How to Turn a 6,225-Carat Rock Into High Jewelry
Emeralds will make you work for it. That is what Caroline Scheufele, creative mastermind of Chopard, learned when she took on the task of transforming a hulking raw rock into high jewelry-worthy gemstones. “Unlike diamonds, which can be analyzed with precision to predict the final stones, emeralds reveal their full potential only during the cutting process. The outcome is full of surprises,” she tells T&C. “And magic.”
But to get there, the groundwork must be laid. First, with a once-in-a-generation discovery: The 6,225-carat rough emerald was unearthed from the Kagem mine in Zambia and given the name Insofu, which means “elephant” in the local Bemba language, for its resemblance to the mammal (and colossal size). “It’s one of the most significant ever found, both in terms of weight and quality,” says Scheufele, who snapped it up at auction shortly after. Then it sat untouched in the maison vaults for a long time as they came up with a game plan.
A few years ago, that plan was finally set in motion. In a company first, a team of expert gem cutters from India were flown in to lead the effort. They spent months studying and analyzing the Insofu before actually starting the cutting process, which took another nine months to complete.
You know what they say about good things coming to those who wait? Try 850 carats, the total yield of emeralds the artisans meticulously carved from this rock. Last year, during Oscars week, Chopard offered up an amuse-bouche with a capsule parure, co-designed by global ambassador Julia Roberts, featuring the first batch of emeralds, which the star paired with turquoise and rubellite.
And now comes the main course. Today, in Paris, Chopard has unveiled the 15-piece Insofu haute joaillerie collection. The jewels feature a mélange of influences, all the better to showcase what these emeralds—when coupled with Scheufele’s imagination—are capable of.
There are chokers that evoke the geometric brilliance of Art Deco and waist-skimming strands that call to mind the free-spirited hedonism of the Jazz Age, which is also the theme of a Great Gatsby-inspired 4-in-1 necklace anchored by a 15.53-carat octagonal emerald (above center). Fitting references, since both the Paris expo that gave Art Deco its name and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnum opus turn 100 this year.
Elsewhere, Scheufele’s passion for nature, flora, and animals is on full display. On a multi-strand pearl cuff, emeralds and tsavorites create a layer of foliage, with large emerald-cut emeralds woven throughout the vines. In another cocktail ring, emeralds and diamonds form a base of leaves, on top of which rests—what else?—a gleaming emerald stone. The pièce de rèsistance, though, is the giant elephant pendant that transforms into a brooch. “It felt natural,” Scheufele says, and not just for etymological reasons. “Elephants symbolize prosperity and strength, qualities I hope to imbue in the wearer of this whimsical creation.” For extra good measure, she made sure to have its trunk pointing up.
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