Sustainable jewelry gets the red carpet treatment as Stella McCartney brought Vrai’s lab-grown diamonds to the Met Gala and Kate Mara launched an eco collection for charity.
At Monday’s Met Gala, designer Stella McCartney unveiled a collaboration with the lab-grown jeweler, Vrai. The partnership introduced a sustainable fine jewelry collection modeled by Cara Delevingne, FKA Twigs, Ed Sheeran, and his wife Cherry Seaborn.
Vrai president Mona Akhavi said that the Met Gala’s theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” lent itself to the interpretation that there “needs to be an awakening” in the fashion and luxury industries to do things in a better way. “We have pioneered that especially in the diamond industry. We’ve been very vocal about the harmful impacts of mining and taking inspiration from that, the core value was what drove this. It just made sense with this exhibition theme this year — it couldn’t have been a more perfect harmony.”
McCartney emphasized the collaborative spirit aimed at enhancing transparency and sustainability in fashion. “We’re both passionate about advocating for sustainability and creating more transparency in the fashion industry. It was a long time coming, and this was the perfect year to team up for Met Gala,” she said.
Delevingne’s outfit designed by McCartney featured a hooded, backless bodice embellished with more than 500 lab-grown diamonds, marking Vrai’s debut in high jewelry. “Cara’s look is the first time we’re doing a piece of high jewelry where the diamonds are going to be worn on the body,” Akhavi explained. Sheeran also supported this new luxury aesthetic with a diamond-encrusted bowtie, cufflinks, and a lapel pin, alongside his wife’s matching accessories.
The collaboration came as actress Kate Mara announced a partnership with New York’s KBH Jewels for a sustainable jewelry line celebrating Mother’s Day, which supports the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection. This collection features 14-karat recycled yellow gold and lab-grown diamonds. Mara is known for her animal rights advocacy.
“I don’t just celebrate one type of mother. I think that celebrating all different kinds — whether it be human, animal, step-parents, adopted parents, caregivers — all of the people in our lives that help parent our children,” she said. “It really does take a community to raise children, and I’m a very passionate animal lover. “Anytime I can highlight the sanctuary, but also just in general how we treat animals and how similar they are to us — chimpanzee mothers are so similar to us and they want the same things for their babies, so for me, it was a no-brainer for me to highlight them this Mother’s Day with KBH.”
KBH Jewels founder Kimberly Berry Haisch said Mara knows what she loves, which made the designing, collaborating, and shooting together easy,” Haisch said. “Her aesthetic leans towards clean lines with an edge: strong, classic styles that are sustainable, easy to wear and both statement and everyday.”
The collection is made with 14-karat recycled yellow gold and with lab-grown diamonds. The collection offers rings, earrings, ear cuffs, and necklaces ranging in price from $199 to $1,100. Mara, highlighting her personal style preferences, said she doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry on a daily basis, “but I always wear an ear cuff.”
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