Lauryn Hill’s striking yellow ensemble was perfectly complemented by her gold jewelry at the 2025 Met Gala.
The musician wore designs from Emefa Cole, a London-based Ghanaian jewelry designer known for her work inspired by the African diaspora and nature. Her pieces stand out for their use of traceable materials, ensuring transparency in sourcing.
Hill’s earrings and necklace featured designs inspired by calabash gourds, a symbol deeply rooted in West African culture.
Cole’s brand uses Single Mine Origin (SMO), a system that tracks gold from its origin to the final product. This allows consumers and brands to fully understand where their metals come from, unlike recycled gold, whose origins are often unclear.
SMO reports that only 4% of the world’s gold supply can be traced from the mine to the finished product.
The gold used in Cole’s jewelry comes from the Endeavour Ity mine in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
In a 2022 interview with WWD, Cole explained why she prioritizes traceability in her work: “It’s important to include the source of the materials in my jewelry. Historically, the focus is often on the designer, but the people who mine the gold or cut the gemstones are just as crucial. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to create.”
Cole also mentioned that she started using SMO because she believes it offers a more meaningful alternative to the typical sustainable option, recycled gold.
Each piece of Cole’s jewelry made with single-mine origin gold comes with a card containing a QR code. Scanning the code reveals detailed information about the gold’s source, offering full transparency to the buyer.
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