By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

Three little words that every socialite and business owner in Miami long to hear are, “Season is Here!”  Such was the sentiment last week at one of the most elegant events in quite some time.  In a setting that could have been mistaken for a set from The Great Gatsby, international jeweler Fawaz Gruosi, Founder and Creative Director of De Grisogono threw a glitzy and glamorous 20^th anniversary party to celebrate the inauguration of de Grisogono boutique in Bal Harbour Shops, on Thursday night at the waterfront estate of über developer, Ugo Colombo and wife, Sara.

Aglow in blue lighting, the historic home, complete with an 85-foot observation tower, formerly owned by Carl Fisher, provided the perfect showcase for the jewels and a storybook backdrop for an equally unmatched evening. The brilliance and beauty of the jewelry were rivaled only by the gorgeous crowd of 250, who despite being A-list, were anything but stuffy.  During a long reception, guests admired vitrine after vitrine of fine jewels of every kind and color, a kaleidoscope of light- with the signature black diamond at center stage.  Many a socialite added a piece or two to their holiday wish list on that night. 

Every detail of the evening was spectacular, from the enormous, decorative tent that flanked the pool, right down to the engraved China from Casa Tua, (the restaurant provided the sumptuous three course dinner), to the band, the Goldsingers, flown in from Monaco, that performed a mix of contemporary dance music and Old-School favorites that gave the sense of being at a Bar Mitzvah/family wedding. Especially when the crowd got on its feet, taking to the stage set atop the stairs leading to the house-to join the band and sing and dance along. To add to the familiar family function feeling, the band ended the night with “New York, New York” with guests dancing arm in arm and doing their best “Can Can kicks. 

The stellar guest list included Maryna Linchuk, Ines Rivero, Ingrid Hoffman, Barbara Becker, Iran Issa-Kahn, Sam Robin, Tui Pranich, Alfredo and Elizabeth Beracasa, Jeff and Yolanda Berkowitz, Cathy Leff, Oscar Feldenkreis, Nickel Goeske and Veronica Cervera Goeske, Jennifer Valoppi, Walid and Susie Wahab, Randy and Gigi Whitman, Michael Capponi, Louis Aguirre, Suzy Buckley, Steve and Bobbi Berkman, Lady Monica Heftler, Jonathan and Criselda Breene, Lola and Donald Jacobson, Marisa Toccin, Anthony Kennedy Shriver and Alina Shriver, Robert and Masha Hanson, Bertil Espegren, Lori Baker, Lara Coppola, Nicola Siervo, and Nicola and Beatrice Schon, Yannick and Hadley Henriette, Daniel and Marcella Novela, Fabian and Martina Basabe, Nick D’Annunzio, Tara Solomon, Jack Benmeleh and Tara Sokolow, to name a few.

Upon exiting, guests received a gift bag containing a commemorative De Grisogono dish and a key, which may unlock a vitrine at the Bal Harbour boutique, which contains one of the de Grisogono pieces selected by Gruosi himself. The brand is known for its extensive collection of black diamonds, as well as jewelry and watches.