Chopard's Green Carpet Collection
does much in the way of ethical luxury, and - it is a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council; uses Fairmined gold; and, since 2013, Chopard has collaborated with Livia Firth, the founder of Eco-Age and the Green Carpet Challenge, on The Journey to Sustainable Luxury. As part of this campaign and in association with the actress Marion Cotillard, Chopard presented a multi-row bracelet attached to a ring made of diamonds and black opals at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The opals are sustainably sourced from Aurora Gems in Australia, which manages the mining, polishing and sale of its stones in-house, for total traceability. The Oscar-winning Cotillard, who is known for her interest in ecology, was part of the Greenpeace movement. through which she visited Congo to denounce the exploitation of the primary tropical forest in Africa in 2010, and earlier this year joined François Hollande on a visit to Manila for a global-warming conference. She has said of this piece: "You design while thinking of the people who work on extracting the stones, so it's a totally different energy. Why should the creation of luxury turn into a nightmare for those providing the raw material?"
Bvlgari in Nepal
At last count, the devastating earthquakes in Nepal have rendered 320,000 children homeless. Most lost all their belongings - clothes, shoes, books, toys - and, in some tragic cases, their families. The Italian luxury brand
wasted no time in lending support to Save the Children's humanitarian efforts, with a contribution of ?500,000 (almost Dh3 million). The rescue teams reached victims with tarpaulins and rope within a few hours of the calamity and distributed baby kits with warm clothing, blankets and soap to protect this most vulnerable of groups. Jean-Christophe Babin, the chief executive of the Bvlgari Group, says: "The children and their families are our first priority. Especially in the critical area of nutrition, which is the focus of Expo Milano 2015 where we already collaborate with STC on this crucial theme." In fact, Bvlgari has supported STC since 2009, and has donated almost Dh130m to date. The company, which provides aid to Syrian children at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan, was already in the process of developing a youth empowerment project in Nepal in 2016.
Rahua's skincare range
's rainforest-grown ingredients are not only ethically sourced, but also provide better results than beauty products loaded with chemicals. The luxury haircare brand, which launched its first body collection in the UAE last month, sources its base oils from the Amazon rainforest, which were introduced to the founders by the women of the Quechua-Shuar tribe. These include the pro-vitamin-A buriti fruit oil; the omega-9-rich ungurahua oil; the moisturising protein quinoa; and sacha inchi oil, which is rich in omega-3. The organic and gluten-free range includes a shower gel, body lotion and body oil, which combine Rahua's sensual palo santo or "holy wood" scent with lavender, eucalyptus and vanilla bean. Promising the feel of an aromatherapy session in the comfort of your home, the three products hydrate the skin without stripping it of its natural oils, and are available at the House of Fraser in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, in Dubai at Posh by Feryal at Burj Al Arab and Address Downtown, and Makeup Etc, and online at Bashacare.com for between Dh185 and Dh395.
Gucci and Chime for Change in Syria and Iraq
Chime for Change, a global campaign founded by Gucci last year, promotes education, health and justice for women around the world, with a reach of 80 projects in 33 countries so far. Having exceeded its
$1 million (Dh3.7m) donation goal for the women and children affected by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq last year, Gucci Parfums has committed an additional $450,000 to seven projects focused on providing education and health resources to refugees and internally displaced families. Some of the projects and grantees lined up for the year include Unicef's psychosocial support for children; the Women's Refugee Commission; Madre's efforts with abused girls and women forced into marriage; and the AFP Foundation. Additional resources will also be allocated towards the Water for Kurdistan campaign, which provides clean drinking water, shoes and clothes for women and children living in refugee camps in Iraq, while the results of a five-day Chime for Change journalism workshop that encouraged 12 Yezidi and Christian women to share their stories are now available for public viewing on the company's
.
The Jewel of Growing by Gemfields
Gemfields has partnered with Narayan Jewellers, a bespoke jewellery boutique in Vaodara, India, to create The Jewel of Growing, a stunning pair of emerald earrings. Drawing inspiration from the grand entrance gates of the Laxmi Vilas palace, which remains the residence of the royal family of what used to be Baroda in the resource-rich state of Gujarat, the earrings feature 12.30 carats of diamonds and 176.48 carats of Zambian emeralds.
, the world's largest producer of coloured gemstones and now owner of the House of Fabergé, is known for its transparency in the mining process and its responsibly sourced emeralds and amethysts from Zambia, and rubies from Mozambique. Zambia is the second largest producer of emeralds in the world and about 25 per cent of the world's rough emeralds come from the Kagem mine, which is owned and operated by Gemfields, in partnership with the Zambian government. The Jewel of Growing brings together "the magnificence of our rare and beautiful green emeralds and finest craftsmanship with high design aesthetics", says Ian Harebottle, the chief executive of Gemfields. The earrings have a smart removable back to maintain the stones and the finest of channel and bezel settings for its straight diamond baguettes and gleaming round diamonds.
pmunyal@thenational.ae
