On the Road: New York City Jewelry Week

Emili VesilindNovember 23, 20213 Mins read635 Views

Welcome to On the Road. This time, we’re chronicling our adventures last week at New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW), which had us crisscrossing the Big Apple many times over as we popped into the dozens of stops that spanned several NYC neighborhoods—and boroughs!

The annual event, now in its fourth year, was a hybrid virtual-and-IRL affair due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But there was still lots to see and do in person: our plates were overloaded with terrific panel and designer-led discussions, workshop tours, and even a few small parties.

Along the way we oohed and aahed over memorable jewelry from both established and emerging designers. Variety is name of the game at NYCJW, so it’s not uncommon to browse quirky, experimental pieces made by a recent graduate of SUNY New Paltz’s jewelry program in one space, then have a conversation with a legitimate design luminary in the next.

That mashup renders NYCJW a wonderfully egalitarian affair—there’s no snobbery or velvet ropes here, despite the glittering (often high-value) works on display. The vibe is always Get in here, you have to see this! And we love it for that.

Below is a handful of photos from our NYCJW crawl (and we only did two of the seven days). We hope you’ll enjoy seeing the singular places, designs, and personalities we encountered along the way.

*Mark Smelzer of Jewelers Mutual and The Zing Report with NYCJW co-founder Bella Neyman*

De Beers sponsored a thought-provoking panel called “The New Establishment” moderated by jewelry journalist Tanya Dukes (far left) and featuring (from left) designer Jameel Mohammed of Khiry, Pat Dambe, De Beers Group’s head of corporate affairs and superstar costume designer Zerina Akers

*Sally Morrison, PR director for Natural Diamonds at De Beers Group, introducing the “New Establishment” panel*

*Jewelry designer Donna DiStefano (pictured) celebrated the opening of her new atelier (double the size of her old one!) in the Starrett-Lehigh building in West Chelsea*

*A fun ring from emerging jewelry designer Claire Webb*

*Gorgeous enamel floral earrings from enamel artist Aurélie Guillaume*

Hitting the streets! From left: me, Rebecca Moskal, VP of marketing for Platinum Guild International, Brandee Dallow, VP of sustainability for luxury at SCS Global Services, and Mark after a downtown dinner