Alongside traditional jewelry houses, Colombian emerald producer Muzo held a presentation to flag its upcoming debut at the Baselworld watch and jewelry show in Switzerland in March, where it will bring to market more than 2,000 stones.
Under new U.S.-led management since 2014, the mine — famous for more than five centuries for the exceptional color and size of its emeralds — will present its branded stones as responsibly sourced and traceable.
“We now have control over the entire pipeline, so we are able to really track the stones — not just some of the stones, but all of the stones — from the time they come out of the ground to the time we can display them here for jewelers and jewelry houses to buy,” said Elizabeth Robinson, chief executive officer of The Muzo Companies. “It’s been a work in progress and there are still security issues, but we’ve been working to be able to come out today and say, yes, we have a responsibly sourced stone for you.”
Muzo has commissioned five jewelers — Shaun Leane, Solange Azagury-Partridge, Elie Top, Antoine Sandoz and Studio Naio — to create pieces that showcase the techniques the company has in cutting the stones to fit various designs. These will be produced in stages, with some on show in Basel.
You May Also Like
“We’ve seen an upswing over the past year or so, and I think it’s just going to continue to rise,” Robinson said. “People are really looking at colored stones and you’re seeing more designers and more houses put out more colorful items. So I think we’re really in a great time for this.”