We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership between the Gemfields Foundation and Fabergé.
Part of Fabergé’s Altruist Wilderness collection, this stunning series of five limited-edition watches pays homage to African wildlife, and specifically to the ‘Big Five’, the iconic big beasts who inhabit the natural habitats of Africa and are now endangered. Customers lucky enough to purchase one of these exclusive timepieces can choose from the lion, the leopard, the rhinoceros, the elephant or the Cape buffalo – each lovingly hand painted (using biodegradable, non-toxic lacquer) on the mother-of-pearl watch dial by Fabergé’s master craftsman André Martinez. The collection is limited to just five numbered pieces per design.
As well as bearing these spectacular miniaturist animal paintings, which make them truly unique, the Altruist Wilderness watches also carry talismanic properties, as each watch is inlaid with five of the finest Gemfields Zambian emeralds. Given the well-known healing properties of emeralds, and their association with peace and hope, they were the perfect coloured gemstone to feature in this conscience-driven collaboration. Each watch also comes with an 18k rose gold caseback and Alcantara strap, Alcantara being a popular carbon-neutral Italian material.
The Gemfields Foundation was set up recently to enable Gemfields to upscale its charitable work in the local communities in Africa surrounding its mines – the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique and Kagem emerald mine in Zambia. This follows on from the decade of work Gemfields has put into funding projects in these areas. It aims to assist local communities and support wildlife conservation efforts, the latter being the focus of this current partnership. A quarter of the retail price of each watch sold will go directly towards the Foundation’s work, benefiting an array of wildlife conservation projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
