Hope you remembered to set your clocks forward! You’ll need every precious minute for the week ahead, which is chock-full of events tied to the year’s most prominent themes: sustainability, security, and (digital) sales (with a few great talks with artist-jewelers thrown in for good measure!).
BID
Christie’s Jewels by Michele della Valle Sale: Through March 17 (online)
Fruits, birds, and teddy bears get the deluxe treatment in Colorful Whimsy: Jewels by Michele della Valle, a capsule collection of 65 utterly charming pieces on the auction block this week at Christie’s. Della Valle, an Italian jeweler who began his career in Rome in the 1970s, “has stayed true to his love of colorful gemstones used in unexpected ways,” according to the sale overview. And in doing so, he’s proven that serious jewelry can be anything but.
ATTEND
“Perfect Your Elevator Pitch” WJA Event: March 15, 6–7:30 p.m. ET (online)
What’s your story? This professional development event by WJA’s NY Metro chapter will help you distill your expertise and credentials into a spiel short and sweet enough to share with someone during an elevator ride. Attendees will also have an opportunity to practice their pitches with peers and mentors during online breakout sessions.
Conflict Diamonds Webinar: March 16, 11 a.m. ET (online)
“Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare,” is how the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition is framing this webinar, which aims to bring both ends of the diamond supply chain together to discuss the impact of diamond mining. Moderated by sustainable jewelry consultant Christina T. Miller, the talk is the first in a series of virtual events that gives members of the jewelry industry an opportunity to hear from communities living in diamond mining areas.
92Y Talk With Lola Brooks: March 17, 1 p.m. ET, $10 (online)
Jonathan Wahl, director of the 92Y Jewelry Center, concludes his virtual conversations with contemporary jewelers with artist, jeweler, and educator Lola Brooks, whose sought-after work juxtaposes bright colors and sweet motifs with Victorian-inspired themes of death and sentimentality. Art jeweler extraordinaire Brooks makes a fitting end to this provocative, pandemic-era series.
Branko Gems Webinar on Sustainable Diamonds: March 18, 10:30 a.m. ET (online)
How sustainable is your diamond? Thanks to the new Certification Standard for Sustainable Diamonds, you may soon be able to determine how producers of both mined and lab-grown diamonds stack up, based on a third-party assessment. Moderated by Stanley Mathuram of SCS Global Services, the webinar promises to delve deep into this complicated and important topic.
NYC Jewelry Week Jewelry Confidants Series: March 18, 1 p.m. ET (online)
The organizers of NYC Jewelry Week continue their series of online conversations between industry friends who love jewelry. Dubbed “Jewelry Confidants,” the talks, which take place on Zoom and are later uploaded to YouTube, pick up this week with editor and author Melanie Grant and jeweler Melanie Georgacopoulos. Intended to provide behind-the-scenes access to the creators of your favorite jewels, the series is a lot like eavesdropping—with permission!
Plumb Club Cyber Security Webinar: March 18, 2 p.m. ET (online)
Protecting your data from cybercrime is just as important as protecting your physical store from an armed robbery. In this timely webinar, Tim Rettig, an award-winning business technology provider specializing in cybersecurity, discusses everything from what digital thieves want to how to penetrate the dark web, and offers tips for keeping a retail jewelry business safe from these growing threats.
“From Social Media to Sale”: March 18, 2 p.m. ET (online)
André Savoie, founder of the marketing agency High Level Thinkers, leads a discussion on how independent jewelers can use social media to find customers, make private appointments, and sell engagement and anniversary rings and other fine jewelry, without relying on traditional advertising.
JPDN Member Spotlight With Jenine Izzi: March 19, 5 p.m. ET (online)
The Jewelry Design Professionals’ Network devotes its latest member spotlight to Jenine Lepera Izzi, founder and creative director of the New York Jewelry Design Institute, which offers workshops in everything from hand-rendering skills to cutting-edge CAD design.
Bezel-Making Workshop: March 20, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. ET (online)
Jewelry instructor Alex Boyd leads the Boulder Metalsmithing Association’s “I Love Big Bezels and I Cannot Lie” workshop, which covers how to make a thick bezel for a cabochon pendant as well as a hinged bail. $145 for members, $195 for non-members.
Top: Poppy Rae Pebble Hoops in 14k yellow gold, $880; Dana Rebecca Designs
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