Tag: Responsible Jewellery Council

Prada adds contemporary motifs to fine jewellery

Italian fashion maison Prada has pulled back the curtain on an all-new line of gold and white gold fine jewellery designs that deftly combine iconic creations with a wholly modern flourish. Sure to tempt any discerning haute joaillerie aficionado – both male and female – the new collection is all sleek sophistication and grace.  

fine jewellery

Crafted from 18K gold and diamonds, this bijouterie collection – consisting of earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces – features an array of outré motifs including rock guitars, robots, hearts, roses, rabbits and more. The brand’s triangular logo in gold and diamonds is also strongly in evidence.

fine jewellery

Perhaps even more importantly, the gold and diamonds used to make this fine jewellery line were sourced from suppliers who have a Responsible Jewellery Council certification, denoting that the aforementioned materials went through all the processes – from extracting to selling – in an ethical manner.

fine jewellery

Now available at select Prada stores worldwide – as well as via the Prada online store exclusively in Japan, USA and UAE – Hong Kong’s jewellery lovers can find them directly at the brand’s Alexandra House store in Central.

fine jewellery

Golden Hour: It’s time to say yes to responsibly sourced gold

“How many carats?” While slightly impertinent, it’s a question that most jewellery aficionados could answer easily enough. Should they, however, be challenged with: “Where does it come from?”, they might be harder pressed to provide a definitive answer.

Indeed, it was a query that even Caroline Scheufele, the Co-President of Chopard, clearly struggled with. When asked that very question at the Academy Awards several years back, her inability to respond prompted her to review the company’s sourcing protocols. Recalling the revelation sparked by the impromptu enquiry, she said: “I really had no idea. As with most jewellers, we tended to buy our gold in bulk and never thought to ask where it actually came from. Once you’ve been made aware of the related issues, however, it’s something you just can’t turn your back on.”

responsibly sourced gold

Indeed, the issues in question are murky, tangled and, all too often, tainted with the blood of innocents. The gold industry is huge, with its mining operations extending across 60 countries and providing employment to over 15 million people. Unfortunately, it’s also known for being the root cause of a vast number of environmental and humanitarian problems, with the workers toiling in the gold mines – many of them underage – being subject to long hours, low pay and dangerous conditions.

In recent years, though, the more conscious customers and jewellers have become only too aware of the problems wrought by the gold industry. This has led many of the most well-known names in the sector – including Chopard, Gucci and Boucheron – to commit to using only eco-friendly or recycled or responsibly sourced gold. This has seen the emergence of several virtuous certification systems of which two – Fairmined Gold and Fairtrade Gold – are well on the way to being recognised as global standards for responsibly sourced gold. Some brands, like Bulgari, meanwhile, also abide by the codes of the Responsible Jewellery Council.

The high profile accorded to such initiatives is, however, unfortunately at odds with their actual success. Indeed, of the 3,300 tonnes of total gold mined every year, only a paltry few 100kg are actually bona fide responsibly sourced.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay