For a glorious fortnight, the Tiffany & Co boutique in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur had the privilege of showcasing its Jewel Box collection, which recently landed on Malaysian shores for collectors, enthusiasts and fans of the 183-year-old brand to get an up-close look at 60 high jewellery pieces valued at a total of US$21 million.
The stunning pieces included those that had been worn on the red carpet by a string of A-list celebrities, including Charlize Theron, who wore a platinum necklace with a 10-carat emerald at its heart, as well as 21 extra carats of baguette sapphires and 35 carats of baguette diamonds, at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. Lady Gaga has been spotted wearing a pair of exquisitely-made earrings that mimic soft butterfly wings in motion but are fashioned out of textured 18-carat gold.
In the spirit of the season, Options teamed up with the preeminent New York jeweller to host an intimate evening with a small selection of handpicked guests who got to specially view the collection. Champagne and petite canapes accompanied the animated conversation that swirled around the fanciful pieces and guests took the opportunity to customise their selection of Christmas crackers.
Those missing their annual ski holidays also took the chance to relive memories at the very swish cocoa cart (emblazoned with Tiffany ‘T’ motifs, no less) which allowed them to customise their own cup of hot chocolate — with or without a spike of Baileys. Guests later adjourned to dinner at a special pop-up location in the Banyan Tree-managed Pavilion Hotel to sample Chef Ivan Chai’s creations — which will soon be featured at the city’s latest five-star Chinese restaurant, whose name is rumoured to be Yu Ting Heen (Cantonese for Jade Pavilion) — accompanied by liberal splashes of Dom Pérignon.
As the evening wound down, we were reminded of the saying that when we wear coloured gemstones, we own the rainbow. And even though this year might have more than its fair share of gloom, for one special night, we had the chance to see and try on the pieces of jewellery — each a work of art in its own right — and felt bright, beautiful and all aglow once more.
This article first appeared on Dec 14, 2020 in The Edge Malaysia.