In what must seem only an Icon moment, the magazine of that title turned five years old.

The weighty luxe monthly from the stable of SPH Magazines toasted its fifth birthday with sparklers, champagne and sapphire, and tai-tais decked in both.

Its managing editor, Miss Elsie Yah, explained its ball theme, “Sapphire is for fifth anniversary.”

To underline that statement, she bared a handsome ransom’s worth of the gems down her throat, courtesy of Van Cleef and Arpels.

Throwing imagination to the wind – lord knows, don’t shoot the breeze in this heatwave – many of the ladies who love to luxe showed up in variations on a blue rhapsody.

Belinda Chua, the woman behind Flower Diamond and one not shy to wear a garden’s worth in carats, weaved in and out of the Mandarin Hotel’s ballroom in a Renee L collection.

What, no million-dollar diamond tonight?

She gave me a finger: You mean this?

It was weighed down by a crown jewel of a sapphire circled with diamonds, like the mother version of Princess Diana’s engagement ring.

Icon originated the “20 Most Invited” list and every year it varies by a couple of names, as does the anniversary ball’s 10 best-dressed list.

This year’s gown standouts are Sharel Ho, Shabnam Kumaresan, Jamie Cuaca, Grace Yeh, Grace Chng, Susanna Kang, Coco Tang, Elaine Lim-Chan, Rany Moran, Kelly Sia.

In all the years on the socialite circuit, Grace Yeh, Susanna Kang and Kelly Sia have never worn a thread wrong.

Neither have Nina Ng, Tracy Cheuk, Lotus Soh, among other ladies, but you top off at 10.

Celia Teh, one of Singapore’s iconic models, always turns heads with her simple, elegant, impeccable taste – she was in an aquamarine Calvin Klein.

Some 250 guests dined on – delicious surprise in these times – classic sharks’ fin soup and spiced spring chicken stuffed with foie gras, while a very pleasant combo jazzed us with The Way You Look Tonight (or Is There Spinach On My Teeth) and other standards.

As the band segued into The Nearness Of You, it took all my heft not to pull the waiters apart.

Five of them – all foreign talent – were breathing over a tray of Japanese Yuzu Citrus Sorbet, unsure in putonghua when to garnish it with a leaf, or not.

Nian qing ren (young man in Mandarin), serve it now before it melts in an Icon moment!

Click here to view the photos.

Photos: Plush, Royston Neo, TNP, Gary Goh

This article was first published in The New Paper.