Best of Show: Brilliant Stars & Concours d’Elegance
PICTURE THIS
Picture that you and your jewelry company have just been chosen to create the award for the top classic car in the most important classic car competition/show in the world!
For creating the Best of Show award for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show, the honor goes to: Brilliant Stars!
“Big things are happening,” exclaims Rodney Rahmani, President of Brilliant Stars, international gemstone merchants, designers of magnificent jewelry, and AGTA members, located in New York. “We have just been named one of the main sponsors of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show.”
For a jeweler in a family business to be on the world platform of this scale, this is by far the most humbling experience. With over 100 global concourse shows, all copying Pebble Beach, Brilliant Stars will be at the top of the collectible car world. “For us to be on that stage is a very big deal.”
Best of Show Award Ceremony – August 20th !
Rodney Rahmani, President of Brilliant Stars, holding the presentation trophy for the Best of Show award.
THE Car Show
Car collectors worldwide dream of competing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links is the stage and the rolling Pacific Ocean serves as backdrop.
Begun in 1950, this concours is the top-ranking collector car competition in the world. It is also the event to which most other modern concours now trace their roots. Initially modeled on the early European concours that showcased new cars, the Pebble Beach Concours shifted its focus to collector cars in 1955—and other concours followed suit. It has also taken the lead by including racing greats and offering featured marques and special classes as early as 1953, introducing displays of dream cars and concepts in the 1980s, and instituting driving events and emphasizing the importance of preservation in the 1990s.
Guided by—and often driving—the interests of enthusiasts the world over, this concours continues to set the bar for all others.
The Concours d’Elegance is not a contest of speed, but of elegance. Automobiles are judged for their style and technical merit, as well as their history, their originality and the accuracy of their preservation or restoration—and the best garner reward and recognition.
And Brilliant Stars jewelry will be a main sponsor of the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
SPONSORSHIP
Brilliant Stars jewelry announced their new, multi-faceted sponsorship of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 1st. Yes, they are sponsoring the hand made bejeweled Best of Show statuette, as well as the Chairman’s Dinner, as well as the accompanying Silent Auction, donating and raising funds for a host of charities that benefit the local community.
“We are humbled and honored to be associated with the pre-eminent collector car show in the world, and especially with the incredible charitable efforts of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance,” said Rahmani. “At the pinnacle of the antique car world is the Best of Show winning car and for Brilliant Stars to be among the trophy presenters is a momentous occasion. In a first ever, our talented team has designed a hand-made, exotic wood and solid gold base which will showcase a miniature gold and diamond statuette of the winning car, to be completed a few months after the event. It will be a one-of-a-kind trophy, worthy of the occasion!”
“Brilliant Stars is pairing with us in a very creative way, and we are excited to see the Best of Show statuette that their team is creating,” said Concours Chairman Sandra Button. “Sponsors like Brilliant Stars play an important role in making the Pebble Beach Concours a success, heightening the experience for all by bringing cars or people or unique offerings and experiences, while helping to defray costs and allowing more funds to go to our charities.”
The Tucson-like Event
Pebble Beach is not only known for its famous golf course, but also for its historic auto show.
Comparing it to the gem world, Rahmani says that Pebble Beach is like Tucson, only revolving around a car show. “For a 20 mile or so radius, including Carmel and Monterey, Pebble Beach has become the center of the car world.”
Like Tucson, there are 20 to 30 events, many of them unrelated to the main event, including auctions from Mecum, Sotheby’s, Christies, auctioning cars and memorabilia, all because of the Concours d’Elegance. Pebble Beach is the classic auto capital of the world.
For Brilliant Stars, being on the grand global stage – but instead of gems and jewels, concentrating on older collectable cars – to be accepted into the auto show, is quite impressive.
Every year, during the last week of august, the Concours d’Elegance takes over the 18th hole, and is the backdrop for the awards ceremony naming the best of the best.
While there may be several awards given to outstanding automobiles in their specific class, there is only one overall winner, labeled Best of Show, and Brilliant Stars will be presenting, along with Rolex, the prizes to the grand winner.
A Miniature Replica
Early in discussions with the Concours d’Elegance organizers, Rahmani noted that jewelry was the theme of their ideas for the award. But following the success of their Harley Davidson statuette created for the 2022 AGTA Spectrum Awards, Rahmani offered to create a trophy with an exact replica of the winning car, in solid gold, with diamonds.
“We will be presenting the Best of Show winner an exotic wood and solid gold trophy that holds at its top, a miniature solid gold early American car.” After the show, Rahmani and his team will recreate the actual winning car, in a miniature with over 30 different (and moving) solid gold parts. “We will then swap out the temporary early American car with the actual winning model.”
“You should have seen the look on the faces of the Concours d’Elegance executives when I made this offer,” said Rahmani. “They couldn’t believe it could be done!”
An Exotic Base
Rahmani brought in some very exotic wood from India under CITES permission, noting its age, specifically for this unique award. The base will feature an 18 Karat rose gold plaque, with the miniature car sitting on top, between two rails of gold and diamonds, depicting the edges of the imaginary road. “Even the wood base will have gold and diamond components,” says Rahmani.
A History of Giving
Concours d’Elegance has a long history of charitable giving. Brilliant Stars does as well. This is a good match.
For the auto show, Concours d’Elegance pools donations to support mainly local charities. You might be wondering what charitable needs there are in one of wealthiest neighborhoods in the world. Other than the very expensive coastal property, this mid-California region is know for its farming, populated by migrant farm workers, immigrants, all working the fields, the vines. So many of the charities sponsored by Concours d’Elegance go towards helping the local residents, with scholarships, for schools, for health care, including scholarships even for people to learn how to restore old cars.
The Chairman’s Dinner
Brilliant Stars has been asked to be the sole sponsor for the Chairman’s Dinner, a collective of the worlds most important car collectors, with a history of generosity. What Brilliant Stars has done in return, is that for the first time, they are donating a choice of one of two rings, a 9 carat unheated sapphire ladies ring, and an 8 carat unheated sapphire gents ring, for silent auction among the dinner’s VIPS, with 100% of the money going to the Concours d’Elegance pool of charities.
About Brilliant Stars
Brilliant Stars is a New York based, 3rd generation designer and manufacturer of handmade jewels and remains one of the most direct sources of rare gemstones and diamonds. Each gemstone used is procured at respective mining sites and Brilliant Stars is involved with every step in the jewelry process from gemstone cutting to the final polish of the finished jewel. Their expansive New York workshop facilities supply some of the finest jewelry retailers in over 20 different countries.
About Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
First conducted in 1950, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® (www.pebblebeachconcours.net) has grown to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and historic cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links®, and connoisseurs of art and style gather to admire these masterpieces. Charitable donations raised by Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance® now total over $35 million. Related events include Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance® presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™ presented by Alliant Private Client, and Pebble Beach® Auctions presented by Gooding & Company. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance®, Pebble Beach RetroAuto™, Pebble Beach Classic Car Forum™, and Pebble Beach® Automotive Week are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. All rights reserved. For more information, please call 831-622-1700 or visit pebblebeachconcours.net.
