In the company of influential guests from Miami’s vibrant cultural and social scene, De Beers celebrated its new home in Bal Harbour Shops with an exclusive, art-inspired event at Le Sirenuse, The Four Seasons Surfside, on Wednesday 10th April.
A jewel set amidst the lush, luxurious landscape of Bal Harbour Shops, the new store represents the third U.S. location for the legendary Home of Diamonds. “We are very proud to celebrate the opening within the most renowned and elegant mall in Florida,” says Francois Delage, Chief Executive Officer, De Beers Jewellers.
“While we recognise the rise and importance of e-commerce, nothing compares to the physical reaction and impact of seeing exceptional diamonds with your own eyes. We look forward to welcoming our U.S. and international clients to share this intimate and informative moment with us in our Bal Harbour location.”
At the event, guests were able to experience one-of-a-kind High Jewellery pieces, each one a work of art, with the De Beers Talisman, Swan Lake and Soothing Lotus collections all being modeled throughout the evening. Also on display was the De Beers Talisman Wonder, featuring a mystical combination of 110 rough and 580 polished diamonds, with a total carat weight of 271. This piece, which took over 2,000 hours to create, pays homage to ancient traditions while infusing it with a contemporary edge.
Andrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, and Sidonie Robert-Degove, Managing Director Europe & USA of De Beers Jewellers, were joined by a dazzling array of more than 100 influential guests from the Miami community, such as Kinga Lampert, Danie Gómez-Ortigoza,Nicole Lozano, Marisa Toccin, Belkys Nerey, Bernard Lackner, Bru and Dan Kodsi, Sandra Fiorneza, Aimee Dupuis, Lauren Harrison, Mary Louise, Dr. Guenther Koehne and Sissy DeMaria Koehne, Barnabas Carrega, Luca Pananelli, Tito Guadenzi, Dr. Daniel Careaga,and Leslie Wolfson.
Just as natural diamonds are at the heart of everything De Beers does, Mother Nature also plays a part in inspiring design. To celebrate the Bal Harbour opening, a limited edition cover inspired by nature was created for the De Beers Assouline book. The cover was designed in collaboration with Argentine-American artist Deon Rubi, a fixture in Miami’s art scene and whose work has been featured at PAMM and the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami.
“I created an image using nature as a sculptural object and water as a medium for lightness, transparency and reflection, tuning into De Beers’ commitment to beauty through the natural world,” says Rubi. “Looking through water creates a moment where time is suspended, like holding your breath, like looking closely at a diamond.”Rubi is known for marrying a delicate femininity with a strong industrial minimalism and her particular aesthetic brings a distinctive edge that complements the wondrous jewels included within the book.
With a performance by Miami’s DJ Yissel and accompanying violinist Siobhan Cronin, the evening was a curation of exhilarating creativity.
The new store is located at the Bal Harbour shops at 9700 Collins Avenue For more information visit www.debeers.com.
