Sustainable luxury is not only becoming a buzz word but an ethos among many designers today because ruining natural resources and taking advantage of those to source the goods we desire is a lose lose proposition. Recently six women jewelry designers–Eva Fehren, Ana Khouri, Anita Ko, Alison Lou, Ileana Makri and Arpana Rayamajhi, teamed up with Australia’s Argyle mine, which practices ethical mining techniques and follows the diamonds from mine to market, to create mini collections to highlight the collaboration. Needless to say, I would take one of each design. And just think Valentine’s Day is days away. I say gift yourself. Diamonds never go out of style. And who ever complained of having too many?
Here is Anita, Alison, Ileana, and Ana’s take on why ethically sourced diamonds are so important and the chic women they chose to highlight their designs.
“It’s exciting working with Australian diamonds because of the beauty and color of the stones. They look incredible set in my rose gold designs… I also love the positive energy of knowing these diamonds are 100% sustainable.” – Anita Ko
Stylist Jeanann Williams and designer Anita Ko
“Jewelry is an emotional purchase and because of this our customers expect a level of awareness that goes beyond knowing where your piece is made, but also where your material is sourced. Australian diamonds are excavated with the utmost respect for the environment from the Argyle mine located in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The diamonds are painstakingly tracked from mine to market to ensure authenticity and my customers are drawn to them because of their natural color and the efforts made to mine them responsibly.” – Alison Chemla of Alison Lou
Claire Distenfeld, owner of Fivestory and designer Alison Chemla of Alison Lou
“Sustainable mining is an important focus in my designs as I am also part of the Fairmined organization, responsible for mining of fair trade gold. I was thrilled to be asked to participate in a project that mirrors my own convictions on ethical and socially responsible practices, all while contributing to the change we want to see in the world.” – Ana Khouri
Anne-Gaelle Van de Weghe with designer Ana Khouri
“Every piece of jewelry has its own story and personal value, and jewelry made with diamonds mined with the utmost respect for the environment have additional value in all respects. The range of natural-hued diamond colors found in the Argyle mine are signature stones that stand out globally in the jewelry world and capture the heart of jewelry lovers. Besides that, colored diamonds in particular, because of their extreme rarity provide a rather appealing investment opportunity and have become very popular. I feel extremely fortunate to be working with the most beautiful and captivating diamonds that have been sourced in an ethical and socially responsible way from the Argyle mine in Western Australia. It is for me a real source of inspiration!” – Ileana Makri
Designer Ileana Makri with Maria Duenas Jacob
All photos courtesy Herring & Herring
Leave a Reply