This articulated necklace from De Beers’ new high jewelry collection features a mix of rough and polished diamonds in wide-ranging shades. This piece is part of a set inspired by Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
London—De Beers’ new high jewelry collection, “Reflections of Nature,” showcases the many diamond colors the earth produces.
The diamond miner and jewelry maker created five sets of jewelry, each inspired by a specific awe-inducing landscape, all in countries that produce diamonds.
The 39 total pieces convey different moods depending on their design, showing the stone’s versatility.
“Okavango Grace,” so named for Botswana’s Okavango Delta, which is filled with waterways and an enormous concentration of wildlife, replicates the delta’s tall, swaying reeds, De Beers said. A mix of rough and polished diamonds are set in cascading strands and meant to move with the wearer.
Green, pink, brownish pink, purple and gray diamonds capture the diversity of the area’s flora and fauna, contrasting with round brilliant, white diamonds, representing water.
The assortment’s hero piece is the above 5.44 carat total weight diamond ring with rare, 1.01-carat, fancy dark grayish green diamond center stone. It’s surrounded by round brilliant white diamonds, as well as 12 bezel-set green and pink rough diamonds. Round brilliant white diamonds also feature on the ring’s shank. The ring’s scalloped edges are meant to evoke the Okavanga Delta’s organic beauty.
The Motlatse Canyon in South Africa, one of the largest canyons on earth, inspired the “Motlatse Marvel” set.
The designs represent the landscape’s stark juxtaposition between sun and shade, as well as the canyon’s hues at sunrise and sunset.
Red, brown, orange and yellow diamonds represent the sun’s warm glow, while cooler brown and pink accent diamonds represent shadow. De Beers plays with a mix of fancy cuts in the “Motlatse Marvel” range, from re-cut baguette diamonds that are channel-set in rows to cushion-, round brilliant, marquise- and pear-cut shapes.
The below bracelet, featuring 158 diamonds weighing a total 26.98 carats and displaying a range of colors and shapes is a particularly stunning piece, exemplifies the set’s dichotomy of hard and soft.
The undulating sand dunes of the famous Namib desert in Namibia were the starting point for the “Namib Wonder” set.
Round brilliant diamond pavé is meant to evoke grains of sand, while the incorporation of yellow gold is a tribute to the region’s color.
The set features a new design element for De Beers, rough diamonds with cap settings, to create a fringe effect, as seen in the below collar.
De Beers’ next set in the “Reflections of Nature” collection takes its audience underwater, loosely interpreting South Africa’s
Landers Reef, which is filled with coral and tropical fish.
“Landers Radiance” features a scallop motif as its primary design element and showcases the greatest array of stones of any of the collection’s sets.
Fancy colored diamonds in cushion-, marquise-, and pear-cut shapes represent the reef’s brightly colored fish, while white diamonds symbolize water. Rough diamonds also feature in the mix, as do a variety of settings, including several bezel-set stones, a process which takes six hour per stone, De Beers said.
The below necklace is a convertible piece, with interchangeable necklace and detachable drop pendant.
The high jewelry collection’s final set is its most classic, perfect for white diamond devotees.
De Beers turned its gaze north to Canada in creating “Ellesmere Treasure,” a set inspired by rugged Ellesmere Island.
White diamonds perfectly capture the icy, Arctic nature. Pieces feature cushion-cut diamonds as their focal points and are accented with marquise and round brilliant diamonds, as well as round brilliant diamond pave.
The mini collection’s symmetrical lines are an ode to frozen willow leaves.
The pièce de résistance is the below collar, featuring 932 diamonds, a 2.18-carat cushion-cut diamond at its center.
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
