De Elegance of Africa

Wijs, stoïcijns en verbonden. De Afrikaanse savanneolifant en bosolifant geven de schoonheid van dit uitgestrekte continent perfect weer en zijn onmisbaar voor het grote ecosysteem om hen heen. Deze wezens worden gekenmerkt door hun sterke familiebanden en intelligentie als soort, en staan centraal in onze Elegance of Africa-collectie.  Deze kristalcreatie met de SCS Jaarlijkse Editie 2022 Olifant Fayola is vervaardigd uit kristal in een schitterende nieuwe 'greige' kleur met 822 facetten en geeft de elegantie en dynamiek weer van de grootmoeder die haar kudde leidt. 

We hebben alles wat u moet weten over de schoonheid van de Afrikaanse olifant samengevoegd als aandenken aan de lancering van deze prachtige kristalcreatie, die is ontworpen door Martin Zendron. 

Het leefgebied van de Afrikaanse olifant strekt zich uit van de regenwouden van Midden- en West-Afrika tot de Afrikaanse savannes ten zuiden van de Sahara. De oren van de Afrikaanse olifant lijken op de vorm van het weidse Afrikaanse continent, terwijl de verwante Aziatische olifant oren heeft die doen denken aan het Indiase subcontinent.  

Bij Afrikaanse olifanten is een vrouwtje de dominante leider van de familie, en zij leidt de olifanten tijdens hun lange migratie als de matriarch van haar kudde. De SCS Jaarlijkse Editie 2022 Olifant Fayola geeft deze matriarch weer, wiens naam van Afrikaanse oorsprong 'degene die loopt met trots' betekent. Het oudste vrouwtje, de trotse en sterke grootmoeder met de meeste ervaring, leidt de kudde die uit drie tot vijfentwintig olifanten kan bestaan. 

These gentle giants stand tall in the heat of the vast planes of the Serengeti. As the world’s largest land animal their height ranges between a towering 8ft and 13 ft. Elephants weigh anywhere between 5000—14,000 lbs . With their large stature and roaming ways, it is no surprise that they spend over three-quarters of their day consuming food on their migration journey.

Elephants don’t just look majestic their complete anatomy is adapted for the often-inhospitable conditions of their natural habitat under the blazing sun. In the scorching heat of Africa’s plains, the elephant’s skin helps them to stay cool and avoid sunburn. With tough skin that is 2.5cms thick, the many wrinkles on the surface of their bodies help them to save water. It is this impressive skin that is captured in crystal with the new color greige featured for the first time on the SCS Elephant. But the skin of elephants is not as tough as people think, to protect their skin from the sun, elephants sprinkle sand onto their backs, another sign of their ingenious natures. 
 
As a highly intelligent species, these dynamic creatures make incredible leaps soon after birth with elephant calves learning to stand just 20 minutes after they arrive into the world . A milestone which is captured in our cheeky Baby Elephant Madisa crystal creation. After two days, the newest additions can keep up with the herd, as the elephants continue to roam and migrate under the watchful eye of the grandmother Fayola who leads them across the Serengeti. 

Whether an Elephant is picking up an object, finding food, stripping bark from trees, or defending itself from attack, its stunning ivory tusks are in fact teeth that have evolved for many essential purposes. Forceful, majestic, and wrapped in durable enamel the ivory tusks are seen on both male and female African elephants, and each elephant has a dominant tusk, just as humans have a dominant hand. 

A masterpiece of design, the Elephant’s trunk is capable of much more than we might think. This multitool is made up of muscle, giving the Elephant both strength and flexibility to uproot trees or delicately pick up smaller objects and pluck leaves. From smelling, drinking, and spraying water, the wonders of the Elephant’s truck also help the animal to communicate from miles apart. With its truck the Elephant creates seismic signals, or vibrations in the ground, which the animals pick up using their bones. 
 

But these elephants are endangered. Sadly, due to the illegal ivory trade 9 out of 10 African elephants have been wiped out in the past 100 years, leaving just 415,000 in the wild. A stark reminder that we should cherish and protect these beautiful creatures and respect their place on this earth. 

We hope our crystal creation portraying this grandmother elephant’s stoic beauty sheds light on the gentle nature of these wonderful creators, reiterating the need to protect the African Elephant and the habitat that surrounds it.

Find out more about the creation of the Elephant Fayola in this article