Fairmined 100 Challenge Sees Debut of More Than 100 New Jewelry Collections

The Fairmined 100 Challenge, a contest created by the Alliance for Responsible Mining inviting brands and designers to create new collections made of Fairmined gold, silver, or gold plating, closed its entries on Aug. 31. While the challenge sought to launch 100 collections, its results beat those expectations, bringing in 127 collections presented by 97 brands. For 47 of those brands, it was the first collection ever made in Fairmined metals.

“This commemoration of creativity and commitment to supporting the positive transformation of the artisanal and small-scale mining communities brought together Fairmined licensed brands, authorized suppliers, certified mining organizations, retailers, promoters, and allies to achieve and exceed the initial goal to launch 100 collections,” said Laura Galvis, market development specialist at the Alliance for Responsible Mining, in a statement.

On Sept. 16, the collections were presented together for the first time in the Fairmined 100 Challenge digital catalog, which also serves as the means for the public to vote on their favorite collections (voting closes on Oct. 7).

In addition to the award of Public’s Favorite, an all-female panel of judges (including our own editor-in-chief, Victoria Gomelsky), will decide on the best collections among seven categories: Solid Gold, Silver, Gold Plated, Diamonds, Colored Gemstones, Groundbreaking Innovation, and Sustainability Story.

Winners will be announced on Oct. 11, during a webinar hosted by the Alliance for Responsible Mining.

See the digital catalog here.

Wempe Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Ruediger Albers

Watch and jewelry retailer Wempe is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its president of Wempe USA, Ruediger Albers. The industry executive began his career with the retailer in 1987 as a master watchmaker at the company’s flagship store in Hamburg, Germany, and went on to hold several leadership roles before being appointed president in 2002.

Albers has been instrumental to the success and development of the brand in the U.S. market, exceeding more than $100 million in annual sales and maintaining the No. 1 boutique position companywide for the last 25 years, according to a statement. He has also overseen the launch of Wempe’s e-commerce platform, the expansion of the store’s flagship U.S. boutique in New York (three times!), and spearheaded the opening of the first Wempe-operated, stand-alone Rolex boutique in the United States in 2012.

“Rudy is simply the heart of Wempe New York,” said Kim-Eva Wempe, owner and managing director of Wempe Jewelers, in a statement. “He has the keen ability to make anyone walking through the door feel like family and leads his team, many of whom have been with him for at least a decade, some even two, in that same manner. Rudy’s contributions to Wempe are endless as is his constant positive energy. But most importantly, he formed and empowered a very strong team around him that ensures that our company philosophy is being lived to the fullest every day of the year.”

In commemoration of the milestone anniversary, Albers has curated a special exhibition of his favorite pieces from Wempe’s museum collection that will be on display throughout October at Wempe’s Fifth Avenue boutique in New York. The selection of jewels, which are normally housed in Hamburg, include 1800s timepieces from the company’s early days of watchmaking, iconic models of the ’80s, co-branded limited editions, and a high jewelry necklace from the brand’s own in-house collection.

Visit wempe.com for more information.

Photo courtesy of Fairmined

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