A glamorous VIP gala, paved with international and Chinese stars, was the setting for Montblanc's presentation of its haute diamond jewelry collection. It was pitched to super-rich "ultimate ladies."
In "A Tribute to Women," a luxury dinner and show, Montblanc presented its new Etoile de Montblanc Haute Joaillerie collection at the Montblanc Opera House late last month. The venue was created especially for the gala.
Montblanc launched its high-class diamond jewelry line of dazzling, one-of-a-kind necklaces in February in Chamonix, France. This was its presentation in China, and it included a new necklace, Lumiere - with a nearly 12-carat Montblanc diamond. The entire piece weighs 380 carats.
The company celebrated its jewelry - and its women buyers - with a performance by more than 100 dancers and international singers from America, Australia and the United Kingdom. Their backgrounds range from the Royal Opera to "Phantom of the Opera" and their show was reminiscent of the golden period of glamor.
Around 35 celebrities from Hollywood and Asia took part. The list included Hilary Swank, Elle MacPherson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Daryl Hannah, Li Bingbing, Zhang Ziyi and Maggie Q, as well as Chinese superstars Zhang Jingchu, Du Juan, Xu Xiyuan, Charlie Yang and Xiao Qiang.
"Montblanc diamonds are timeless luxury art pieces crafted by the mind," says Lutz Bethge, executive general manager of Montblanc. "We hold this event in homage to successful, intelligent and beautiful women, who mirror the values of the Montblanc brand."
The luxury jewelry collection contains the Eclat, Dentelle, Etoile, Passion and Lumiere necklaces and earrings.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of Lumiere, the latest work in the collection, featuring briolette-cut diamonds that dance around the Montblanc diamond, weighing 11.88 carats.
Billed as "playful and elegant, contemporary yet unquestionably timeless," the necklace can be worn without the pendant, "ideally matching any look and mood of the ultimate ladies," Bethge says. "This is a masterpiece of true haute couture, incredible in its audacious stones combination and construction."
The craftsmanship of the cut is the key, says Bethge.
"Most experts consider cut the most important characteristic of a diamond, because even with perfect color and clarity, a diamond will suffer dulled brilliance from a poor cut," he says.
It took eight years of research and development to finally create the optimum cut of the three-dimensional Montblanc star in 2006, he says. It has 43 facets; it also has a second star deep at the bottom of the diamond itself, allowing the light to dance inside, creating fire and sparkle.
In the flat baguette-shaped Etoile necklace, 22 carats of cut diamonds set off the radiance of the six-carat Montblanc diamond - it's worth US million. The Passion necklace features round and heart-shaped diamonds totaling 17.42 carats.
Dentelle, the third design, not only recalls fine lace but does so with 5.42 carats.
At the 60th Cannes Film Festival, Montblanc presented Eclat. The opulent collection of 1,464 diamonds is comprised of seven dancing threads and one more supporting the Montblanc diamond. There's a pair of earrings.
Since the world launch of Montblanc's luxury jewelry, Etoile de Montblanc fans have included supermodel Naomi Campbell, Latin singer Jennifer Lopez, as well as actresses Lucy Liu, Eva Green and Naomi Watts.
"Montblanc's presentation highlights fine craftsmanship, tradition and an appreciation of the essential things in life - thoughts, feelings, beauty and culture," Bethge enthuses. "Some moments are moments of extreme bliss. Montblanc would like to celebrate these special moments in pomp and glory with our unique jewels."