Since launching a decade ago, Jacques Marie Mage has established itself as the leading light of contemporary sunglasses design. The brand has built a cult following (with an impressive roster of celebrity fans) thanks to a combination of unparalleled quality and craftsmanship and a unique design sensibility that balances heritage inspiration with bold new interpretations of classic silhouettes that play with volume and proportion.

The brainchild of Mr Jerome Mage, the brand’s aesthetic is deeply rooted in the founder’s personal passions for the American West, Art Deco and the French First Empire among other cross-cultural touchpoints. These inspirations are translated into timeless designs in the brand’s Los Angeles headquarters before being hand-crafted over a period of 18 months in Japanese ateliers.

It is Mage’s expert interest in the culture and traditions of the American West that has inspired the brand’s ongoing, limited-edition Last Frontier collection, the latest of which has just launched on MR PORTER as part of our campaign championing handcrafted and responsibly produced menswear, Made With Craft.

According to Mr Darius Fischbacher, spokesperson for the brand, these collections of eyewear, jewellery and accessories comprise “collectibles shaped by an ongoing exploration of classic Americana, and a recognition of the West’s many indigenous arts, traditions and crafts – from jewellery making to horse riding, silversmithing to beadwork.”

The pieces are developed, handcrafted and finished in collaboration with artisans whose expertise stretches back generations, including Kewa Pueblo artist Mr Francisco Bailon, founder of Anasazi Jeweler, who hand-beads limited-edition temple sleeves for the collection. As well as working closely with artisans, Jacques Marie Mage works proactively with wider Native American communities through employment, partnerships and philanthropy in order to champion the places and communities that inspired the brand as well as respecting the incredible influence of indigenous peoples and their role in the conservation and stewardship of the land.

As with previous collections, Fischbacher says, “Last Frontier V directly partners with Indigenous artisans and supports the efforts of Sage To Saddle, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to helping the youth of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by connecting them to their tribe’s longstanding traditions and skills of horsemanship and sportsmanship.”

Within the collection, these generational skills are put to use on the finest materials, with a focus this season on sterling silver, gold and turquoise. The materials pay homage to the rich history of lapidary arts and silversmithing in the region. Turquoise holds particular significance as an ancient decorative material with properties supposed to bring good health, fortune and protection from evil, as well as carrying mystical associations due to its tendency to change colour according to its environment.

All the materials in the collection are ethically sourced from within the US, with the hand-selected, natural turquoise coming from some of the oldest mines in the country. The combination of exquisite precious metals and gemstones, precise craftsmanship and passionate design combine to create truly heirloom pieces, filled with layers of detail that include the brand’s “signature arrowhead front pins, our exposed wirecores with refined hairline designs, and unique temple tip adornments including a bucking bronco, a blue flower and more”.

When it comes to the pieces themselves, well, just take your pick. The fifth edition of the collection features the brand’s signature acetate eyewear in a host of new frame shapes and colourways, including – for the first time – titanium spectacles. The frames evoke an “old-world opulence” that reflects the showmanship and “pageantry of the American West”.

Both the Mojave and Belvedere sunglasses feature exposed wirecore, intricately engraved floral filigree temple embellishments and a bronco cameo with turquoise inlay, the former in an oversized wellington-shaped frame and the latter a sleek rectangular shape. The Bandit takes its cues from mid-century automotive styles. A “muscular” aviator shape with teardrop lenses, here the temples display a Chimaya textile-inspired design and thunderbird motif, with deep green speckled turquoise inlays.

Meanwhile, the Sterett D-frame style features custom frontier monoblock hinges, Damascus wire and bronco cameos set with turquoise. Should you be looking not for sun protection but for everyday spectacles, the classic round-lens Rawlins combine arrowheads at the temples and turquoise-set thunderbirds on the arms.

It is in the jewellery offering where the silver and turquoise really come into their own, however. Fischer tells us: “The collection features turquoise and other responsibly sourced gemstones that are carefully sourced, cut, shaped and set by Albuquerque-based jewellery artist Jonathan McKinney, a second-generation jeweller whose mother was born and raised in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico.”

McKinney’s decades of experience both in selecting, cutting and working the gems and with sourcing rare stones have been invaluable, for example in helping to secure Lone Mountain turquoise, which comes from one of the top five mines in the world.

The jewellery pieces take the lone arrow and thunderbird motif as their guide. The thunderbird head is particularly impressive in the chunky Atian ring, cast from electrum (an alloy of gold and silver). The head is sculpted in profile alongside a cabochon of Lone Mountain turquoise set in a gold bezel – a real statement piece with a rough and ready masculine edge.

The lone arrow is utilised in a sturdy cuff, ring and necklace in a range of precious metals, this time also including burnished gold. The sculptural cuff wraps the arrowhead around the wrist, using repeat patterns and engraved lines that bring in a little of Mage’s favoured Art Deco style alongside the Southwest inspiration. The burnished gold cuff is topped with a large cabochon of mookaite, while the silver is paired with white buffalo stone and the silver version features blackjack turquoise. The ring employs the same pairings and directional wrapping design – and, as with the cuff, you can find the brand’s placard in gold hidden inside.

Should you prefer to wear your style close to your chest, the pendant necklace sees the arrowhead take full directional force – Native American iconography and more Art Deco parallel lines creating an energetic piece. This time, the silver is paired with apache blue turquoise.

As intended, this limited-edition collection demonstrates Jacques Marie Mage’s commitment to genuine artistry and time-honoured workmanship. We’re happy to report that we’ll call them true collectibles, too.