Tuesday, August 18, 2009

£2.4m diamond dress is a real national treasure


This is the £2.4m frock that comes with rocks - and its very own security guards.
The glittering dress, dripping in 4,000 diamonds, was modelled by Tanya Alvarez to launch the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National in the plush surroundings of the revamped Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. The gossamer-fine frock may be worth a small fortune, but there was little chance of any jewel thief getting to grips with it.
Tanya was accompanied by two huge bodyguards wherever she went, who kept a beady eye on her every move.When the photoshoot was over, the dress was carefully removed and taken back by armoured van to Appleby Jewellers, where it spent last night.
The diamond-encrusted dress was designed by Thomas Heverin of Sligo and was commissioned especially for the launch by Appleby's. The dress was a labour of love for the designer, taking 200 hours to hand sew each of the 4,000 diamonds. A spokesman for Appleby's said: "Thomas has created a transparent evening gown that gives the illusion of the model wearing nothing but diamonds." While the dress may not be up for grabs to the ordinary woman in the street, Appleby's has teamed up with Power Whiskey to sponsor the Most Stylish Lady competition at this year's Irish Grand National on Easter Monday, offering the lucky winner a first prize of a diamond pendant. The racing festival, considered one of the biggest sporting and social events in the Irish calendar, runs from April 8 to 10, with the Grand National taking place on Monday, April 9. It's not the first time security guards have been posted to protect an expensive item on show or on sale in Dublin.When Creme de La Mer's exclusive face cream Essence was launched at Harvey Nichols in Dundrum, Dublin, priced £1,420, a bodyguard was put in place to watch over it.

Customers also had to book an appointment to view it before buying.

By Maureen Coleman
Thursday, 22 March 2007
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/16324m-diamond-dress-is-a-real-national-treasure-13426916.html#ixzz0ObivVw7N

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