Chopard (the ‘Maison’ of Caroline Scheufele) may well be a luxury brand, beloved of the most passionate aficionados, but the Maison has never let this affect its core values of generosity and giving. As much as it is important to value the luxury and elegance that Chopard exudes, the company and its leadership – first among them Caroline Scheufele – feels that this should be aligned with the wellbeing of the human beings involved in production, as well as the general health and sustainability of the planet.
With this in mind, Chopard and Caroline Scheufele have worked with a number of charities and causes, supporting non-profit organisations and helping to raise awareness of some of the biggest issues affecting the planet today. In their work, Chopard intends to prove that ‘little diamonds do great things’ and this is never quite as evident as in the Happy Hearts Collection.
The Happy Hearts Collection
A renowned collection, pivoting around the two pillars of design that are the emblematic Chopard heart and beautiful moving diamonds, the Happy Hearts Collection of Chopard is designed for women with a predilection for altruism, and strong core values. The signature of the collection is the Happy Hearts bangle, a simple yet stand-out piece that has evolved over the years into a number of unique designs that help to support charitable causes.
Some of the causes we are currently working with, using the Happy Hearts Collection, include:
Education Above All
Chopard is supporting the ‘Educate a Child’ programme in collaboration with the Education Above All Foundation. The Foundation was set up in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, with the aim to help improve the standards of education worldwide and thus improve human, social and economic conditions.
Children are the best group to target when it comes to improving the way that we deal with things like the environment, cultural barriers and conflicts. Through education, children are able to learn what they can do to improve their own lives and communities. However, in certain areas poverty and environmental factors make it impossible for children to access education.
The ‘Educate a Child’ programme is designed specifically to help children to get to school, wherever they are based, and Chopard has partnered with Education Above All to create a special edition bangle which features a special ‘Educate a Child’ charm. The bangle is available in white and rose gold, whilst a watch is also available.
The Naked Heart Foundation
Chopard created the Happy Hearts Naked Heart bangle in partnership with the Naked Heart Foundation, a charity whose main goal is to create an inclusive society that is open to people with disabilities and special needs. The Foundation was set up in 2004 by supermodel Natalia Vodianova and works to provide free support services for the families of children with special needs. This is done through running family support centres, and helping to provide schools and nurseries with training and technology that helps teachers to work more easily with children with autism. The Foundation even runs summer camps for children with special needs.
The Happy Hearts Naked Heart Foundation bangle features a gorgeous pink mother-of-pearl heart, sparkling diamonds and a white gold bracelet.
All Hands And Hearts
Another charity which fits perfectly into the Happy Hearts Collection is All Hands And Hearts – Smart Response, an organisation which was designed to help rebuild schools in areas that have been impacted by natural disasters.
Chopard has been working with the founder, philanthropist and supermodel Petra Nemcova, since 2009 to create beautiful jewellery items that help to support the charity. In 2015, Caroline Scheufele created an iconic 18ct rose gold bangle with a red heart, as well as a heart with Chopard’s signature diamond, for All Hands and Hearts. Since then the proceeds from this venture have helped to rebuild three schools, providing safe and secure schools for almost 700 students.
José Carreras
One of Chopard’s longest-running partnerships, and one which has seen fantastic outcomes, is the relationship with the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation.
In 1988, just one year after the tenor won his battle with leukemia, José Carreras set up the Foundation to support new research and treatment for the disease. Chopard partnered with José in the 1990’s, supporting the launch of the International Carreras Foundations in Geneva and Munich in 1991 and 1995 respectively. In 1996, Chopard launched the José Carreras L.U.C XP watch collection, the first editions of which featured intricate engravings of some of the world’s biggest and best opera houses.
Awareness Raising And Engagement
With an eye towards providing support and awareness for many of the planet’s issues, Chopard has already proven itself to be a key player in the world of sustainability and ethics. The Maison has worked tirelessly to ensure that it moves ever further towards jewellery that is comprised entirely ethically, made from ethical gold and with transparent supply chains that ensure as little human and environmental cost as possible.
Through the years, Chopard has worked with charities, celebrities and major figureheads in the world of environmental justice, hosting panel discussions with industry leaders and spearheading campaigns that tackle injustices and the issues that affect the luxury watch and jewellery industries. Two examples of this include:
Baselworld Ethical Gold Symposium
Sustainability – Caroline Scheufele & Chopard hosted this panel discussion in March 2018, as a way to discuss global sustainability issues across a range of industries. Panel members included human rights lawyer Cherie Blair, and economist Jeffrey Sachs, and was supported by Colin and Livia Firth, Julianne Moore, Arizona Muse and Roy Wang. The panel talked about the 17 Global Goals set out by world leaders in 2015, how businesses are able to work it into their business strategy and what challenges they may come across in the process.
This meeting was also an opportunity for Chopard to announce that it had finally achieved 100% ethical gold – a feat that offers other brands a goal to aim for, and promises that these business practices are absolutely achievable.
Green Carpet Challenge
Chopard joined the Green Carpet Challenge in partnership with Eco-Age in an effort to raise awareness of how luxury products connect with every area of the supply chain, and the human and environmental cost at the various points along the way.
For a product’s inclusion under the Green Carpet Challenge, all materials must have been assessed by Eco-Age to ensure that they are environmentally and socially sound.
Chopard’s contributions to the partnership were a study in ethics versus aesthetics, featuring the bold high-fashion style people have come to associate with the brand, but with an assurance that every step of the supply chain has been thoroughly investigated to ensure complete sustainability and a focus on ethical issues.
