A new high-jewellery capsule collection by Chopard is all green — and not just because it's full of emeralds. Drawing inspiration from the Insofu emerald, a unique 6,225-carat rough gem unearthed in Zambia’s Kagem Emerald Mine, this collection is the collaborative creation of Chopard’s artistic director and co-president, Caroline Scheufele, and the Maison’s global ambassador, the renowned actress Julia Roberts.
“Caroline immediately caught my attention when she told me the story of her exceptional Insofu emerald,” says Roberts. The stone, which Chopard acquired in 2018, is named after the Bemba word for “elephant”, a testament to its size and trunk-like shape (Bemba is the language spoken in the region surrounding Kagem).
“From the moment we discovered the Insofu emerald, we knew it was a gem that could inspire greatness,” says Scheufele. The stone was cut at workshops in Geneva and Jaipur; Scheufele sought the expertise of emerald cutters in the Indian city to determine how best to showcase its unique properties.
Comprising a cocktail ring, necklace and pair of earrings, the Chopard x Julia Roberts collection encapsulates the merger of minds that went into it. The Maison’s contemporary creativity and skill shine brightly, blending with vibrant colours reminiscent of Indian jewellery traditions. Each piece features Insofu-cut emeralds paired with cherry-red rubellites and turquoise, Roberts’ favourite gem.
This collaboration’s result is a high jewellery set that exemplifies buoyant refinement. And who better to represent that joie de vivre than Roberts, with her trademark megawatt smile?
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Though cohesive when taken together, each collection piece has distinctive characteristics. Take, for instance, the ring. Fanning out from its central emerald is an assortment of gems; the kaleidoscopic mix of oval, round and pear cuts is playful yet masterful, with the stones fitting in perfectly.
The necklace features tassels of similarly pear-shaped jewels for a piece that delicately frames one’s decolletage. Meanwhile, the earrings echo the ring’s floral motif with an arrangement of rubellites at the top and a pavé-set chandelier hanging below.
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While high jewellery is most typically seen in the company of haute couture, the youthful colouration of the pieces means they can just as easily be worn separately and in more casual settings. Roberts points out that they even work well with a pair of jeans.
From start to finish
Besides its visual splendour, the collection is also special for the complete traceability of its gems — a rare feat, Chopard notes, given the Insofu’s quality.
Indeed, gemstones are often difficult to trace because they pass through many hands, from miners to intermediaries and buyers.
A lack of traceability means worker exploitation — such as unfair wages and unsafe working environments — and other poor practices can go unnoticed. On the other hand, having a transparent supply chain, in which each step of a stone’s journey is recorded, helps jewellers and consumers ensure the final product results from ethical labour and better mining practices.
Through its “journey to sustainable luxury”, Chopard has been enacting responsible sourcing practices at the Maison over the past decade.
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Its gold, for example, has been ethically sourced since 2018. In the Chopard x Julia Roberts collection, the rose gold in which the stones are set is Fairmined-certified ethical; this means the metal has been mined by an artisanal or small-scale mining organisation in accordance with standards set by the Alliance for Responsible Mining.
For Scheufele, the collection is about making the best of the Insofu, extending beyond aesthetics into every aspect of the jewellery’s creation.
She adds: “This parure is a testament to that inspiration, a fusion of our shared passion for beauty, elegance and responsible luxury.”
