Caroline Scheufele, co-president and creative director of Swiss luxury watch and jewellery company Chopard, honoured mining companies and NGOs that have upheld its social and environmental values and provided product for its Green Carpet Collection initiative.

Those honoured were Gemfields, which majority-owns the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia; Lucara, which owns the the Karowe diamond mine in Botswana; Australian black opal miner and wholesaler Aurora Gems; and the NGO Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) in Colombia.

The miners were presented awards by Scheufele, along with actor Colin Firth and his wife Livia, who co-founded Eco-Age, the brand consulting firm that partnered with Chopard to launch the latter’s Journey to Sustainable Luxury.

The Journey to Sustainable Luxury began when Chopard and Eco-Age forged a philanthropic relationship with ARM. Chopard became the world’s first watch and luxury jewellery company to enable mining communities to reach Fairmined gold certification as well as providing training, social welfare and environmental support.

The award ceremony took place in the French city of Cannes, where Chopard is the official partner of this year’s film festival.

“Since we began this process we have seen just how our clients appreciate the stories behind the jewellery they love. True luxury is understanding provenance. As a family run business, it is so important to know that the materials we use, from gold to diamonds to coloured gemstones, come from suppliers who share our same values,” Scheufele said.

https://www.gemkonnect.com/news/gemfields-lucara-aurora-arm-get-chopard-responsible-supply-award