Each year, over a million wildebeest, along with zebras and gazelles, move between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya in what is known as the Great Migration. It’s a phenomenon that draws thousands of tourists to Africa to witness some part of the animals’ trek, which, back and forth, totals about 1,800 miles.
I’ve never gone myself, but my in-laws took the trip last year, so I’ve at least been vicariously privy to the experience. Even from home I could understand the magnitude of the event, how inspiring and transcendent it might be. How it could easily serve as the spark for, say, a distinctive jewelry collection.
McFarlane Fine Jewellery’s Kathleen McFarlane—who runs the Switzerland-based business alongside her mother, Esther—traveled with her family to see the Great Migration (also known the Mara Mara Migration), and was so moved by it, they’ve infused their memories and experiences into a two-part collection of jewels known as Mara Mara.
Sunrise Over the Mara Mara earrings in 18k yellow gold with tiger’s eye and 0.12 ct. t.w. diamonds, $4,032
The first part, which was released in April, was inspired by the changes in the sun throughout the day on the Tanzania savanna—its warm peek over the horizon in the morning, the midday blaze, and its tranquility while setting, leaving a quiet hush in the evening. “Honestly, it is such an incredible place,” McFarlane tells me via email. “Just the number of animals you see. It’s awe-inspiring and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Golden Hour on the Mara Mara pendant in 18k yellow gold with marquise citrine, $5,055
Part II of Mara Mara, out today, takes inspiration from the twilight hours through the night, the stillness of the Serengeti’s starry nights a study in contrast to its blazing sun during the day. “This is the Serengeti not just as it is seen but as it is felt,” reads a note on the collection.
Moon Over the Mara Mara necklace in 18k yellow gold with carved tiger’s eye and 0.26 ct. t.w. diamonds, $8,341
Both parts of the collection rely heavily on tiger’s eye, rich and beautifully brown, some in carved iterations (such as the face of the moon), others in smooth, glossy cabochons. Diamonds accent many of the pieces, and there are also jewels—like the Sunset Over the Mara Mara earrings (pictured below)—highlighted with colored gemstones, reminiscent of a glorious savanna sunset.
Sunset Over the Mara Mara earrings in 18k yellow gold with tiger’s eye and pink tourmaline, $3,648
Each Mara Mara piece is exquisite, and when consumers are armed with knowledge of the jewelry’s African inspirations, it becomes something different and irresistible entirely, telling the story of the beauty of the earth, its creatures, and the stewards of both.
A third part of the collection is planned for the fall, McFarlane says.
Top: High Noon on the Mara Mara necklace in 18k yellow gold with carved tiger’s eye, tiger’s eye beads, and 0.12 ct. t.w. diamonds, $14,722; McFarlane Fine Jewellery