While jewellery brands like Chopard have been using ethically sourced gold since 2018, increasingly urgent demands for sustainable jewellery have bumped up such endeavours on the to-do lists of many luxury houses as of late. Meet Eternal Gold, Prada’s first-ever eco-minded jewellery collection that seeks to go above and beyond the current environmental standards within the luxury industry itself. For now, the collection will not be retailing in Southeast Asian markets.
The brand previously committed to a shift to recycled nylon through its line Re-Nylon in 2019 – making this the next step in Prada’s transition into a more environmentally-friendly luxury house. Instead of mining for the precious material which has a detrimental effect on the environment, Prada turns to suppliers of industrial gold and gold post-consumer objects who are known for their clean human rights record, labour safety and business ethics.
The faces of the Eternal Gold campaign are (from top) award-winning American poet and activist Amanda Gorman; Dutch-Korean-Canadian musician Somi Jeon; and American actor, model, and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke.
On top of being made entirely from recycled gold, the 48-piece collection is also noted for having a transparent production process. From mining to cutting, setting and polishing, each and every piece’s journey and authenticity can be traced by customers via the Aura Consortium’s blockchain technology.
Created in April 2021 by LVMH, Prada Group and Cartier, the blockchain is a non-profit entity that seeks to introduce a seamless process of authentication and transparency for customers of the three luxury behemoths. And in another first: while the traceability of diamond is conventionally possible with stones of 0.5 carats or larger, Prada is expanding this for stones of all sizes.
The combination of artisanal workmanship and cutting-edge digital techniques is present in all facets of the collection – each Eternal Gold piece is created by skilled Italian craftsmen, with the help of modern 3D setting and stone-cutting methods. Aside from featuring Prada’s iconic triangle motif, the collection comprises a wide range of heart motifs, snake bracelets, chain necklaces and more – meaning that there’s a piece out there for virtually everyone.
