Story
The Designer
Pippa has been visiting Turquoise Mountain since 2008, producing a number of collections in collaboration with Afghanistan’s jewellers. Named as the Ethical Jewellery Business of the year at the 2015 UK Jewellery Awards, Pippa’s Turquoise Mountain pieces have been worn by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Florence and the Machine, Yasmine Le Bon and Eva Longoria.
The Stone
High in the valley of Sar-e Sang in North Eastern Afghanistan lie mountains streaked with seams of deep blue rock. This iconic stone – Lapis Lazuli - has obsessed humans for millennia. Once so exclusive it was reserved for the funeral masks of Pharaohs, and for the brush tips of the Renaissance’s most renowned artists, the price of Lapis Lazuli equalled the price of gold right up until the industrial age. Afghanistan is home to the world’s largest deposit of Lapis Lazuli.