Inspired by the South African King Protea and Pinchusion flower, the Desert Rose ring has become the show stopper at the prestigious Salon Art + Design Fair in New York City which runs from November 14 - 18, 2019.
Designed and crafted in Cape Town, the spectacular piece features 798 diamonds.
Created at the Shimansky jewellery manufacturing workshop in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, the breathtaking Desert Rose features ethically sourced South African diamonds, totalling 24.13ct, complimented by 42 tsavorite gems weighing 3.11ct, and the centrepiece, a desert rose crystal from Namibia, set in 58.80g 18ct gold.
The Shimansky Desert Rose ring retails for about R600 000.
The ring features 798 diamonds. Picture: Supplied
The design was inspired by South African Fynbos in particular the Pincushion and King Protea, while the ring gets its name from the Desert Rose crystals which are the central focus, enclosed by “petals” of gold and diamond with “stamens” of gold and tsavorite.
Desert Rose crystals are found in arid regions across the world including Southern Africa – often in clusters resembling bunches of roses shaped by nature through the action of wind and water. Traditionally they are valued for metaphysical properties and have been popular with shaman throughout history.
The centrepiece is a desert rose crystal from Namibia. Picture: Supplied
Capetonians and visitors to the Mother City will be able to experience the Desert Rose when it goes on display at The Cape Town Diamond Museum from December until the end of January 2020.
In a first for the country, South African jewellery design house Shimansky was selected to join a line-up of international fine jewellery design houses for an exhibition titled The Protagonist - celebrating the best in mindful and sustainable fine jewellery and curated by Vogue Italia for the Salon Art + Design Fair.
For The Protagonist, CEO and Founder Yair Shimansky has presented several breath-taking designs including the Desert Rose and the Tanzanite from Africa ring featuring a one-of-a-kind 27ct Flawless Vivid Blue Tanzanite Gemstone held in 18K South African white gold.
The ring setting is home to a cascade of 2.3 carats of round brilliant cut diamonds designed to offset the Tanzanite’s extraordinary deep colour.
A thousand times rarer than diamonds, Tanzanite comes from a single finite vein in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Formed over 550 million years ago, the gemstone can only be mined from the earth using a hammer and chisel to ensure a sustainable interaction with nature, which is why Shimansky has built a longstanding relationship to source Tanzanite directly from the Maasai tribe.
“Responsible and sustainable sourcing is at the heart of Shimansky’s jewellery creation where we follow the journey of both diamonds and Tanzanite by employing our respected mine to finger approach - ensuring every creation is mined in a natural and ethical manner within a conflict-free environment,” said Shimansky.
“As an ode to African heritage, our rings represent all that Salon Art + Design embodies - impeccable quality, ground-breaking design, luxurious offerings and geographical diversity.”
Shimansky www.shimansky.co.za with jewellery stores in Cape Town, Sandton and NYC, will also participate in NYC Jewelry Week from 18 to 24 November 2019, which is dedicated to promoting and celebrating the world of jewellery much like New York Fashion Week does for attire.