LOCKDOWN LEADER: Asprey
From Graff, to Tiffany & Co and De Beers, the jewellery industry is doing its bit to help tackle the coronavirus crisis. And now UK company Asprey has ‘rocked’ up. Asprey has announced a zero-profit initiative supporting The National Emergencies Trust – a disaster charity that provides support to organisations and services on the frontline tackling the pandemic.
Asprey’s iconic 167 Bond Street Pendant, which features a central amethyst stone, has been specially rendered in sterling silver with a special NET engraving on the reverse. Significantly, the engraved address 167 Bond Street was also the same building occupied by Florence Nightingale. The pendants can be pre-ordered via Asprey’s website, with all funds going to NET.
Said Asprey Chairman John Rigas, “We are pleased to partner with National Emergencies Trust, an incredible organisation working collaboratively with a range of charities to ensure the maximum amount of money is raised and distributed securely and fairly to help those most affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Our modest initiative, is the least we can do show our support of these incredible and vital institutions working tirelessly to aid those most in need.”
Asprey have since also launched another pendant with ‘NO KID HUNGRY’ engraved on the disc to support the America’s No Kid Hungry, a national campaign working to end childhood hunger in America, for good.
Other big jewellery brands and independent designers teaming up to help out include Graff, Tiffany & Co and De Beers. While Graff donated $1 million to the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization, via its Graff Foundation, De Beers Group are donating $2.5 million aid to emergency workers across two of its largest diamond-producing countries, Botswana and Namibia, while the Tiffany & Co foundation are donating $1 million to Covid-19 related causes - $750,000 to the WHO's Solidarity Respond Fund and $250,000 to the New York Community Trust's Response and Impact Fund. Meanwhile Italian jeweller Bulgari has donated a 3D microscope to the Research Department of the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome, the better to research the virus structure. It is also producing thousands of bottles of hand sanitising gel, to be distributed to frontline medical workers in Italy. Giorgio Armani, Prada and Versace have also made significant donations.