Stars of Africa Collection Debuts at Harrods Today!

Royal Asscher Diamond Company is thrilled to announce that Harrods, London’s famed luxury department store, will be selling the Stars of Africa floating diamonds collection. The collection will debut on Saturday, October 8^{th .}

Harrods will have the largest collection of Stars of Africa jewelry in the UK, including the limited editions with pink diamonds and the Royal Stars with orange diamonds, which are a tribute to the Royal Dutch family for the extension of the Royal title earlier this year.

Launched in 2009, this beautiful and innovative collection (comprised of rings, earrings, pendants and cufflinks) consist of diamonds encased within fluid-filled sapphire domes, which allow the diamonds to float freely like snowflakes in a snow globe. The result is cascading diamonds that emit light, fire and beauty, which creates a truly  mesmerizing effect.

The Stars of Africa collection has more than just aesthetic appeal: The collection benefits Royal Asscher’s Africa-focused fundraising initiative, Stars of Africa. This philanthropic initiative aims to improve infrastructure in Africa by generating funding for healthcare, education and self sufficiency programs. As a family and as a company, the Asschers have a strong collective social conscience and an inherited love of the undeniable beauty of diamonds. Royal Asscher considers it to be of paramount importance that diamonds not only bring happiness to the wearer, but also to everyone involved in the diamond supply chain.

Mike Asscher says: “The world’s most famous luxury department store is a perfect fit and we are very proud that the Stars of Africa Collection is now being sold within the vicinity of the true Star of Africa: the Cullinan diamond.”

Royal Asscher is renowned for its unique heritage and history, which includes cleaving the world’s largest rough diamond in 1908, the Cullinan, presently housed in Great Britain’s Crown Jewels. Royal visitors to the Amsterdam based company include Japan’s Emperor Hirohito, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

Royal Asscher’s Stars of Africa collection has appeared in international magazines such as Elle, InStyle, Runway, Lucky, Genlux, Kurv and US Magazine, and it has been coveted by celebrity admirers such as Kate Bosworth, Sophia Vergara, Megan Fox, Joss Stone, Serena Williams, Estelle and Reba McEntire, all of whom have donned pieces on the red carpet from this collection. 

Guy Harvey Jewelry Re-affirms its Commitment to Ocean Foundation

Guy Harvey Jewelry 

Re-affirms Commitment to Ocean Foundation

An Affirmation of Old World Craftsmanship with a Cause

Nautora is proud to re-affirm its commitment to donate a percentage of sales to The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, the non-profit organization that promotes the conservation of our oceans and nurtures the next generation of marine scientists and guardians of our seas.

The maker of Guy Harvey Fine Jewelry, contends its jewelry is the essential finishing touch that reveals to the world ones love of the sea and the nautical lifestyle. Through of a lifetime of interaction with nature and the oceans, Dr. Guy Harvey continues to capture a variety of marine wildlife in their natural habitat with extraordinary detail. Sea creatures figuratively come to life with his brush.

Nautora was selected by Guy Harvey to design a line of jewelry based on his extensive artwork. Nautora’s objective was to create a unique and recognizable design that would be distinctively associated with the Guy Harvey brand. Collaborating with Dr. Harvey, and with contributions from designers Robbins and Danielle Rees, a relic “shadow box" coin shape was chosen as the signature look.

Many steps are involved in creating fine jewelry. The process starts with a sketch and fortunately for Nautora there is an endless catalog of fascinating subjects created by Dr. Harvey himself to work from. Nautora selects elements from Harvey’s art that can be transferred and rendered into wearable jewelry. Once a rendering is completed, the model work begins, usually involving hand carving the subject in hard wax by highly skilled artisans. Model making is the most important and labor intensive and part of the process. Nautora spares no expense in creating the most perfect model for each design. The next step is to make a mold from the model and from that a wax pattern is made. The wax pattern will ultimately melt away in the kiln leaving a cavity for the precious metal to be poured.

The pieces are cast using the timeless art of lost wax casting where molten precious metals are poured into a metal flask that contains a hard plaster like substance. After the piece is cast and cleaned, the rough areas are smoothed and polished using a series of fine grit abrasives.    Each piece is hand finished to reveal dramatic detail and subtle nuances, right down to Guy’s famous signature on the reverse side. Below Guy’s signature, a quality mark and a series of Hallmarks are placed to authenticate each piece as being a genuine Guy Harvey.

Some pieces are finished in the classic relic patina and others are brightly polished and hard fired with enamel to add a splash of color. Guy Harvey jewelry is accented in a variety of colors, including Gulf Steam Blue, Caribbean Blue and Cayman Green. Marlin, macaws, sailfish, dorado, sea turtles and many other species are depicted with realistic action in full color. The technique that is used to bring color to Guy Harvey Fine Jewelry is an old and storied art form. Enameling flourished during the Roman period and in more modern times has been made famous by the Faberge’ family in France and Tiffany family in America. The 3 dimensional surface of Guy Harvey jewelry is cleverly decorated in both low and high relief, releasing an explosion of color and action.    Colors are carefully chosen to closely match Dr. Harvey’s artwork. Then each piece is fired multiple times, in a kiln at high temperatures, thus creating an enduring work of art that will last for many generations.

The Guy Harvey Trophy Slide collection is a collectable series of sterling silver neck slides that is designed to be worn on a leather or cord necklace. Although Trophy Slides are affordable for any age, each piece is made with the same care that is given to even the most expensive Guy Harvey Jewelry items.    Younger individuals love these pieces of jewelry and the Guy Harvey brand because it represents their favorite activities, love of the ocean and all the memories they have made while living the nautical lifestyle.    

Guy Harvey Jewelry has been worn by top models including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covergirl Brooklyn Decker, Bar Refaeli, Anne V and others. The jewelry has traveled with the SI Swimsuit crew to be photographed in the exotic settings of Fiji, The Maldives, Lisbon and Singapore.

Retail prices range from $54 for Trophy Slides to $30,000 for numbered limited edition platinum and diamond necklaces. The copyrighted and patented designs include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, charms, and rings, made of 18K gold, sterling silver, diamonds and gemstones in a variety of combinations. The collection consists of styles for both male and female.

Nautora is a family business of 30 years Located in the coastal town of Little Washington, NC.

Visit http://www.guyharveyjewelry.com for more information.
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