Amy Hugo enjoys clinking glasses with Amethyst’s best customersFor Amy Hugo, owner of Amethyst Contemporary Designer Jewelry, cultivating strong customer relationships is paramount to doing good business. The Bethesda, Md.–based retailer—who opened a second location in Fairfax, Va., last year—is so committed to her clientele that she regularly throws private parties to fete them. She hosts bimonthly cocktail soirees for specific customers, who invite 10 to 15 of their closest friends to coo over Hugo’s stellar mix of contemporary fine jewelry, including pieces from the shop’s private label collection and looks from such outside brands as Anne Sportun, August Nine, Kelim, and Lauren Harper. “It’s kind of a spinoff on the old home jewelry parties,” says Hugo, a former senior executive at Fannie Mae who opened Amethyst five years ago to enable her to spend more time with h