New York, October 10, 2006 – H. Stern threw a party celebrating their new Stern Star diamonds, and the jeweler had no trouble luring actress Ashley Judd to their Fifth Avenue boutique for the bash. A portion from sales of the diamonds benefits YouthAIDS; Judd is the global spokesperson for the organization.

The New York store is not H. Stern’s flagship; it’s actually based in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Hence the room was filled with soft carioca accents, sexy Brazilians and the evening’s cachaca-based signature cocktail, Black Diamond Lemonade, with silver shavings floating in a glass rimmed with black sugar.

Comedian Molly Shannon exhibited American-style enthusiasm, showing us her $20,000 earrings, and chatting about the recent changes at her former TV home, Saturday Night Live.

Even with a Hilton in the house, the party remained very civilized; the only reason the police tried to shut it down was for blocking the sidewalk. Jittery organizers quickly produced the proper permits, and all went as planned.