Africa
Marrakesh
Morocco
“Marrakesh taught me colour,” said Yves Saint Laurent, and its bustling main square is like nowhere on earth. Storytellers, magicians, musicians and snake charmers have entertained crowds here for almost a millennia.
But it’s the calming riads our designers hope to have captured. Step beyond the spice-laden alleys and you’ll discover cool courtyards with sparkling fountains, and shaded gardens grown luscious with greenery.
They’ve inspired this magnificent ring. The centrepiece stone is the finest aquamarine we have ever shown, making a splash at 17 carats. Cushion cut, it conjures the spirit of days beside sun-dappled pools. Around it, four pear-shaped emeralds; a hint of green foliage perhaps. And a sweep of blue stones flow above a gold band, cut like a Moorish frieze formed from pretty chevron-shaped tiles.
Cullinan Mine
South Africa
The Cullinan Mine has given the world some incredible diamonds. This is where the world’s largest rough diamond was found in 1905, weighing more than 3,100 carats. Its two grandest cuts are its most famous pairing: The Star — and the Lesser Star — of Africa.
Held together in the British Crown Jewels, the Star of Africa rests in the royal sceptre and the Lesser Star in the Imperial State Crown. And they’ve inspired these gorgeous new tributes, featuring stones from the same famous mine.
The Gemini ring carries two pear-shaped diamonds also cut from just one rough crystal. These shimmering siblings reflect their royal precedents, with the primary stone a touch over five carats and her smaller sister at just over one, pink diamonds supporting them both.
In the ring on the right, a four carat cushion cut diamond sparkles on a yellow gold band, equally striking as it stands alone.
South Africa
South Africa has been described as a natural playground, and there’s certainly something playful about this deep pink diamond, a native to the nation.
Almost two and a half carats, this ‘fancy vivid’ is set in a classic vintage setting, and surrounded by brilliant white diamonds. They sparkle like the wave tops at Cape Point, where two great oceans collide.
The pink reminds us of the Boulders Beach penguins — their rosy, pince-nez colouring suggesting they, too, perhaps share our passion for the prettiness of pink.
Ring: A South Africa inspired ring featuring an oval-shaped purplish pink diamond of over two carats, POA