This month, World Gold Council will auction off a special collection of gold jewelry—designed by a special group of people—to benefit 10 charities. The Leaves of Change collection comprises a dozen necklaces, each with a unique leaf motif created by a Hollywood celebrity or couple.
Christina Applegate, Whoopi Goldberg, Marcia Gay Harden, Samantha Harris, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Chris Noth, Lena Olin, Rachael Ray, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields, and Pauletta and Denzel Washington each contributed a leaf sketch to the project, and WGC paired each star with a gold jewelry designer to produce the piece in yellow gold. A gala benefit on May 7 in New York City will feature a simultaneous live and online auction with Sotheby’s auctioneer Gary Schuler. Proceeds from the sale of each necklace will benefit each star’s favorite charity.
The goldsmiths donated their time and money to design the necklaces, each of which is limited to three pieces: one for the benefit auction, one for the celebrity, and the third to tour 16 U.S. cities from July to December to raise awareness for the charities.
Leaves of Change producer Deanna Russo, of ENTegrity, and Shaye Strager, of Studio PR, who have strong relationships in the entertainment industry, landed the stars for the project.
Photos of the leaf designs as well as photos of the celebrities and their sketches can be seen on www.leavesofchange.org.