My Niece, Sophie, Attends the Nomad's Way Charity Gala
Last Thursday evening I was invited to attend the Nomad’s Way Charity Gala held at the New York Public Library in Manhattan. Nomad’s Way introduces the unique heritage and cultural identity of Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend, but I asked my niece, Sophie Herbert, to be my ambassador at the event. Sophie actually lived in Kazakhstan for several months after completing college and she is very familiar with the way of life there. On display for one week were very rare pieces of antique Kazakh jewelry. Throughout Kazakh history, jewelry was used to emphasize the importance of the female character and every detail of these fabulous pieces carries a very specific meaning. In addition to the exhibition, there was a live auction of one-of-a kind pieces created specifically for the event by some of the most renowned jewelry houses in the world. Each of those amazing pieces was inspired by the ancient artisanry of Kazakhstan. Proceeds from the auction benefitted the Saby Charitable Foundation.
1 This is the handsome exterior of the New York Public Library, one of Sophie's and my favorite buildings.
2 The interior is stately and majestic!
3 Aselle Tasmagambetova, one of the organizers of the event, and President of the Saby Foundation. She launched Saby Charitable Foundation ten years ago, whose mission is to enhance the welfare of children in her native Kazakhstan.
4 One piece of the amazing and rare antique Kazakh jewelry on display
5 A most stunning necklace
6 Temple earrings were common accessories in Kazakh adornment sets. These earrings often had small heart or spear-shaped pendants attached by small chains to a girl's cap near her temples on each side.
7 More amazing work
8 Long, thick hair was always an object of special pride among Kazakh women, and was thought to have magical powers. The emphasis on the importance of women's hair led to the design of special hair adornments, like this one.
9 Such beautiful earrings!
10 The party was organized by the renowned event planner, Colin Cowie. Everything was magnificently presented!
11 This waitperson was passing delicious skewered shrimp and stuffed artichoke hearts.
12 A perfect combo - Kazakh Snow Queen Vodka and caviar!
13 A really lovely presentation of seared scallops topped with creme fraiche and green caviar
14 One of Colin's lovely servers.
15 At first these hors d'oeuvres didn't seem so Kazakh. However, if you look closer, the crispy fries were served in mini American and Kazakh flag baskets!
16 My niece Sophie Herbert and Kelly Galvin, who works with my publicist Susan Magrino - Kelly was working at the event.
17 There was no shortage of wonderful food!
18 A view from above
19 Another look
20 As you can see, the library foyer is magnificent!
21 There were lovely tulips throughout. Tulips are the national flower of Kazakhstan, but contrary to common belief, they originally come from the Central Asian steppe.
22 A photo of Kazakhstan's famous Bayterek Tower that Sophie took in March of 2007 to celebrate the much anticipated arrival of Spring. Photo Credit: Sophie Herbert
23 Tulips tucked away from the cold for sale on the streets of Astana. Photo Credit: Sophie Herbert
24 Mrs. Byrganym Aitimova, Ambassador to the United Nations from Kazakhstan and Colombian Ambassador to the United Nations, Néstor Osorio
25 The New York Post's Cindy Adams with journalist and author Dan Slater www.thelongforum.com
26 The gorgeous actress Michelle Rodriguez attended the event.
27 As did Sigourney Weaver - She hosted this event and was also in Kazakhstan this past fall for the Eurasia film festival.
28 Sophie Herbert and Dan Slater
29 Aselle Tasmagambetova, one of the organizers of this event, greeted a New York based Kazakh.
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Sophie does wonderful work. A few years ago, I highlighted her work with Energy For Orphans on my blog. And Sigourney Weaver is looking marvelous! She is one of my favourites. Looks like a lovely evening.
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | February 21st, 2012 at 7:20 am
I always enjoy seeing you Sophie on Martha's show and what a treat to see you stepping in for Martha at the charity gala at the New York Public Library. The jewelry was amazing and I loved the presentation of the food. After reading this post I was inspired to look up Kazakhstan to familiarize myself with this interesting country. It's the 9th largest country in the world and very ethnically diverse. Thanks for sharing your lovely evening Sophie!
Posted by: Cindy F | February 21st, 2012 at 8:46 am
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | February 21st, 2012 at 9:29 am
Hi Martha, How nice that you had your beautiful niece, Sophie, attend such a great event about a place that she was very familiar with! I remember her blogs about living in Kazakhstan a few years ago and they were fantastic! It's easy to see that she had a wonderful time at the event and her photos were spectacular! The Kazakh jewelry was awesome! The New York Public Library sure is a great place for such events, as well as just visiting the library! It's always fun to see any of your beautiful and handsome nieces and nephews and sure would love to see them on your TV Show anytime! Off to see The Daily Wag blog about Willows and Signs of Spring! Have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | February 21st, 2012 at 10:38 am
Hi Martha,
I would say Sophie was the perfect Ambassador to represent you at this event. She’s so intelligent, a natural for public speaking and she always looks terrific! It’s hard for me to realize she’s been through college already and lived months in Kazakhstan. Where does the time go! Thanks for sharing this event with us. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful jewelry as well as the library. Trish
Posted by: Trish | February 21st, 2012 at 10:56 am
Nice event. Being born and raised in Kazakhstan, I must say I always was fascinated with the unique characteristic of Kazakh jewelry. I'm grad New-Yorkers had a chance to be introduced to cultural side of this country.
Posted by: GlamourCoach | February 21st, 2012 at 8:55 pm
I've done research on the eagle hunters of Kazakhstan. It is amazing how they train huge golden eagles to hunt prey as large as wolves.
Posted by: r steven page | February 25th, 2012 at 6:07 pm