Actress Christina Hendricks Shines for Unique Precious Metal Palladium

NEW YORK, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Palladium Alliance International (PAI) and Vivienne Westwood are proud to unveil Christina Hendricks as the face of the new Vivienne Westwood "Get a Life" Palladium Jewelry Collection. The award winning actress is lending her classic beauty to the collection, modeling the limited edition jewelry for a photo shoot styled by Dame Westwood in London.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110302/NY57777)

Featured in the collection are both couture and retail pieces delicately crafted from Palladium - a naturally white precious metal belonging to the platinum family that maintains its beautiful color and shape over time. Dame Westwood's bespoke pieces include elements inspired by the need to act, affect, preserve and allow our environment to flourish. Designs from the collection are inspired by nature and from symbols of paganism – the acorn, the oak tree and the heart all feature prominently to represent strength, power and hope for change to make the environment better for the future.

Hendricks can be seen modeling the Palladium chain necklace with heart pendant and Gaia inscription. The heart pendant represents hope - hope that it is not too late to affect the future of our environment for the sake of generations to come. The heart has also and has long been recognized across many cultures as an icon of charity, joy and compassion.

Hendricks says, "Vivienne Westwood has always been one of my favorite designers. So it was a great honor for me to be asked to represent the 'Get a Life' Palladium Jewelry Collection. I admire that Vivienne uses her designs to inspire change and the pieces are just so wonderful.

I love that there are dramatic pieces such as the crown and the heart necklace as well as more simple pieces such as the acorn earrings. As Palladium is a naturally white metal, the pieces really sparkle under the lights and I cannot wait to wear them on the red carpet!"

One of the most striking pieces from the couture jewelry sums up the theme of the collection perfectly. The Oak Leaf Tiara made with Palladium showcases expertly created oak leaves and acorns. The oak tree is known as the King of the Forest, one of the largest and most hard trees in the sacred woodland.  Revered by many cultures, the oak projects a dignity unique to its own nature.  As a worshiped representation of Gaia, Mother Earth, the Palladium tiara of entwined oak leaves signifies the need to respect our environment and illustrates the oak tree as King of the Forest.

"Christina is the embodiment of beauty and we were delighted to have been able to involve her with this new jewelry collection. Her style is just so complimentary to my designs. She has proved to be the perfect model for the campaign," says Dame Vivienne Westwood.

The Vivienne Westwood 'Get a Life' Palladium Jewelry Collection will be available in Vivienne Westwood boutiques in London and LA in March 2011. Prices for the retail collection range from $445.00-$900.00; the couture collection is made to order, prices are available upon request at www.VivienneWestwood.co.uk/.

*Full Collection will be released March 30, 2011

About Palladium Alliance

Formed in March 2006, Palladium Alliance International (PAI) is the world's first organization dedicated to establishing Palladium as a luxurious, precious and distinctive metal. Since its inception, PAI has spearheaded a global communications program with the jewelry trade that includes a range of online and offline initiatives, VIP events, seminars and advertising efforts. This is the first time in history Palladium will be actively marketed to consumers as a precious jewelry metal.

About Palladium

From the Greek name "Pallas", goddess of wisdom, Palladium was discovered by the British chemist William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. Palladium is the contemporary precious white metal which is naturally white for a lifetime. Palladium is a precious, light and hard metal with superior attributes. Because of its natural lightness, more intricate necklaces and bracelets can be made capable of bearing larger gemstones.

About Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood began designing in 1971 along with her partner Malcolm McLaren when London was at the forefront of cultural trends. The showcase for their ideas and designs was the shop at 430 Kings Road, London. With her changing ideas of fashion came the change of not only the name of the shop but the entire decor as well. However, it was in 1976 which saw Westwood and McLaren redefine a street culture of their own with punk and "Seditionaries". In 1981, the shop was renamed "World's End" which remains its name to this day. By the end of the seventies Vivienne Westwood was already considered a symbol of the British avant-garde and for Autumn/Winter 1981 she showed her first catwalk presentation at Olympia in London. It was her Pirate collection which launched the New Romantic movement. In October 1982, Westwood began to show in Paris, the first British designer to do so since Mary Quant. 1986 was the year which marked a radical change of direction for her. Street style and youth culture ceased to play a major part of her work and instead, Westwood looked to traditional Savile Row tailoring techniques, British fabrics and 17th and 18th century art for inspiration. The orb logo which was first used around this time perfectly symbolised taking tradition into the future. In 1990 Westwood was awarded the prestigious title of British designer of the year and for the following year Westwood was awarded British Designer of the year again. 2004 saw the V&A host a Vivienne Westwood retrospective exhibition to celebrate her 34 years in fashion – the largest exhibition ever devoted to a living British fashion designer. The exhibition toured the world for over 4 years and was shown in over ten cities worldwide including London, Milan, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canberra and San Francisco. Her contribution to British Fashion was officially recognised when she was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth the Second in 2006. The Vivienne Westwood brand today offer 4 clothing ranges – Gold Label, Red Label, Anglomania and MAN plus seasonal accessories, jewelry, bags, eyewear and footwear collections. Vivienne Westwood continues to show in Paris, Milan and London.  She uses the medium of her shows to talk about culture and politics, more specifically about the urgent need to act against climate change. While still completely independent, her business continues to grow with boutiques in China and Los Angeles set to open next year. Vivienne Westwood is now recognized as a global brand and Westwood herself as one of the most influential fashion designers in the world today.

SOURCE Palladium Alliance International

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