All that glitters is not gold, they say, but this certainly isn’t true when it comes to platinum. The rarest and heaviest of all the precious metals, platinum is renowned for its exclusivity and ultimate luxury, and Lucky Metal is one of the brands spearheading platinum’s new popularity among the world’s top jewellers.
Sourcing raw materials from South Africa and producing jewellery against the metal’s live rate, Lucky Metal craft statement, bullion-shaped metal tags that are fantastically individual and beautifully unique. Each one-of-a-kind platinum tag is a piece of perfection. The brand’s rhino motif is lasered onto each tag as a marker of authenticity and conservation – Lucky Metal work closely with The Rhino Orphanage and value sustainable practice – to create stylish items that are the ultimate luxury.
We spoke to Dovi Friedmann, Lucky Metal founder and CEO, to learn more about the effortlessly sleek, endlessly wearable platinum tags we all want to own.
Why do you think the Lucky Metal brand is so exceptional?
Nothing quite like it has ever been done! Lucky Metal is avant-garde, edgy luxury. Minted, wearable jewels sold with a transparent margin against the live, fluctuating rate of the metal.
Each Tag is uniquely marked and numbered. What else makes the minting of a Lucky Metal Tag so special?
The minting process – synonymous with coins and bullion – guarantees that each of our products weighs the same and is of the highest purity possible. Most precious metals used in jewellery is cast, which leads to discrepancies in weight and quality. It is our minting process that sets us apart.
Additionally, each Lucky Metal product carries much symbolism. Each Tag has 78 dots representing platinum’s atomic number and they all carry the minter’s mark (making it internationally redeemable), as well as the image of platinum’s atomic structure. The unique serial number and year of minting are lasered onto each tag, and the rhino is holographically laser inscribed, adding more uniqueness and offsetting counterfeit risk.
The Lucky Metal Tag is produced in South Africa. Can you give us an insight into the production process?
Sure! The platinum is mined in South Africa and delivered to our partners, Metal Concentrators (MetCon), where it is refined, minted, laser inscribed, polished, packaged and shipped directly to the customer.
Just how rare is platinum?
Platinum is the rarest precious metal. There are lots of statistics about platinum and its rarity. One I love repeating is: all the gold ever produced would fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools, whereas all the platinum ever produced would only cover your ankles in one.
Why do you think platinum is so special? What sets it apart from gold and silver?
As well as its incredible rarity, platinum is so ductile that it can be pounded into a sheet that is as thin as 100 atoms. It is also one of the heaviest metals – a six-inch cube of platinum weighs as much as an average human being! Its weighty solidity and enduring shine give the ultimate luxury feel.
There are a range of cords on offer at Lucky Metal. Do you have a preferred colour?
I generally wear our standard chain, which is gifted with every purchase. We currently offer vegan leather cords in four colours, which almost everyone is buying with their purchase. I’m also very excited to be developing sustainable cords using banana fibre and cactus leather – we look forward to releasing them later this year.
Why is the rhino emblem so important to Lucky Metal?
The rhino is synonymous with Lucky Metal. It’s a humble beast: silvery in colour, tremendously dense, very powerful and graceful. So too with platinum. I find it fascinating that 80% of the world’s rhinos are in South Africa and 80% of the world’s platinum is also found there. Choosing the rhino as our motif made perfect sense.
What makes your partnership with The Rhino Orphanage so special?
Rhinos are endangered. Adult rhinos are poached and slaughtered for their horns, leaving young calves alone and at risk. We were determined from the outset to partner with conservation and humanitarian charities and to donate 10% of our profits to those causes. When I came across The Rhino Orphanage, I was blown away by its story. It is the world’s first non-profit organisation dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of rhino calves orphaned by poaching.
Sustainability is at the core of the Lucky Metal brand. Do you think that consumers of luxury items became more conscious of ethical production in 2020?
Sustainability is crucial to Lucky Metal’s raison d’être. With everything produced in South Africa, our carbon footprint is kept to an absolute minimum. Our business model is entirely transparent, and we are proud of our endeavours to support humanitarian and conservation projects. As the world continues to cry out for more transparency, it’s true to say that luxury consumers are too becoming more conscious of ethical production and will opt for brands that are passionate about their corporate responsibility. Lucky Metal ticks this box: we’re true, honest luxury.
What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Lucky Metal are looking forward to releasing three new products of varying weights, as well as some new cord designs. Additionally, I’m designing other jewellery products to complement the tags for release in different markets from 2022 onwards. Exciting times!
Where can readers purchase their very own Lucky Metal Tag?
Everything is available online at luckymetal.com and you can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and on LinkedIn.
