Turning the bad into the beautiful

Having a Google alert set for the general term “jewelry” can turn up a lot of results. While not always relevant, it’s good to at least sift through the alerts to make sure we’re not missing any important news stories, and it can be a great resource for interesting tidbits you wouldn’t otherwise find. Not too long ago, one of my alerts turned me on to a really interesting story about Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde and his project to eliminate smog with a new device he’s creating. Roosegaarde and his team of experts at the Studio Roosegaarde, which has locations in the Netherlands and Shanghai, are developing a safe, energy-friendly installation to capture smog and create clean air. The Smog project uses patented ion technology in an “electronic vacuum cleaner” to create large holes of clean air, and they’re aiming to create the largest smog-free park in Beijing, according to Studio Roosegaarde. The project’s timing is aligned with the recent vow by Beijing’s municipal government to lower the concentration of fine particulate matter by 25 percent by 2017. A mock-up is currently being tested in the studio, and the first park is slated to open in early summer of next year. What’s more, Roosegaarde is using the smog captured from the machine and turning it into fine jewelry. “I like the notion that you take something high-end and combine it with the problematic,” Roosegaarde told The New York Times.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

An artist’s impression of the ring that would include smog particles from Beijing’s polluted air

The ring, which is still in the design phase, will consist of a single band mounted with a center stone that contains smog particles pulled from the Beijing air with Roosegaarde’s device. According to The New York Times, the less-expensive version will be created at the parks, featuring a clear center stone containing the smog particles.

The other more expensive limited-edition version will feature a diamond in the center, created from the compression of the smog particles themselves. It wasn’t clear at press time exactly how this diamond will be produced, but The New York Times reported that they will be created by “expensive mechanized presses capable of transmuting the particles of dirty urban air” into diamonds.

The rings will serve to raise awareness for both the project and the increasing problem of pollution in Beijing and many other cities. The studio will make 100,000 rings available in Shanghai/Beijing by the end of the year, according to Studio Roosegaarde.

I think the intersection of such a project and fine jewelry is interesting, and I’m going to keep an eye on this to see what the demand is for the rings and how it much awareness it brings to the Smog project.

Many brands are touting sustainability and environmentally friendly practices because they know it speaks to people today, and these rings have got that in spades.

Banner will be right here …

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.