Interior designers Juan Montoya and Kate de Brienne along with Maggie Norris, Robert Ruffino and Sharon Bush were among the guests at a cocktail benefit for the Metropolitan Opera at the Turkish jewelry house Gilan on Monday, June 28. Sohair Soukkary and Luz Miriam Torro co-hosted the party at the Fifth Avenue flagship store. Timothy John, Michel Witmer and Melissa Berkelhammer sipped Vision vodka cocktails and got a look at Gilan’s most coveted haute couture pieces. Gilan’s Vice President of Retail Sales Samir Tahan gave Cindy Guyer, Kathleen Giordano and the gorgeous Vision vodka ambassadors pieces from the jeweler’s Heritage Collection to try on for the evening. Bahadir Alphan and Caroline Salama thanked everyone for coming to support the Metropolitan Opera, which relies on half of each season’s budget from private contributions.
Gilan’s jewelry has been worn by some of the leading ladies in Hollywood including Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. Since its founding in 1980, Gilan has crafted one of a kind opulent fine jewelry and objets d’art, inspired by the splendor of Istanbul and the cultures that passed through this magnificent melting pot of civilizations.
