BASELWORLD, WORLD WATCH & JEWELLERY FAIR, HALL 3.1
PRESS STATEMENT
Heralds of Spring: Constantin presents sparkling green highlights
Basel, 22 March 2016 – Whilst Mother Nature keeps us waiting, the world of fashion has long chosen its favourite green of the 2017 season: Greenery from the House of Pantone. Constantin has just the right sparkling treasures to start off spring season!
What are some of your fine green gemstones that you’ll be showcasing this year?
Constantin Wild: „This year I have chosen four stones: first, the green demantoid from Russia, which is globally unique thanks to its needle-shaped, so-called ‘horsetail’ inclusions. Second, the chrome tourmaline from Africa, a rare variety of green tourmaline with a captivatingly intense green colour. Third, the tsavorite garnet with its manifold shades of green. And last but not least the peridot from Pakistan with its convincing size and its colour, which matches the Pantone shade ‘Greenery’. According to Pantone’s Fashion Color Report Spring 2017, ‘Greenery’ is one of this season’s on-trend colours.“
What is it about green gemstones that appeal to people?
CW: „We connect the colour green with nature, life and growth so green stones remind us of our desire for vitality and hope. They are a perfect match for the springtime, a time of transformation and new beginnings. And when we gaze longer at them we perceive something magical in green stones.
I personally connect ‘green’ stones, independently of their colour, with the aspiration for sustainable production. Ultimately I would like beautiful women to be able to wear our gemstones with a clear conscience. To this end I know the history of each stone and we rely consistently on hydropower for grinding our gemstones in Idar-Oberstein.„
What are your favourite green gemstones and why?
CW: „I love many stones but the diamond-like green demantoid occupies a special place in my affections. Its distinctive dispersion is fascinating because it makes the stone sparkle in all the colours of the spectrum. No other stone can compare. Green demantoids from Siberia are unique; they are the only stones in the world that gain value through their needle-shaped inclusions.
I also have a very personal connection to the green demantoid: I was one of the first to bring this stone back to the attention of the gemstone business. Carl Fabergé already knew that the ‘stone of the tsars’ was worthy of appreciation: sparkling green, full of secrets and hard to come by. Following the Russian revolution the green demantoid fell into oblivion. When it found its way to the West at the end of the 1980s it was known only to a handful of specialists, but this stone truly deserved a comeback.”
Image captions:
left round: chrome demantoid
front large cushion: Pakistanperidot
back cushion: tsavorite
back oval: chrome tourmaline
right front round: chrome demantoid
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Editor: W. Constantin Wild & Co. • Hauptstr. 103 • D-55743 Idar-Oberstein
Fon: ++49 (0)6781-94 500 - Fax: ++49 (0)67 81-94 5050
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