The jewellery made its debut in New York City last week. The necklace and ring feature 673 pink, white, yellow, blue and champagne diamonds from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia, set in gold mined from the Rio Tinto’s Kennecott site in Utah, USA.
The pieces are valued at $US1.1 million ($AU1.63 million).
Gold Coast-based Calleija, who has two Australian stores and a London boutique, said the Kimberley region inspired his design.
“This was a labour of love, an opportunity to work with the entire Argyle diamond colour palette, from a country that is imbued with rich heritage and Dreamings [indigenous Australian culture and philosophy],” he explained.
“I am thrilled with the Argyle Dreaming necklace and ring. They are a permanent record of the most intriguing diamonds in the world.”
The necklace and ring’s centre stones – a 3.55-carat white diamond and a champagne diamond – can be interchanged, and are accented by natural pink, blue and yellow diamonds. The pieces took a combined 800 hours to complete.
Alan Chirgwin, vice president of sales and marketing, Rio Tinto, added, “Encapsulating a rich history and an extraordinary provenance, Argyle Dreaming is a contemporary treasure and an heirloom for tomorrow.”
The one-off designs will be shown in New York and London, before returning to Australia where they will be displayed in the Calleija stores.
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