By Shivani Vora
Motlatse Marvel medallion inspired by the sunsets of South Africa’s Motlatse Canyon.
South Africa’s Motlatse Canyon.
Haute couture jewelry houses have long looked to far-flung destinations to inform their collections. De Beers, renowned for rare diamonds and gems, takes a slightly different route with its latest high jewelry offering, Reflections of Nature. This assemblage of jewels was inspired by the remarkable landscapes where its diamonds are found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Canada. Transportive and seductive, these handcrafted sparkling wonders are grouped in five distinctive collections.
Namib Wonder features rows of polished and rough-cut yellow and white diamonds, suggestive of the large sand dunes and ochre and red sands in Namibia. The climber earrings capture this amalgamation beautifully and reflect the fine texture of sand.
De Beers’ Okavango Grace is notable for free-flowing diamonds in green, blue, grey and pink, and recall to the lush vegetation in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. The necklace is a showstopper with its three rows of diamonds set with nine rows of cascading diamonds that each end with a pear shape of the stone.
Okavango Grace necklace, inspired by the lush vegetation found in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
South Africa’s Motlatse Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world, is a draw for its unparalleled sunsets. Those extraordinary qualities come alive in Motlatse Marvel where brown, pink, orange and yellow diamonds are a nod to the canyon’s rocks and warmth of the sun. The medallion, with a 1.1 carat brownish orange cushion-cut diamond as a centerpiece, is a highlight.
Landers Radiance pays homage to the vivid colors of underwater sea life. The ring, as an example, has a multitude of white, pink, and yellow diamonds that surround a solitary orange yellow stone and is evocative of a coral and fish.
The snow in the Canadian Arctic’s Ellesmere Island is referenced in Ellesmere Treasure, where white diamonds are fashioned into jewels that shimmer like snow covered land and glacial lakes. Flora covered in frost is reimagined into earrings with 62 diamonds set in an arc pattern that ultimately hugs the ears.
These latest launches from De Beers coincide with the house’s new charitable initiative in partnership with National Geographic, Okavango Eternal, which is a five-year campaign to protect endangered species and supply food and water to more than one million people in the Okavango region.
Whether it’s through giving back or creating heirlooms for us to wear, De Beers is a heritage brand with the power to truly transport and transform.
