“I’ve been resisting temptation,” said Angela, a Los Angeles–based, Taiwanese jewelry collector standing in the courtyard of the Confucian Temple in Shanghai where orchestrated a dinner for roughly 50 top clients from around fake Van Cleef jewelrythe world Many traveled here—whether from Beijing or Chicago—for Saturday night’s opening of the maison’s exhibit, “Van Cleef & Arpels, Timeless Beauty,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai, to acquire a few new treasures, and for this extravagant supper. (Van Cleef flew in millions of dollars worth of exclusive pieces for their clients’ choosing, including a selection of lacquered butterfly clips, as butterflies are the Chinese symbol for young love.) “My friends from Singapore bought loads of,” Angela said with a smile, glancing over to three statuesque women wearing their hair up to showcase Replica Cartier Braceletheavy ruby-and-diamond drop. “They did their share.”
And there was more to be done! Because two hours later, after a six-course meal and a performance by the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Singaporean socials, like elegant gem junkies, laughed and tried on more necklaces and bracelets. “It’s astonishing to watch,” said one of the few American collectors in the group, clearly impressed by the ladies’ freewheeling exuberance and appetite for stones.
Even more fascinating Knockoff Van Cleef Perlee Braceletwere the two stylish twenty-somethings who bought pieces for themselves that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. One, a petite beauty from southern China dressed in an unexpectedly charming combination of a green-and-black Fendi shift, coral alligator platform sandals, and a mini Birkin, bought for her upcoming wedding in Phuket this winter. The other, a 24-year-old Pepperdine Imitation Van Cleef Fly Beauties Butterfly Necklacegraduate who moved back to Beijing to work for her family’s energy business, picked up the Jardin d’Hiver pendant, which is shaped like a Chinese lantern and covered in more than five carats of diamonds and five different kinds of sapphires. It’s about the size of an unshelled peanut. As she casually flicked through her iPhone to find a picture of it, she explained, with a wry laugh, “It’s a piece I can wear every day.”