LONDON — Lauryn Hill’s buttery yellow outfit was an ideal match for her gold jewellery on the 2025 Met Gala.
The musician wore items from Emefa Cole, a London-based Ghanaian jewellery designer. Her items are sometimes impressed by the African diaspora and nature with all of the uncooked supplies being traceable.
Hill’s earrings and necklace designs referenced calabash gourds, a major image in west African tradition.
Cole’s label makes use of Single Mine Origin, in any other case often known as SMO, which traces gold again to its provenance for shoppers and types to take full accountability of the place their metals are coming from moderately than counting on recycled gold, the origin of which can’t be traced.
In response to SMO, solely 4 p.c of the world’s gold provide is traceable from mine to the ultimate polished product.
Lauryn Hill on the 2025 Met Gala celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Fashion.”
Lexie Moreland/WWD
The gold from Cole’s model comes from the Ity mine in Côte d’Ivoire.
“In my view, it’s important for my work to incorporate traceability of the supply of the supplies. Whenever you learn up about jewellery, whether or not it’s what’s taking place now or up to now, the story is principally all the time in regards to the designer. So many people who find themselves part of the making truly get forgotten about. However for me, with out the miners of the gold or silver or gems, and the individuals who minimize the gems, I can’t actually create,” the designer informed WWD in 2022.
She added that she began utilizing SMO as a result of she believes that it comes with far more substance in comparison with the standard sustainable possibility, recycled gold.
Each time a buyer buys a chunk of Cole’s jewellery made with single-mine origin gold, it comes with slightly card that has a QR code on it, which carries all the data that’s out there on that exact supply of gold.
