Latest News
“Tyger Tyger burning bright, in the forests of the night"
William Blake: 1757-1827, “The Tyger”.
It is critically important as the world’s population will continue to increase that all aspects of production focus on the notion of “sustainability”. From the period known as “the enlightenment”(approx.1650-1750), through to the industrial revolution which followed, the majority of human activity has proceeded as if all resources were infinite, and their depletion and pollution could go on forever. We now know that is not the case and we must implement the notion of sustainability wherever possible. It is paramount to the health of the planet and it our responsibility to protect and preserve whatever we can – for ourselves and our decsendents.
This being the case, I have taken particular delight in trying to show that we can fulfil the moral obligation of “sustainability”, without sacrificing one little bit of creativity, glamour, desireability, luxury and mystique. I feel this has all been achieved in this design called “Tyger, Tyger”, as well as the functionality of a working, foldable, ladies fan. The exotic Tiger motif, encapsulates so many things which are perfect for such an item: The Tiger represents nature and an endangered creature. In this sense, it stands for the world we have inherited, used and neglected and need to care for – it and its habitat, needs to be protected and “sustained”. In the aesthetic sense, the tiger represents beauty and feminity, strength and independence and of course, a wild and untamed spirit – all things which are desireable in the design of a bold and striking piece of jewellery.
2012 will be an exciting year
2012 will be an exciting year for Mondial with Nadia currently developing her award winning design “Tyger, Tyger” which will be unveiled in the ‘Red Carpet Celebrity Suite’ at the 2012 Oscars in L.A. This amazing design won the Rio Tinto Global Design “Sustainable Jewelry Master Craftsman" award. Listen to Nadia speaking about 'Tyger, Tyger' on our Videos page.
Another Exciting Award for Mondial!
Mondial auctions pink diamond pendant and raises $14,500 for indigenous school
“We are extremely pleased with the result,” says Michael Neuman, gemmologist and co-owner of Mondial. “As this is the very first pendant of the series we anticipated that it would be extremely coveted, and we are thrilled that we’ve been able to contribute to the wonderful efforts of the Gawura school.”
Gawura is an initiative which supports literacy and numeracy programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, in Sydney.
“Gawura is a small school right next door to the Queen Victoria Building and does remarkable, life changing work in the area of education and social development for indigenous kids and their families - all with very little assistance from the government and no media attention. This is why we chose to support them when we decided to auction this amazing piece of jewellery,” says Neuman.
“We are extremely grateful to Mondial for donating all of the proceeds from the auction to Gawura,” says David North, Head of Gawura. “On average, it costs more than $800,000 a year to run the Gawura schooling program for 39 students from Kindergarten to Year 12, so this contribution, really does make a difference for our students.”
Launched in 2007, Gawura was formed in response to the overwhelming evidence of social disadvantage among people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. “The Gawura education program is not merely a scholarship; it focuses on the children’s literacy and numeracy attainment, at a level of adequacy with non-indigenous children, in a culturally sensitive environment,” says North.
To find out more about Gawura visit www.gawura.nsw.edu.au/home.
About Mondial
Today, Mondial remains a family-run business, just as founder Fred Neuman, jewellery connoisseur and doyen of the industry, established it 50 years ago, when he first commenced the business with his wife Maria. After many years in the diamond retail and wholesale business, they opened Mondial in 1993. It was arguably the first jeweller in Australia to specialise in natural coloured pink diamonds. It is currently managed by Fred’s son Michael Neuman; a graduate from the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) and coloured diamond expert and his cousin Jacob Neuman. The store holds the largest selection of pink and coloured diamonds in the country. In 2009 Mondial opened its second store, Mondial by Nadia Neuman in the Strand Arcade, managed by Fred’s daughter and award winning jewellery designer, Nadia Neuman.
‘Mondial by Nadia Neuman’ opens in Strand Arcade, Sydney
“The idea to open a new store in the Strand Arcade came in response the recent surge of interest in coloured diamonds,” says Nadia Neuman who will manage the new store. Nadia is the daughter of Mondial founder Fred Neuman and has designed pieces which have been recognised by the Jewellery Association of Australia (JAA) and other associations nation-wide.
“Over the past two years Mondial has taken home three awards for exceptional design with coloured jewellery. Making our mark on the industry, we thought it was time to showcase our phenomenal design creativity in a fresh and unique environment like the Strand Arcade,” says Nadia.
Four Seasons Cuff Award
On October 28, 2009, Mondial's ‘Four Seasons Cuff’ took home the award for the fanciest jewellery in Australia, at the Harper’s BAZAAR Diamond Guild Australia 2009 Jewellery Awards, in the Fancy Fancy Diamond Award category. Designed by Nadia Neuman, the cuff was judged on the elements of coloured diamonds and cuts used in a piece.
Mondial made Australian history by winning this award, becoming holders of current awards from both of Australia’s bi-annual jewellery award ceremonies - Harper’s BAZAAR Diamond Guild Australia Awards and the Jewellery Association of Australia (JAA) Design Awards. Both accolades recognise the use of exquisitely coloured diamonds in jewellery, making Mondial a leader in the coloured diamond jewellery industry.
Mondial’s ‘Four Seasons Cuff’ is a multi-functional wrist cuff with four panels. It is made with 18 carat green, white, rose and yellow gold. It also incorporates pink, blue, green, yellow, golden, cognac, champagne and orange coloured diamonds to represent the colours, climate and moods of each season. To Each panel can also be slid out and worn separately as a pendant.
Diamond Dreaming - An Australian first
“Traditionally Aboriginal people have made necklaces of shells and echidna quills, and other objects of natural beauty. Diamond Dreaming, for the first time adds the brilliance of natural coloured diamonds to the Aboriginal ritual of adornment.” Alison
Jewellery with a story
As with Aboriginal art, the symbols in each piece contain simple stories with universal meaning that speak of the connection to family and the earth.
“The wumura in the Sydney Language means ‘to fly’ and contains boomerangs which always return to their thrower. It contains pink diamonds from the Australian Argyle mine. This could be given to a loved one before they travel to make sure they come home safely” Alison
Jewellery is a personal expression of your identity and so the range can be customised with various coloured diamonds such as ochre, cognac and pinks.
For a more personalised service. Alison Page is interested in creating one-off symbols to express a wearer’s desired story.
An Innovative collaboration
Mondial Jewellers, which was started by Michael’s parents Fred and Maria in 1962 in East Sydney, specialise in natural coloured diamonds, including pink Argyle diamonds, the world’s rarest gem.
Two years ago, Michael Neuman, from Mondial contacted Alison Page about designing the range and have been collaborating ever since.
“I had been wanting to create a range of Aboriginal inspired jewellery for many years but never felt I could do it with any level of authenticity. Then I saw Alison as a judge on The New Inventors and when I researched her background in Aboriginal design, I asked her if she wanted to collaborate to create a unique range of jewellery” Michael
For two years, Michael and Alison have been working together bring Diamond Dreaming to life. The joint venture is an innovative business model and one that Alison Page spoke about at the Australia 2020 Summit earlier this year.
“At the Summit, I pitched for the inclusion of joint ventures between Aboriginal artists and established businesses to make unique products for export. To me, it respects the place of Aboriginal culture as integral to the Australian identity” Alison
The initial range, Garungarung, meaning ‘beautiful’ in the Sydney language continues to grow with the inclusion of the saltwater freshwater ring, the yidaki (didgeridoo) pendant and aragung (shield) pendant and ring.
Award winning
‘Totem’ one of the pieces featuring Australian coloured diamonds, recently won one of the top awards at the 2008 JAA Jewellery Design Awards. It has been short-listed for selection in the international Champion of Champions competition to be held in Hong Kong next year.
The piece represents the Australian Aboriginal connection to the land. Cross-hatched symbols of totems are used by Aboriginal people to represent the spirit of an animal or place. Wrapping white gold 'sticks' in rose gold ‘sinew’, references traditional Aboriginal binding methods.
