Pierre Irving, trustees board chairman, with his wife, Kathy, wearing Tiffany diamonds.

John W. Corbett

Decked out in diamonds worth a king’s ransom, co-chairs Leslie Hull, Mary Van Pelt and Gladys V. Szapary stood on a receiving line greeting guests to the Preservation Society of Newport County’s Tiffany Ball.

Trudy Coxe, the society’s CEO and executive director, also donned impressive jewels –– a necklace valued at an estimated $80,000 and a matching bracelet.

After all, the black-tie soiree was named for the famous jeweler, Tiffany & Co., and the company played a role in turning the event into an all-that-glitters affair. About $300,000 was raised for the nonprofit, which is dedicated to the preservation of architecture, decorative arts and landscaping.

Tiffany officials, including Peter B. Englehart, not only lent out impressive baubles, they donated a watch and diamond earrings for a raffle at the affair held on Aug. 15 at The Breakers, the stunning Italian Renaissance-style villa in Newport. (Security guards were discreetly placed on the grounds to keep an eye on the gems.)

The event turned out to be one of this summer’s jewels. More than 600 formally dressed guests attended, and they were treated to tabletop displays of vintage flatware in the house’s Great Hall. (One place setting was a pattern from the 1880s custom made for the Vanderbilt family and designed by Tiffany’s Charles Grosjean.)

About 50 years ago, the Preservation Society threw a similar ball. Coxe said some of the guests at this party party were at the original one, and there’s reason to believe that another recreation of the Tiffany Ball will occur in 50 years.

The evening began with the co-chairs greeting guests in the mansion’s Great Hall. Dinner was served under a tent on the terrace; the guests sat at tables decorated with white flowers and greens placed in either a tall thin glass vase or a silver bowl.

The crowd dined on chilled lobster salad with smoked paprika remoulade, beef tenderloin with melted leeks and shiitake mushrooms. After dinner, they danced to the sounds of the Alex Donner Orchestra.