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A jaw-dropping piece of locally made and designed jewellery has put Adelaide on the global style map after a recent showing at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival took it to the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula One.
The $500,000 diamond Formula One necklace comes from the team at Hazelwood Park-based Martin Rogers Jewellery. Managing Director and Manufacturing Jeweller Andrew Mitchell shared that the inspiration came from a conversation he had with former Formula One driver Stefan Johansson. “I was saying I’d like to make an Adelaide track as a way to celebrate the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, and he said he had thought it would be cool to do the tracks he drove on as a necklace,” said Andrew. “It sparked the idea to do a season as a high jewel to bridge Motorsport and fine jewellery.”
Andrew says he sat on the idea for years, keeping it in the back of his mind, and once the team began work, it quickly became clear it wouldn’t be a simple project.
“Once we began work in the workshop, it took around 250 to 300 hours to complete,” he said. “The diamond setting alone took about two and a half weeks. It was very much a team effort. A piece like this takes over your headspace while it’s being made. I revisited the design many times over the years before finally bringing it to life.”
Featuring approximately 1,800 diamonds with a combined weight of around 25 carats, the stunning necklace recreates some of the most iconic Formula One tracks in a flowing design.
“The initial challenge was designing a high jewellery piece that referenced Formula One without being immediately obvious. I didn’t want it to feel literal or novelty-like,” said Andrew. “At the same time, the track layouts needed to be recreated faithfully, as many motorsport fans know them instantly. That meant a long and repetitive process of building track after track, refining proportions and making adjustments.”
The intricate design required patience and collaboration from the entire workshop team.
“In the workshop, it involved long hours working on the same project for weeks. There were plenty of moments where the team would come together to troubleshoot, test layouts and refine details. There were many test fittings along the way. It was an arduous process that required patience, vision and determination.”
Andrew said he grew up watching Formula One, so his love of motorsport made the project even more meaningful. “I grew up watching Formula One and have always been fascinated by the engineering side of motorsport. Meeting both current and past drivers over the years has been quite surreal when you think back to watching them as a kid.”
The necklace was first shown at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival through a longstanding partnership with Club Zagame, which has hosted the Martin Rogers Jewellery team at the festival each year since they began attending. “It’s a wonderful event that brings together people who share a love for craftsmanship, engineering and motorsport. Being able to present the piece in that environment, alongside peers like Zagame and Penfolds Magill Estate, felt like the perfect setting,” said Andrew.
Ever since the Adelaide Motorsport Festival at the end of February, the piece quickly gained traction online, being shared all over the world by Formula One fans. “When we set out to make the piece, the goal was simply to create something beautiful and technically challenging. We didn’t really think beyond that. The response from around the world has been quite humbling.”
Adding even more glamour to the piece, the partner of Racing Bulls Formula One driver Liam Lawson, Hannah St John, wore the necklace to the prestigious Glamour on the Grid in Melbourne during the Australian Grand Prix.
“We had previously met Hannah at a Club Zagame event during the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, so she was already familiar with the level of craftsmanship we produce. When she saw the piece, she reached out to ask if she could wear it to the Glamour on the Grid event at the Melbourne Grand Prix. The theme that evening was precious metals, so the piece fit perfectly.”
Priced at more than $500,000, the piece is a combination of motorsport heritage, intricate craftsmanship and of course, some serious sparkle, all helping put Adelaide on the global stage, turning heads around the world while doing it.
For more on Martin Rogers Jewellery, click here.
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