Organisers of the initiative - ‘Emeralds for Elephants’ which met with success in London in the summer of 2010, have brought this platform to India. The initiative aims at creating awareness and raising funds for the conservation initiatives of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) for the Asian Elephant in India. Funds are to be raised with the auction of jewellery collection created specifically for this cause.
Ten of India’s leading jewllery designers have been roped into a collaboration with The World Land Trust, Gemfields, Jaguar Land Rover and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA India), to create a unique ‘pop up’ collection of bespoke Zambian emerald jewellery. The creations, inspired by the elephants themselves and the corridors that are home to an abundant biodiversity of flora and fauna, are crafted by jewellers- 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 collection be toured across the boutiques of the designing jewellery houses, from August to October 2011, and will be auctioned by Sotheby’s on 14 October at the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai. A percentage of the profits from each jewel will go towards the World Land Trust’s ‘Indian Elephant Corridor’ project. The highlight of these jewel pieces is a Ganesha sculpture with a 638 carat Gemfields Zambian emerald created by renowned artist, Arzan Khambatta.
John Burton, CEO of World Land Trust, whose patrons include Sir David Attenborough and David Gower, says “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.” The collections stand unique enhanced by the deep green of these gems and the ethical nature of their mining, forming a perfect fit with the World Land Trust’s goals and objectives. Ian Harebottle, CEO of Gemfields said “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.”
The 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 issued the identification report for each piece of jewellery in this collection.