SIR ELTON JOHN & CHOPARD RAISE MORE THAN £3.9 MILLIONS

AT THE 7^TH ANNUAL WHITE TIE & TIARA BALL

Woodside, Old Windsor, UK – For the seventh consecutive year, Sir Elton John and David Furnish opened their Windsor home to their friends to raise millions for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and their fight against AIDS on Thursday 23^rd June 2005. This glamorous charity event has now become one of the highlights of the London season.
This year, Chic and Patti Labelle were the entertainers, along with the Sinikithemba Choir, who Elton John met in Durban in January 2005 and invited to perform with him and his full band.  Sharon Stone, Elizabeth Hurley, Rod Stewart & Penny Lancaster, Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan, Bob Geldof, Dame Shirley Bassey, Eva Herzigova, Diana Ross, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Lulu, Sharon Osbourne, and The Duchess of York are just a few of the celebrities who came to support Sir Elton and lend their name to this important cause.
Elton John’s love of jewellery is well known. His friend Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, Co-President of Chopard had created especially for him a large yellow gold and diamond cross, with a 31-carat exquisite yellow diamond.
Many guests chose to wear for this elegant night Chopard jewellery creations: for Victoria Beckham, a beautiful 59 carats sapphire heart ring, Sharon Stone chose long dangling earrings and pear shaped emeralds, Elizabeth Hurley, a stunning diamond tiara, Patti Labelle, a large diamond set, The Duchess of York, an emerald and diamond set, Lulu wearing pearl earrings and diamonds, Eva Herzigova chose earrings from the Copacabana collection, Penny Lancaster, adorned with a 56 carats heart shaped diamond necklace, Dame Shirley Bassey, chose a cognac diamond set….
But the largest jewel of the night was the extraordinary 85 carat rough diamond from South Africa that Chopard chose to unveil at the event, to add its own touch to the African theme. This one of a kind stone is so exceptional that it will be cut down to reveal two magnificent gems: a new 35 carat D Flawless Ashoka - the largest Ashoka diamond ever cut – and an exquisite 15 carat D Flawless emerald-cut diamond. Both stones will be cut by William Goldberg. A generous portion from the sales of these jewels will be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
This year’s White Tie & Tiara Ball was the most spectacular yet. A feel of Africa dominated the beautiful grounds of Woodside. Following Sir Elton John's and David Furnish’s visit to South Africa at the beginning of 2005 - both for the charity’s first fundraising event in Africa (The Cape Town Ball) and to visit projects of the Elton John AIDS Foundation - they felt that Africa was the only theme that should be considered for this year’s event. 
As guests walked through the garden, they were surprised to encounter a couple of giraffes and zebras and to hear the sounds of a family of gorillas, at home in Woodside for one night… A traditional African musical group and the South African Sinikithemba Choir set the African atmosphere.
After the reception, the hosts were escorted to an elegant and contemporary safari lodge overlooking the lake. The dark wood floors, crossbeams, tribal shields on the walls, and lavishly draped muslin were the set of a sumptuous dinner. Delicious African skewers, African Beef Entrecote, were followed by a unique chocolate-roofed African hut and tropical fruit salad market boat. The room was filled with luxurious flowers from Africa, including proteas, the national flower of South Africa, gathered by Rob Van Helden. Guests had the feeling of having decamped to the plains with their finest dinnerware and goods…whilst looking out at the African landscape.
Presented by Sharon Stone, the auction raised over £ 1 million. Hosts bid for unique lots such as a Portrait Session with David Bailey, a Dinner with Elton and David at their newly refurbished London home, and a Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
After the live performances, guests danced late in the thatched portico overlooking the lake…
Chopard also chose the exotic setting of the event to launch the latest in its series of Elton John Watches, a vibrant “Orange” chronograph, limited to 2000 pieces, of which a substantial portion of the sales proceeds will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The guests discovered the watch, as well as a number of rare and dazzling diamond creations, hidden in unique African hut-inspired displays in Sir Elton John’s garden.
For many years now Chopard has been active in supporting medical research, and we have given aid to numerous foundations. When Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele met Sir Elton John eight years ago, he immediately approached her with the idea that Chopard could take an active role in his foundation’s fight against AIDS. The most original and effective way for Chopard to help was to create and promote a series of watches, designed to reflect Sir Elton John’s style. Together they have made this a reality, and Chopard is truly excited to present another beautiful creation, “The Orange Watch” to add to the collection. The Elton John Watch Collection is available at the Chopard Boutiques worldwide. Chopard donates parts of the benefits of the sales to the Elton John AIDS Foundation as part of an overall programme of support. As part of its continuous support, Chopard co-hosted Elton John’s Oscars Party in February, and has been for six years the partner of the wonderful White Tie & Tiara Ball.
Elton John, who serves as Chairman, established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1993. With offices in Los Angeles and London, The Foundation is an international non-profit organization that provides funding for prevention education programs and direct patient care services supporting men, women, young adults, children, infants, minorities and entire families living with HIV/AIDS. Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed more than $62 million in grants worldwide.