September 15, 2022 09:00 ET | Source: Arity SAS Arity SAS
Bogota, COLOMBIA
BOGOTA, Colombia, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arity, a luxury conglomerate led by veterans of the jewelry industry auctioned the first high-end jewelry collection backed by NFT legacy certificates, at prestigious Colombian auction house Lefebre. The collection was designed in collaboration with renowned jewelry designer and royal family member of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikha Fatima Al-Qassimi.
Lefebre Subastas became the first auction house in Latin America to sell NFT-backed jewelry. This comes shortly after major luxury brands like Sotheby’s, Tiffany, Gucci, and more have started to explore the potential of NFTs and “phygital” assets to meet the demand for innovative digital experiences.
Arity’s auction at Lefebre Subastas featured the Matrix Ring and Singularity Earrings which include emeralds originally extracted from Colombia through Arity’s sustainable mining operations. Both pieces were sold on September 7, with the Matrix Ring marking the highest bid on the jewelry section of Lefebre, alongside individual NFT assets. The collection showcases the next evolution of jewelry design, merging the physical and the digital worlds.
“This is only the beginning of my collaboration with the Arity team. I look forward to exploring innovative implementations of NFTs and blockchain technology in the high-end jewelry sector. Additionally, the work that Arity is doing to increase traceability and ensure sustainability in the supply chain of precious minerals is very important for the industry”, said Sheikha Fatima Al-Qassimi. A member of the Ras al-Khaimah royal family, Sheikha Fatima is a well-respected jewelry designer and owner of Sough Goldsmith, whose collections have been featured in Vogue.
Colombia has a long-standing legacy as a top provider of the world’s finest quality emeralds, with the Chivor mine being one of the largest deposits in the country. The most expensive emerald, per carat, ever sold at auction, was The Rockefeller Emerald Ring, which originated from the Chivor mines, it has the intense color and distinct saturation that typifies Colombian emeralds and was auctioned by Christie’s for over $5.5M. Arity founders have the most extensive mining license in the region, and were the first ones to implement blockchain technology in 2018 to ensure traceability; its executives have over 80 years of combined experience in the mining, gem-cutting and high-end jewelry industry.
The director of Lefebre Auctions, Catalina Martinez, said: ”With blockchain, it is possible to create a direct bridge between art and technology, highlighting the artistic level that is evident in each jewel. These pieces are made with emeralds extracted from the well-known mine of Chivor with totally clean and sustainable processes and all this is traceable via the NFT.”
The winning bidder will receive the physical piece along with an NFT representation of the Singularity Earrings and Matrix Ring. These NFTs will be integrated into Metaverse applications in future iterations of Arity’s offerings as the company continues to pave the way to Web3 for the luxury industry.
About Arity
Arity is a Web3 company using blockchain to innovate the market of luxury goods. Arity brings forward generations of experiences in emerald sourcing, mining, and jewelry design and deep crypto and NFT knowledge. Arity’s technology builds flawless chains of custody for precious possessions and immortalizes human craftsmanship in high-end jewelry and exotic experiences. Learn more about Arity at Arity. club
About Lefebre Subastas
LeFebre auction house located in Bogota Colombia has among its collection international artists such as Mondrian, Albers, Szyszlo, Dalí, Nierman, Soto, Rembrand, and a selection of Latin American religious paintings from different schools, Cuzqueña, Neogranadina, Virreinal. And great masters of Colombian art; with works by Omar Rayo, Ana Mercedes Hoyos, Olga de Amaral, Carlos Rojas, Roberto Pizano, Miguel Ángel Rojas, Luis Caballero, Manuel Hernández, Hugo Zapata, Edgar Negret, Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, among others. Learn more about Lefebre at https://lefebresubastas.com/
For media inquiries, please contact Karla Vilhelem at karla@multiplied.io
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