Organizers and attendees of this week’s Jewelry Symposium for the Advancement of Jewelry Manufacturing Technology say it sparked healthy debate around important topics for the industry, from artificial intelligence to design to jewelry forensics.
The second annual Jewelry Symposium (TJS), which took place May 18–21 at the Detroit Marriott in Troy, Mich., garnered kudos from participants, who liked the location (though Metro Detroit could use some more public transportation to help people get around) as well as the TED Talk–style educational presentations, says Linus Drogs, chairman of the TJS board and owner of Troy-based jewelry-maker Au Enterprises.
Attendees said the 2024 event felt like the Symposium they remember enjoying in Santa Fe, according to Drogs. The Santa Fe Symposium, held from the 1980s through 2022, was the precursor to this new TJS, bringing together executives of jewelry manufacturing companies, jewelry designers, and jewelry students.
“We have plans to keep moving forward and are already having conversations with hotels for next year,” Drogs says, noting that TJS may move to another local city, possibly Dearborn, to be closer to the airport and Detroit-area tourist attractions such as the Henry Ford, which this year’s participants could tour before the Symposium began.
The educational session on artificial intelligence drew a crowd, and the subject continued to be discussed long after the 45-minute presentation, Drogs says. This weighty issue merits such time and depth, considering its potential effect on jewelry-making, he explains.
“This is a topic that changes the direction of the jewelry we make,” says Drogs. “It reminded us that in 1995 there were the first discussions around CAD and CAM rapid prototyping for the jewelry industry. We talked about those technologies for the next 10 years, seeing advances in the programs or in machining parts.… AI raises the same kinds of questions: Is this where we’re heading in the jewelry industry? Will AI follow the same path and forever change the way jewelry is designed?”
The jewelry trade needs in-person gatherings like TJS so industry members can ask and try to answer the big questions. “It’s one of the really key aspects to the Symposium that you can’t get anywhere else in the world right now,” Drogs says.
Chris Ploof, a jewelry designer based in Leominster, Mass., agrees. “I’ve attended the Santa Fe Symposium 15 times and now the jewelry technology symposium twice, and this year was the best event yet,” he tells JCK in an email interview.
“There’s a strong sense of community, and the papers and presenters were world-class,” Ploof says. “If you weren’t there, you missed a lot. This was an incredible event for learning and networking.”
Students who attended TJS on scholarship say they gained information and contacts that they believe will positively affect their careers.
“As someone brand-new to the jewelry industry, and fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to TJS, I was astounded to learn the depth of scientific research and development behind some of the hottest jewelry trends,” says Marilena Marchetti, a graduating senior in jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York (FIT NYC). “Although the craft employs many timeless techniques, endless innovation will never cease to awe and inspire.”
Kat Gozy, a scholarship attendee from Boston’s North Bennet Street School, adds: “In addition to being introduced to a wide range of fascinating topics at TJS, I also met many wonderful industry professionals who were not only welcoming but enthusiastic to share their knowledge.”
Next year’s Jewelry Symposium is scheduled for May 17–20, 2025.
Top: One of the 17 educational presentations at the Jewelry Symposium for the Advancement of Jewelry Manufacturing Technology (photo courtesy of Linus Drogs)
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