Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1195863
B ehind the gates of Stablewood, at interior designer Lucinda Loya's beautiful home, a stylish group of diamond devotees were greeted by Loya and co-host Francine Ballard, invited for cocktails and a preview of De Beers' latest high je welry collection, Portraits of Nature. The largest collection De Beers has shown to date, Portraits of Nature made a splash at Paris Haute Couture week. More than a year in the making, the gems are inspired by a kaleidoscope of wild creatures and their striking color and texture. The feathers of the greater fl amingo, the wings of the monarch butterfl y, the colors of the Knysna chameleon, the stripes of the Chapman's zebra, and the iridescent scales of the electric cichlid fi sh are interpreted via white and colored diamonds. Loya's contemporary art-fi lled home served as the perfect backdrop for the dazzling homage to fauna, with vibrant fl owers-as-plumage from Swift + Company. De Beers marketing and communications director Pooja Johari, in from New York, and Galleria store director Rene Chapman-Wood ensured that white burgundy and champagne fl owed alongside caviar and small bites by A Fare Extraordinaire. Security guards eagerly assisted the bevy in trying on bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, the collection New York-bound the following morning. De Beers generously donated a portion of the evening's proceeds to Houston 20 fi ghtforus.org. SEEN: Neekie Kashani, Kelly Silvers, Alicia Maguire Smith, Melissa Mithoff, Laura Fondren, Courtney Hopson, Annie Amante, Jill King, Lindsay Fox, Maggie Vermillion, Fay Zakhem, Ellen Sweet, Tara English, Pippa Fraumeni, Carolyn Tanner, and Jo Barrett. 18 A DAZZLING EVENING WITH DE BEERS ANNE LEE PHILLIPS GAZES AT GEMS. PHOTOGRAPHY EMILE C. BROWNE. Monica Bickers, Pooja Johari Ellen Sweet Rene Chapman-Wood Kelly Silvers Co-host Francine Ballard, Fay Zakhem Host Lucinda Loya Courtney Hopson, Laura Fondren Neekie Kashani Melissa Mithoff Pippa Fraumeni, Anne Lee Phillips De Beers Monarch Butterfly ring