Everything You Need to Know About New York City Jewelry Week 2021

It’s that time of year again—time to toast NYC as a global capital for jewelry design, education, and manufacturing. The fourth annual New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW) is afoot!

Events will be a mix of in-person and virtual this year, and are scheduled for Nov. 15-21. And this year the annual happening has a theme: The Power of Jewelry. Yes, it’s a response to how powerlessness we’ve all felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s also a conversation starter, says Bella Neyman, who co-founded the Week with JB Jones in 2018 to give jewelry lovers (and the industry) the opportunity to learn about the craft and business of jewelry in New York City.

“The power of jewelry in itself means so many different things to so many different people,” Neyman says. “And post-pandemic, we wanted this to be much more of celebration than ever before. So, we invited more participants from the global jewelry community, because this year we’re a hybrid model. I think it makes the week so much more interesting and exciting. We have programming from countries ranging from Canada to India.”

Of course, NYC is always at the heart of the company’s initiatives, and will be again this year. “Our goal is to always celebrate New York and the creators here. But it’s a global city; no matter where you’re from, you land here and feel like you’re at home. It’s why this event has become attractive to artists all over the world.”

NYCJW 2021 will feature 60-70 events, many “IRL” (in real life), including intimate retail showcases, workshop tours, big group exhibitions and a few invite-only happenings, including a chat about diamonds with Fred Leighton CEO Greg Kwiat. Most events are free and open to all, but many do require an online RSVP. See the full list of happenings here (you also RSVP to individual events on the site). And whether you’re attending in-person or online, add these to your list of must-see/attend events:

Wallace Chan: Winged Beauty: A book launch and panel discussion of Winged Beauty, an unprecedented study of one of master jeweler Chan’s main motifs—the butterfly.

Powerful Women: Jewelry by Women Artists: Didier Ltd, jewelry partner for the SALON of Art and Design, will host an in-person talk on powerful women. The jewels exhibited—and for sale—will focus on works by women artists, shown alongside pieces by male artists from Europe, U.S and South America. The gallery will be focusing on jewelry by women artists who often started by making pieces for themselves, so that the jewelry they wore became an extension of their artistic persona.

Channeling Cultural Identities in Black Diasporic Jewelry with Curator LaMar R. Gayles Jr.: This talk will explore the materials and techniques used by Black diasporic jewelers from the1930s to the present, providing attendees the opportunity to learn how histories in Black cultural expression have influenced jewelry creation.

Aldo Cipullo: Modernizing Love and Jewelry: An in-person celebration of the release of the new book “Cipullo: Making Jewelry Modern,” with a discussion on the life and designs of Aldo Cipullo with the designer’s brother, designer Renato Cipullo. Aldo Cipullo created some of the most iconic jewelry designs of the century, including the Cartier Love Bracelet and pieces for David Webb and Tiffany & Co.

The New Establishment: An IRL panel moderated by journalist Tanya Dukes featuring KHIRY founder Jameel Mohammed in conversation with fashion stylist and Emmy-Award winning costume designer Zerina Akers, and Pat Dambe, Head of Corporate Affairs, the DeBeers Group.

A Conversation on the Luxury Watch Industry: With Tirath Kamdar, GM of Luxury at eBay, Brynn Wallner, Founder of Dimepiece.co, and Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of JCK and contributor to the International New York Times.

Studio Tours: With designers and brands including Jade Trau, Sharon Khazzam, and TenThousandThings. Jade Lustig, founder of Jade Trau, is also hosting an in-person talk about all things jewelry.

Requiem: An in-real-life “ritualized grief” project, a communal ceremony and memorial to honor those that have died from COVID-19 as well as to celebrate their lives. Golden circles acknowledge each individual and prayer beads send well wishes to those that passed.

Top photo: Necklace by Fabio Salini 

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