An exceptional jewelry collection has been born from an unusual raw material. Because in it, the rings are inspired by two battery connection plates, two elements that look to the future and, at the same time, look at each other. Two small magical objects that dialogue and that, from their function, are born separately to live together. The earrings arise from the idea of ??a spring coming from an engine valve. A piece that absorbs elastic energy and restores it, providing balance and movement, which is now reinterpreted as an imaginary journey through a path full of sinuous curves.
The bracelet is created from a connecting rod, a central part of the engine. It has two sides that are similar in appearance, but different in their details. Like the masculine and the feminine. Now it is an asymmetric bracelet that symbolizes the perfect combination between beauty and functionality. The bracelet emulates the link of a distribution chain, thanks to which the movement and synchronization of the engine is caused. Composed of all the views of that link, the result is a new chain. Strong and flexible.
What remains is the brooch, whose shape is reminiscent of a spinning gear: two circular pieces that fit perfectly together and communicate with precision, transforming into a world of satellites in continuous movement. The origin of mechanics seen as a beautiful Big Bang. The unique collection is completed by cufflinks, which originate from an intake valve attached to the oil feed tube of the primary shaft. Two pieces, apparently distant in their function, that appear together to give a new dimension to the hybrid world: the joint creation of an element with different possibilities.
These six unique jewels, each inspired by a different part of the engine, were born from the imagination of designer Laura Ponte, who has taken on the challenge proposed by Renault to pay tribute to the Renault Austral E-Tech full hybrid hybrid engine: create a jewelry collection inspired by some of her pieces. Because the engine itself is a jewel in efficiency that allows electric driving 80% of the time in the city thanks to its innovative technology, coming from Formula 1. A documentary, The Beauty of the Mechanism, narrates the project and the process of creating the jewelry, which is also accompanied by an exhibition of photographs of the collection, taken by the prestigious photographer Carlos Villarejo.
“It has been very rewarding and a wonderful challenge to use the engine parts to take them to the jewelry store. It was important to remove the packaging and see the essence,” says Laura Ponte in the documentary. “Designing the Austral collection has been a great luxury and I am very proud to be able to bring to light what is always hidden, because this engine is a true gem,” celebrates the designer, who knew how to see the beauty in an engine from which she selected some parts. Until turning the essence of each one of them into a jewel.
Both the noble materials used to create the jewelry – gold, silver and rhodium, combined to reflect the hybrid nature of the Austral – and the production of the collection are 100% Spanish. Like the Renault Austral, a vehicle that is assembled at the Palencia Factory and whose hybrid engine has been developed at the Valladolid R&D Center. It is also manufactured in the Valladolid Engine Factory. In its commitment to sustainability, Renault has used sustainable materials throughout the design and production process, including the cases.
The Austral collection has a social purpose, since, together with the Renault Group Spain Foundation, the brand has decided to support a solidarity project that is committed to young talent and equal opportunities promoted by one of the most prestigious universities in Spain , Carlos III University of Madrid.
An auction of the jewelry has been organized, the proceeds of which have been allocated to the UC3M Alumni Scholarship Program of the Carlos III University Foundation, aimed at female students with a good academic record and insufficient financial resources who want to study at said University, thus supporting future Spanish talents. . Specifically, the funds obtained have served to support young women who decide to study a STEM degree at this university throughout their careers. In addition to financial support, the scholarship program offers personal and academic support, organizing group activities.
