The fashion house Prada is venturing into the jewelry business and is focusing on sustainable materials in addition to classic design in its first collection "Eternal Gold"
Source & Copyright by Prada
Author: House of Eden
The legendary fashion house started in the 20th century with high-quality leather goods and even today the label behind Miuccia Prada known for its high-quality bags. In addition to bags, shoes and clothing, the Italian brand is now expanding its range to include jewelry. Sustainable gold is a key element here. The collection is not just another line of the brand, but innovative and, above all, environmentally friendly craftsmanship.
Timeless design meets sustainable production
After its jewelry debut in 2022, Prada is now expanding its "Eternal Gold" collection with more pieces. Timeless chain elements and the well-known Prada triangle logo are at the forefront of the line. The latter is particularly striking due to its sophisticated design as a closure object and can be worn both at the front and at the side. 18-carat sustainable gold is used for Rings, necklaces and bracelets used and is, above all, produced in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner.
Source & Copyright by Prada
Sustainable gold: 100 percent certified, traceable and responsible
But it is not only the sophisticated and classic designs that make the individual pieces so impressive. Prada’s latest jewellery is the first sustainable fine jewellery collection from a luxury fashion house, which exclusively uses recycled and sustainable gold All precious metals come exclusively from recognized sources of recycled materials.
What makes the collection so special, however, is that every step of production is traceable. This is not exactly common in the jewelry industry, as traceable diamonds have to be larger than 0,5 carats to be registered. In doing so, Prada has made something possible that was previously unthinkable and is the first brand to be able to trace so-called pavé diamonds (smaller than 0,5 carats) back to their origin.
Furthermore are 100 percent of the gold used is certified and meet the standards of the “Chain of Custody” from the Responsible Jewelry Council The guidelines are primarily intended to help provide a guideline that companies can follow when it comes to traceability in the jewelry industry. By applying these guidelines, Prada is making sustainability possible in such a controversial industry as the precious metals industry and is thereby setting itself apart from its competitors.
This is also underlined by the partnership with Rubel & Ménasche, a French diamond company that helps ensure that diamonds are traceable throughout the entire value chain. All records are stored on the Aura blockchain consortium platform and are accessible to every buyer. Customers can also have the authenticity of their jewelry verified there.
The problem in the gold industry – Why Prada does everything differently
Gold mining is extremely dangerous for people and the environment. Forests are cleared so that the precious metal can be mined and highly toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and cyanide are used in mining. This mainly results in chemicals being released into the air, soil and water, polluting them. However, they are just as dangerous for people. Not only the gold industry, but the entire precious metal industry has to contend with human rights violations such as child and forced labor, as well as extremely poor working conditions.
These are probably some of the many reasons why Prada does not rely on newly mined gold, but wants to ensure that recycled material is used. At the launch of the first jewelry collection in 2022, Lorenzo Bertelli, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of the Prada Group, explained: "The debut of the Eternal Gold jewelry collection reflects Prada's ongoing commitment to sustainability in all areas of the company and the constant questioning of the conventions of modern luxury."
Prada is showing that innovation will continue to be the focus in the future and that old standards in the luxury industry will be revised. The jewelry pieces in the "Eternal Gold" collection serve as a model for jewelry collections from other luxury fashion houses.
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