In 2017, a beautiful collaboration was born between two gem mines that have as their core pillars sustainability and environmental awareness. Muzo Emerald Colombia and Argyle Pink Diamonds partnered to create the Green Jewel - a striking cocktail ring with a 13.20-carat gem-quality Colombian emerald fully surrounded by perfect Argyle Pink Diamonds. Today, the two mines have joined forces for a fourth time to bring us yet another high jewellery collection that celebrates brilliance in rarity, design and craftsmanship: The Green Jewel Tradition Collection. Each of the thirteen pieces in this collection features emeralds from the lush green Colombian mountains and pink diamonds from the rugged, red wilderness of Australia. Let’s take a deep dive into the raison d’être of these two mines and explore their latest precious creations.
The emerald mine of Muzo Emerald Colombia is in western Boyacá and was taken over by the company in 2009. However, the mine in question has existed since 400 B.C. The entire space consists of five underground galleries, four of which are vertical mines. Today, it is the most renowned and prestigious emerald mine in the world, with jewellers and artisans the world over seeking to acquire a Muzo emerald. What makes this mine stand apart from the rest? Other than its exceptional emeralds, there is a strong emphasis on transparency, from mine to purchase. The Muzo mine also takes social and environmental responsibility for the land that it uses. The mine employs over a thousand local men and women, significantly contributing to local economic growth, and they use modernised mining practices which preserve local flora and fauna, ensuring that their existence is undisturbed.
The Argyle Pink Diamond mine is in a remote corner of Western Australia’s east Kimberley region, over 3000 kilometres from the state’s capital city, Perth. Discovered in 1979, the first Argyle Pink Diamond was seen sitting atop an anthill, glinting in the day’s sunrays amongst the red dunes and expansive waterways that are local to the area, still today. With production fully in place by 1983, Argyle Pink Diamonds quickly became one of the most sought-after and coveted diamonds in the world, and they remain so today, with less than one per cent of diamonds produced qualifying as pink diamonds. This may seem like a very small yield; however, that one per cent accounts for 90 per cent of the world’s total production of rare pink diamonds. Although the mine has been closed since 2020, the Rio Tinto mining company that owns the mine continues to manage the distribution of Argyle Pink Diamonds.
This fourth chapter of the six-year-long collaboration joins together two iconic gemstones from across the world in singular contemporary pieces. One such highlight is The Earth Magic II necklace. As the hero piece of the Green Jewel Tradition collection, this necklace features a 7.66-carat cushion shaped Muzo emerald nestled in frames of step and brilliant cut diamonds, accentuated with a 1.06-carat fancy intense purplish pink diamond and a rare 0.43-carat fancy purplish red Argyle diamond. Interchanging white and rose gold settings were used to further accentuate the colours of the pink and white diamonds whilst also emphasising the warm, vibrant green hue of the Muzo emerald. Every aspect of the design is thought through, even the reverse side of the pendant, which reveals a scripted letter ‘M’ composed of round diamonds and white gold, emboldened by a bezel set with a larger round diamond at the middle point of the M.
It comes as no surprise that a large portion of these one-of-a-kind pieces are rings. There are six throughout the collection, each one more opulent than the next. The Amelia ring features a 5.48ct, no-oil Muzo emerald at the centre of the design. The band is strikingly modern, with half of it made of rose gold and the other half white gold, cut straight down the middle. When reversed, a small flower is revealed beneath the Muzo emerald, with a blue diamond centre surrounded by Argyll pink diamond petals. The Allegra ring also has a bi-coloured metal band made of rose and white gold blocks; each one is topped with a white or pink diamond to match the gold colouring. However, perhaps the most lavish ring in the collection is the Leila ring, which boasts a 16-carat no-oil, emerald-cut Muzo emerald, encircled by a halo of 1.69-carats of brilliant round-cut Argyle Pink Diamonds. The emerald is set using white gold claws to bring out the outstanding clarity of the stone, whilst the pink diamonds are in a pavé setting of warm rose gold, which spirals around the emerald to its underside, where a floral motif is revealed.
Earrings are also strongly represented in the Green Jewel Tradition collection. Of the four pairs featured in the collection, we cannot help but lean ever so slightly towards the Karri earrings. Set with 4.24cts of no-oil Muzo emeralds against white gold, the pear-shaped gems seem to crawl up your ear like an elegant vine, with bursts of Argyle Pink Diamonds at the top of each line. Also pear-shaped, the pink diamonds atop each gentle stream of green emeralds are reminiscent of a bouquet of pink roses on each ear, delicate, uniform and romantic.
Last but not least, the Mariposa brooch is perhaps the most complex piece in the collection. The word for “butterfly” in Spanish, the Mariposa brooch symbolises transformation and rebirth through a white and pink gold body and wings set with 4.53 carats of precision-cut no oil Muzo emeralds, 5.31 carats of Argyle pink diamonds and 1.26 carats of violet and blue diamonds. The antennae of the butterfly are en tremblant, giving a lifelike and delicate appearance to the brooch.
As you can see, the pieces in this collection are full of light, colour and, above all, a respect for the natural world in which each gemstone featured in this collection was found. We cannot help but hope for a fifth instalment of this important and beautiful collaboration.
