Fashionistas with a conscience can now make an eco-statement with their jewels by buying a precious ring made from Beijing’s densely polluted air.
Scientists will suck dirty air from China’s capital with a revolutionary machine and compress it for around half a day to make the “smog stones”.
Jewellers will set the stone in a band made from a high-quality locally sourced metal to make the smog ring. Profits will go towards micro-financing the city’s first smog-free parks.
Each ring is made from – and in turn removes from the atmosphere – 1km³ of polluted air.
The rings are the first phase in the SMOG Project, the brainchild of artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde. The Dutch designer, 35, is in Beijing having talks with the mayor, urban planning and city executives to iron out fine details. With the city’s governing bodies, Roosegaarde hopes to realise the first of many smog-free parks in Beijing.
One million rings will go on sale at the end of the year in various outlets worldwide for a cost of around £8 (R138) to £80.
Early prototypes show a clear stone with the black dust particles embedded in the centre, though the ring is still in the design process.
“I always try to make things which improve life,” Roosegaarde said. “I want to show people that they can be part of the solution.
“The rings may not be the solution but they can bridge the gap between where we are now and where we need to be.” – Daily Mail