time when your night out involves this hand-made Swiss stunner?

This one-of-a-kind piece is dubbed Exquisite Moments. Featuring 491 stones that amount to a whopping 87.23 carats of diamonds, this is not a piece to be ignored. Twin fancy vivid yellow diamonds (5.20 and 5.15 carats each) flank either side of the cuff and are surrounded by Marquis-cut white diamonds that give off a feathery winged appearance. But wait, there's more! Apply pressure to a hidden button, and a piece of the cuff lifts off, revealing a tiny diamond-face watch within. Exquisite indeed.

New York-based husband and wife jewelers Amir Goldfiner and Tamara Goldfiner of Rahaminov Diamonds were present, and so too was a sweeping assortment of their diamond-first pieces, which largely feature stones in a Movál cut which is a proprietary cut for which they own the trademark. I was drawn to a necklace (with 51.48ctw Movál cut diamonds, set in 18K white gold), earring, and bracelet set shaped in daisy-like florals. Here I am with Mr. Goldfiner, who called me Emily all night, seeing as how he believes me to be the spitting image of Lily Collins. Mr. Goldfiner knows that flattery will get you everywhere—including to a sale.

All of Buccellati’s pieces feel more textile than jewelry. Their feather-weight, lace-like necklaces lay marvelously on the body. Of all the Buccellati wares—and it was hard to choose just one!—I homed in on this sapphire and diamond necklace crafted with 18k yellow gold, drop-shaped sapphires (17.1 cts), round brilliant cut diamonds (10.45 cts). Per Luca Buccellati (who is the grandson of Mario Buccellati, who founded his jewelry maison in Milan in 1919), this piece was designed in 1997 by his father Gianmaria. The piece exemplifies Buccellati—famous for making precious metals look like lace, fabric, or even delicate mesh—and Luca was even wondering if he shouldn’t safekeep the necklace in the family vault.

What’s better than a necklace sparkling with an 18.05-carat fancy yellow diamond? The safari trip to Namibia that comes with the purchase—it's in Namibia that Messika operates a diamond-polishing factory as part of the brand’s traceable and sustainable diamond practices. Though Messika is most known for its Move collection, it was lovely to see the more opulent designs of the distinctly French label (Valerie Messika is the daughter of a notable diamond dealer). Valerie was on hand to display how well diamonds pair with jeans, and it turns out that the fantasy diamond can also be “dressed down.” The yellow diamond pendant is removable and the sculptural diamond-studded collar necklace can be worn as is.