Prada debuts in fine jewellery with recycled gold collection

Prada has debuted in the fine jewellery segment with a focus on sustainability, featuring recycled gold and traceable diamonds only. The Milanese label has launched a collection called ‘Eternal Gold', using only 100% certified recycled gold, a first for the luxury industry.

Creating items designed to withstand the test of time is the essence of jewellery, and Prada has chosen to represent this idea of unique objects handed over from generation to generation using a sustainable approach. All of the gold used by Prada in its new collection is certified in compliance with the chain of custody standards established by the Responsible Jewelry Council.

“Every step and incarnation of Prada’s responsible gold and diamond production chain is verifiable and traceable - something offered by no other fine jewellery or luxury fashion house in the world,” said Timothy Iwata, head of jewellery at Prada. “Prada’s recycled gold is drawn only from eligible recycled material sources, (...) including industrial gold and post-consumer precious objects. Prada partners exclusively with suppliers of precious metal and stones that meet the highest industry standards for human rights, labor safety, environmental impact and business ethics,” he added.

According to Iwata, “since pavé settings account for 80% of sales on average, we decided to extend the concept of traceability to stones of all sizes, while it is usually only possible for diamonds of 0.5 carats or more. Our customers can verify the authenticity of rings, necklaces and bracelets on the Aura Consortium's blockchain platform.”

The collection was presented at the Prada Foundation’s Osservatorio venue in Milan. Its items reinterpret in quintessential Prada fashion some of jewellery’s archetypes: the snake, the heart, the chain and the choker, plus the label’s signature triangle logo, first used as a symbol of luxury by founder Mario Prada. The snake, a symbol of transformation, is made of smooth gold, as if it had just shed its skin, symbolising change in jewellery, while the heart is rounded at the top but sharply cut at the tip, because “nowadays, for Gen Z consumers, the fairy-tale love cliché is meaningless, they know that love can be strong and devastating, and dramatically beautiful,” said Iwata.

The collection’s reinvention of archetypes - a distinguishing feature of Prada’s style - is evident in the choice of making the clasp not something to hide, but the focus of the chain, which is fastened with a smooth triangle at one end and a diamond pavé at the other. Equally, links in chains and bracelets are rounded off on the inner side, where they touch the skin, and almost jagged on the outer side. The snake bracelet isn't made to be worn on the wrist but, since its composition includes titanium for flexibility, it fits higher up on the forearm, Cleopatra-style.

Prices range from €1,500 for the simplest ring to €55,000 for the most precious item. The Eternal Gold collection’s ambassadors are US poet and activist Amanda Gorman, US actress, model and singer-songwriter Maya Hawke, daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, and Korean-Canadian musician Somi Jeon.