In a world-first, Melbourne-based jeweler Millie Savage has teamed up with Toyota to create handmade jewelry featuring lab-grown diamonds made from a car.“Toyota approached me and initially I was confused – what does my art have to do with cars? But as soon as I heard the brief and creative concept, I was so excited to collaborate,” Savage told Inside Retail.Savage reputation for creating unique and bespoke jewelry precedes her – the stones are ethically sourced, the materials are high-quality and the craftsmanship is next level. “Millie Savage is all about originality, embracing the edgy and fierce women,” Savage said of her eponymous brand.When two worlds collide At first glance, the fine jewelry and automotive industries don’t share much in common, but the collaboration between Millie Savage and Toyota revealed that craftsmanship and innovation are deeply entrenched in both brands’ design ethos.“I had no idea how they were going to make it work but when they showed me the diamonds, inspiration hit and I knew exactly what to create,” Savage shared.“It’s a perfect blend of art and engineering, pushing the boundaries of my creative process and resulting in pieces that are both groundbreaking and personal – I guess the only thing I can say is that literally anything is possible.”The one-of-a-kind jewelry collection, which features lab-grown diamonds from the unlikeliest of source materials, a car, is a first-of-its-kind collaboration.“The process was really cool, the diamonds were crafted specifically using carbon extracted from components of a pre-production C-HR and took just under four weeks to grow,” said Savage.“The transformation of something mechanical into something organic is fascinating, and the diamonds are all one-of-a-kind,” she added.Craftsmanship always comes firstBesides a six-week stint at uni, Savage is entirely self-taught – after 11 years of crafting bespoke jewelry with lab-grown and natural stones, including Australian opals which are a brand signature, Millie Savage has become a renowned Australian jeweler.“It took me a long time until I was making good things, and now I make things that are at a level that Toyota has recognized my art and wants to collaborate,” Savage said.It’s a no-brainer why Toyota sought out Savage to create a bespoke jewelry collection with lab-grown diamonds to celebrate the release of its diamond-inspired C-HR automobile.“I always like to say I see myself as a picture framer – the stones are the artwork, and I just get to create the frames that show them off,” the designer said.“It’s a nice way to look at it, especially in this project where the stones are literally the car,” she added.Savage opted to keep the designs chiseled with lots of signets and handmade chains to reflect the mechanical nature of the car and the aesthetics of the Toyota brand.“It felt like weaving two distinct worlds together, blending automotive innovation with eternal diamonds and hand-crafted jewelry,” she further explained.The angular lines of the CH-R were reimagined into a jewelry collection of nine rings, a necklace, a bracelet, earrings and in true Millie Savage style, a tooth grill.“I want whoever is lucky enough to get their hands on the collection to know that they’ve been a part of a world-first, not only for the brand but for the industry,” concluded Savage.“My limited-edition and one-off beauties are exactly that, and I wanted the diamonds to be the same.”