These days, the hottest deals in luxury jewellery are rarely found on Bond Street and Madison Avenue.
Whether it's over champagne at a New York Fashion Week party hosted by De Grisogono founder Fawaz Gruosi, during an intimate dinner at LA's Chateau Marmont with rock'n'roll jeweller Stephen Webster and co-host Christina Aguilera, or at Cartier's dinner at the Natural History Museum, this is a luxury shopping spree - just not as we know it.
Opportunities for social climbing while shopping have never looked so good.
Buyers in the market for the most expensive pieces of jewellery are being swept up in a luxury-style social life.
Partying with celebrities is all par for the course - even if some of the A-listers have been paid to attend.
This autumn Kristin Scott Thomas, Elle Macpherson, Daryl Hannah and Hilary Swank were whisked off to Shanghai, courtesy of Montblanc, for a spectacular dinner to launch a jewellery collection ranging in price from £48,000 to £2.5million.
In a specially-constructed temporary theatre, cabaret performances included the two leads from London's cast of The Phantom Of The Opera, plus 100 dancers and singers flown in from the U.S., Britain and Australia.
Attended by Tibetan princes, Shanghai's mayor, Asia's most influential and richest business people and several Asian celebrities, the event asserted Montblanc's position in both the world of serious diamond jewellery and the loftiest echelons of Asian high society.
Whether celebrities are paid to be there or are already clients (everyone likes to claim their guests are existing customers), jewellery-lovers are learning the benefits of socialising with, and befriending, their jeweller.
A key advantage is getting a first look at unique pieces or limited editions, such as eight Faith bracelets, with charms of five major religions, launched by Jemima Khan and friends at Boodles earlier this month.
And to get clients spending, the glamour stakes are being pushed increasingly higher.
A Cartier event during September's Fashion Week, to launch their pricey Inde Mysterieuse jewellery collection, involved a lavish catwalk show and dinner at the Governmentowned Mayfair mansion Lancaster House.
Two weeks later they hosted an opulent dinner at the Natural History Museum to celebrate opening their Cartier 'temple' on Bond Street.
The outside of the museum was swathed in red light and its entrance bedecked in a red carpet that sparkled with candles.
Such displays are aimed at encouraging admirers of the rare and luxurious to clamour over exclusive pieces and compete against each other to own them.
"Buying expensive one-off jewels has become a bit like the triumph of appropriating an It-handbag - although, of course, the jewels are far more expensive than bags," says a spokesperson for Genevabased jewellers De Grisogono.
"Customers ask what others have bought and don't want to own the same thing. Many people end up attending the same events so they are sometimes competing for the same pieces."
President of De Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi, often hosts starstudded parties in London, New York and Tokyo.
And he holds his own birthday parties every August somewhere glamorous - such as one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the world, the Billionaire Club in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, owned by his friend, Formula One boss Flavio Briatore.
Gruosi regularly hosts celebrities and members of wealthy society families like the Juffalis and Tchenguizes. Last year at the Cannes Film Festival the De Grisogono party happened to take place on Naomi Campbell's birthday.
To ensure his supermodel guest's big day wasn't eclipsed by his party, Gruosi surprised Campbell with fireworks and a huge birthday cake.
"My friends become my clients and my clients become my friends," says Gruosi.
"By three or four in the morning people feel totally relaxed. I love laughing, joking and having a good time. It takes time to build up those relationships."
Each February Gruosi hosts a weekend in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Gstaad, where he invites around 20 guests for a weekend of skiing and dining, and 100 guests for a party.
Gruosi remains on 24-hour call, ensuring his guests have private drivers and tables at restaurants.
His event has become such a hot ticket that Gruosi found himself fielding complaints from socialites who didn't make the guest list.
British jeweller Stephen Webster, who is "on tour" in the U.S., brings parties to the stores he visits.
"In Los Angeles Christina Aguilera and I co-hosted a small dinner for top clients in the penthouse of the coolest hotel, Chateau Marmont, with models and DJs," he says.
"It was one of the hottest tickets in town. I have three more cities before I go home where I'll be hosting more parties."
In Scottsdale, Arizona, Webster turned a jewellery store into a club with a DJ spinning tracks by Guns N' Roses, the White Stripes and The Killers.
Beer and wine were served all day, and there were pool tables and a display of Triumph motorbikes.
Securing a place on the guest lists for these events is not easy. "It doesn't hurt to spend a huge amount," admits Cartier's UK managing director Arnaud Bamberger.
"We also consider the lifestyle and interests of people we invite to a Cartier event."
The key to being asked to such parties is a willingness to spend large amounts of cash, but sometimes befriending the rich is just as good - Elle Macpherson's two "global life coaches" accompanied her to Shanghai for the Montblanc spectacle.
Boodles also hosts selected champagne evenings and parties to which guests can invite friends.
As for De Grisogono parties, Gruosi claims that "95 to 98 per cent of our guests hear about our parties and ask to be invited".
But doesn't this celebrity studded social whirlwind risk making a walk down Bond Street's illustrious pavements comparatively boring?
Not exactly. This isn't just about glitzy social events. Both jewellery lovers and upmarket High Street jewellers are realising the benefits of forging relationships, both inside and outside the confines of the boutique.
Covetable guest lists are one thing, but there are plenty of other forms of special treatment on offer, such as invitations to private preview appointments at Bond Street jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels and exclusive watch store Marcus.
One of the most prestigious jewellers in the north of England, Cottrills in Cheshire, will soon receive the new Rolex GMT Master Ice, which at £255,570 is the most expensive Rolex ever made.
It will be sold by appointment only and it's questionable whether the piece will even make it into the shop window.
Hirsh's November invitee-only preview event at Claridge's is an opportunity for selected guests to view hundreds of one-off handmade pieces before the Christmas rush.
Anonymity and kudos accompany the thrill of buying jewellery directly from a company owner, director or designer.
Robinson Pelham's shop has a strict by-appointment only entrance policy.
"Our customers come to us by word-of-mouth and many appreciate spending their money in privacy. They know that what is discussed here won't go past these four walls.
"I've been known to fit appointments in at 10pm or 7am," says Vanessa Chilton, director and jewellery designer.
Meanwhile, to lure the super-rich, jewellers are increasingly going out of their way to serve and meet customers.
Jewellers such as Hirsh, Boodles, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron sometimes meet their best customers at their treadmills, desks, favourite restaurants and hotels.
Jewellers can also be found flying round the globe hand-delivering rare pieces. Some customers don't have time to leave their work and some prefer not to be seen out shopping.
"This year I've travelled to Los Angeles, Moscow, the U.S., Istanbul and Eastern Europe to deliver to clients," says Chris Cameron-Gudge, general manager of Bond Street's Marcus watch store.
Customers are happy to return the favour. When Cameron-Gudge delivered a watch to a Moscow client, he thought he might be late catching his return flight to London.
The client made a quick call and arranged armed guards, a police convoy and a fast track through the airport.
"British Airways treated me like royalty, even though I was flying economy," says Cameron-Gudge, who was also recently thanked with Arsenal tickets by a Middle Eastern client.
As luxury brands intent on securing lasting relationships with customers fall over themselves to offer experiences only a gold-edged invitation can buy, social events are becoming increasingly common.
But with the spate of new boutique openings in Mayfair in recent months — from Boodles to Chaumet and Cartier — it's clear shops are here to stay.
Still, making your jeweller your new best friend could bring a considerable sparkle to your social life as well as your outfits.
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