'Emeralds for Elephants' travels to Vadodara
The World Land Trust, Gemfields have collaborated with ten of Indias top jewellers to create a unique emerald collection to raise funds for the Asian Elephant.
- Jackson, MI (1888PressRelease) August 12, 2011 - The World Land Trust and Gemfields - ethical coloured gemstones mining company, together with Jaguar Land Rover and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA India), have collaborated with ten of India's top jewellery designers, including Narayan Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. of Vadodara to create a unique 'pop up' collection of bespoke Zambian emerald jewellery. After tasting the success of 'Emeralds for Elephants' exhibition in London during the summer of 2010, the group has once again joined hands with an intention to create awareness and raise funds for the Asian Elephant in India, under the auspices of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The 11 pieces of unique well crafted jewellery will travel across India and would be exhibited at the participating jeweler's showroom. The 1st exhibition will be held at Vadodara based Narayan Jewellers, the only jeweler selected from Gujarat and the only one who has designed two jewellery pieces, hand studded diamond and emerald ring and a wristband with a price tag of in excess of Rs 1 crore. Post exhibition all the jewelery will be auctioned by world renowned auctioneers Sotheby's at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on 14 October 2011.
India, which houses 60% of Asian Elephant population, is experiencing a large-scale habitat fragmentation and loss due to the expansion of cities. Apparently, survival of the Asian Elephant has become very critical for the entire species. An extensive survey across India conducted by WTI resulted in identifying 88 vital corridors for elephant movement. The Wildlife Trust of India with its conservation partners subsequently set about securing these vital corridors, of which the World Land Trust has partnered with WTI in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, southern Indian state of Kerala and the north eastern state of Meghalaya. Securing corridors for elephants involves working closely with local communities and governments and this renders the entire process time and resource-intensive. WTI and its conservation partner WLT aim to facilitate the creation of conflict-free corridors and improve conservation prospects of the Asian elephant.
Gemfields has hand-picked ten leading jewellers from around India to create a one-of-a-kind piece or set of jewellery, incorporating Zambian emeralds. Gemfields' focus is on ethically produced Zambian emeralds that follow fair-trade, environment, social and safety best practices. The Company's unique mine-to-market capability guarantees the provenance of every gem through a full disclosure and certification programme. The deep green of these gems and the ethical nature of their mining and route to market, form a perfect fit with the World Land Trust's goals and objectives.
Narayan Jewellers of Vadodara is the only jeweller who has designed a ring and a bangle. The Bangle is a unique offering of 18KT gold which is studded with Zambian Emeralds and a full cut and Rose cut diamonds which personifies sheer intelligence; social integrity of female Elephants and is designed for the modern woman customer. The bangle depicts elephants moving in closely knit groups and their commitment towards family. The micro pave set elephant motifs are 3 dimensional and well modulated. The Emeralds are held by "U" shaped baguette channels below the Rose cut flowers. The bangle is made up of approximately 160 gms of 18KT gold with 4259 diamonds of 59 carats and 8 emeralds of 53 carats.
Whereas the ring is inspired by Elephant's elongated trunk, the 18KT ring is finely carved with Zambian Emerald, full cut and Rose cut diamonds, baguettes and Red Enamel is designed to fit in three fingers. The first two fingers are encased using an elongated trunk. The emerald set on the back of the elephant signifies the rider's seat. Riding an elephant signified the position and power of the royal rider and made an unspoken statement about his greatness. The top view only has the stone making it look like any other ring but the surprise element is on the sides; changing the total look of the jewellery. The magnificent Zambian emerald is held on the back of the elephant in a concave deep bowl. This ring is approximately of 44 gms of 18KT gold with 1412 diamonds of 12k and 2 emeralds of 12k.
Each designer has created a unique piece /set inspired by the elephants themselves and the corridors that are home to an abundant biodiversity of flora and fauna. The jewellers are just as diverse in their style and designs; Abaran Jewellers (Bangalore), Anmol Jewellers (Mumbai), Gem Palace (Jaipur), Khanna Jewellers (New Delhi), Meena Jewellers(Hyderabad), Narayan Jewellers (Baroda), Nirav Modi (Mumbai), Sawansukha Jewellers (Kolkata), Talwarsons Jewellers (Chandigarh) and Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers (Chennai). The entire jewellery collection is worth more than USD 1million.
The collection will go on tour around India to each of the designers' boutiques from August to October 2011. On 14 October, Sotheby's will auction the collection at an exclusive event held in the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, with a percentage of profits from each jewel going towards the World Land Trust's 'Indian Elephant Corridor' project.
Speaking during the conference, Mr. Ketan Chokshi, Jt MD, Narayan Jewelllers Pvt. Ltd., said that, "We are proud to be part of this event as we get the opportunity not only to align ourselves with this noble cause but to also showcase our talent, expertise and achievements in the field of jewellery. It has always been our endeavour to reserve purity of our heritage and bestowing trust to all our customers since past 70 years".
John Burton, CEO of World Land Trust, whose patrons include Sir David Attenborough and David Gower, said that "Gemfields have not only demonstrated their ethics, but are also committed to helping the natural environment of Elephants, both in Africa where their emeralds are mined, but also in India where many of them are sold. In 2010 they were one of the major contributors to the programme managed by the Wildlife Trust of India and supported by the World Land Trust, creating corridors to allow elephants to move freely between protected areas."
The partnership between World Land Trust and Gemfields is an on-going one and both organisations have long-term aims for their work together. Ian Harebottle, CEO of Gemfields said that "Gemfields is very pleased to bring Emeralds for Elephants to India this year. Our London auction for the 'Indian Elephant Corridor' project helped to raise a significant amount last year, and we are sure of a good response in India. Gemfields is proud to have partners who support us wholeheartedly on this initiative and we sincerely hope that our efforts in giving to the environment will help build larger and more viable habitats."
Our sponsors include: Jaguar Land Rover, The Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Sotheby's, CanazWest Pictures, Mumm Champagne, BVC, Show Stuff and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA India) who have kindly issued the identification report for each piece of jewellery in this collection.
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