April 2010

There’s an Emerald Elephant in Selfridges Wonder Room!

April 30, 2010

The World Land Trust, Gemfields and bespoke jeweller, Sabine Roemer have collaborated to create an extraordinary life size, Emerald Elephant set to be the most valuable design in this summers hotly anticipated Elephant Parade and has been aptly named, ‘Emerald Queen’. Sabine has designed and decorated this fibreglass elephant with emerald dust and a staggering 678carat oval emerald that is the outstanding centrepiece of the elephants’ jewellery headpiece.

This Gemfields emerald has followed an ethical and traceable route from the Gemfields mine in Zambia, to Jaipur where the gem was cut by hand and then shipped to London to be set by Sabine. Gemfields strict ethical and environmental policies combined with the conservation achievements of the World Land Trust will make this emerald design the greenest in every sense of the word!

The World Land Trust / Sabine Roemer/ Gemfields , Emerald Queen is part of the Elephant Family’s, Elephant Parade, where 260 elephants will take to the streets of London from May to July 2010. Billed as the capitals largest public art exhibition, the Elephant Parade will embrace all that is excellent about London when Sotheby’s auction each of the elephants to raise crucial funds for the critically endangered Asian elephant. Proceeds raised by the Green Queen will go to the Elephant Family and World Land Trust and with Sabine Roemer’s track record this is expected to be a significant amount. Sabine Roemer designs are becoming highly sought after and her last jewelled sculpture was bought at the Mandela Day auction in New York by Morgan Freeman.

The Elephant Family is the largest elephant charity in the world and founded by Mike and Marc Spits. The parade was brought to London by Mark Schand and has amazing support by their Trustees and Patrons like Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Goldie Hawn, Sir George Martin CBE, Sarah, Duchess of York, Tanaz Dizadj, Priya and Cyrus Vandrevala, Caroline Casey, Lorin Gresser, Ashwan Khanna, Patrick Mark.

The elephant parade launched on Trafalgar Square in London, May 4, 2010.
The life-size model herd was led by Mark Shand, trustee of Elephant Family, a charity that helps safeguard Asian elephants and enables a more harmonious environment between man and creature.

The charity commissioned an impressive array of talent to produce 260 hand-painted elephant artworks that have now taken up residence all over London. Among the creators were artists Mark Quinn, Sabine Roemer, Jack Vettriano, and Sacha Jafri; designers Julien MacDonald, Diane von Furstenberg, John Rocha, Alice Temperley, Lulu Guinness, Nina Campbell, and Nicky Haslam; and iconic photographer Peter Beard.

Selfridges has given this Emerald Elephant by Sabine Roemer royal treatment in the Wonder Room, where it will reside from 5th May to July 2010.

www.elephantparade.org

www.WorldlandTrust.org

www.gemfields.co.uk

PRINCE WILLIAM MARKS TUSK’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

April 28, 2010

PRINCE WILLIAM MARKS TUSK’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY
11 January 2010

At a reception held in St James’s London in January, Tusk’s Royal Patron was joined by some of the charity’s long term supporters who braved the freezing conditions to mark Tusk’s 20 years of conservation in Africa.

Balancing environmental conservation with the growing needs of society is at the heart of the “great challenge facing mankind”, Prince William said echoing the beliefs of his father The Prince of Wales, who for many years has argued that mankind should live in harmony with the natural world.

Charlie Mayhew, Tusk’s CEO, said that whilst huge strides have been made in tems of community driven conservation, the picture in terms of poaching now threatens many of the wildlife gains achieved since 1990.

‘Elephant losses have increased three and half times in the last two years and the poacher’s price for rhino horn has leapt more than 600% from $400 per kilo in 2007 to $2,600 per kilo today! It is not surprising that that the Continent is now experiencing a surge in poaching and it explains why South Africa, a country, which in the past has remained largely immune to major poaching, lost over 100 rhino last year! Three times the losses of the year before.’

Since it’s inception twenty years ago Tusk has invested over £12 million into over a 100 widlife conservation, community development and environmental education projects across the continent. It currently directly supports 40 in 17 countries.

Prince William said: “We must all help, help to ensure that, for the communities Tusk serves in Africa, and for the awe-inspiring wildlife with which they co-exist, that the next 20 years are ever more life-enhancing and secure. Future generations must have the chance to wonder at the Continent’s spell-binding natural heritage for themselves. We owe it to them. This legacy is not ours to squander. And in this cause, Tusk is a great champion.”

www.tusk.org

At a reception held at St James’s London this January, Tusk’s Royal Patron was joined by some of the charity’s long term supporters who braved the freezing conditions to mark Tusk’s 20 years of conservation in Africa.

Categories: Charity, Events