Chopard’s Latest High-Jewelry Line Is Made From a 6,225-Carat Emerald
The intrinsic value of jewelry is widely acknowledged. A ring, necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings is prized for its design and craftsmanship but also for the materials used (gold, diamonds, and other precious metals and stones).
Less understood, however, are the nuances of why a particular gem might be so valuable. Even after cut, clarity, color, and carat weight are assessed, there are a variety of other factors that might impact a stone’s value. Among them: a high-profile previous owner (the Taylor-Burton diamond); a specific geographic origin (velvety-blue Kashmir sapphires); even the rough from which a stone was cut (the Cullinan diamond, and all those that followed).
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The last of which is precisely the reason why Chopard’s latest high-jewelry collection is already a legend in the making. Named Insofu, the Swiss jewelry and watch brand’s new line takes both inspiration and actual material from the the Insofu emerald, a 6,255-carat piece of rough that was originally found in Zambia’s Kagem mine in 2010 and named so (insofu means “elephant” in the local Bemba language) for its resemblance to the animal’s trunk and colossal size.
In 2022, Chopard acquired the rough, and co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele was tasked with the challenge of assessing how the gigantic rock could yield the most captivating cuts for finished jewelry pieces—no easy feat for emeralds, which are softer, more fragile and therefore riskier to cut compared to a diamond; the emerald only reveals its true potential as a finished gem once the cleave is made. The brand flew in world’s most expert gemstone cutters from India to Geneva to work on the cutting process, which took almost a year.
“In every stone lies a story, and my role is to listen and honor the natural magic they carry as treasures from the earth. With the Insofu Collection, it was about respecting this inherent beauty,” Scheufele said in the collection’s release.
The result is 850 carats of emerald stones and a 16-piece high-jewelry collection that incorporates the stone’s origins as much as it riffs on typical high jewelry themes and motifs. There are Art Deco-inspired chokers, long, flowing wraparound necklaces, and a delicate pearl statement cuff adorned with emerald foliage. But there is also the pièce de résistance: an elephant-shaped pendant (trunk raised to symbolize prosperity and good fortune) featuring more than 50 emeralds of various cuts and sizes, framed by diamonds and suspended from a long chain that also converts to a brooch.
The high-jewelry collection also maintains its connection to nature and origin through a partnership with Elephant Family, the wildlife conservation charity founded by Mark Shand in 2002. Chopard has launched the Insofu collection in collaboration with the fund, and part of the profits from each piece sold will be donated to support Elephant Family, which works with conservation experts focused on mitigating human-elephant conflict, safeguarding migratory corridors, and fostering a culture of coexistence.
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