New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW) 2019, which is in full swing this week in locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, has put together a full day’s programming of talks and presentations that address the challenges surrounding sustainability in jewelry.

“Full Circle: A Responsible Jewelry Cycle“ will take place Friday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Katie Murphy Amphitheatre and Pomerantz Art and Design Center, 227 W. 27th St.

The one-day crash course was designed to educate jewelry professionals on how consumers’ behavior and business practices impact the environment and the well-being of humans around the world.

The event will include a “resource room”—based on the idea of a science fair—where more than a dozen organizations and individuals will welcome visitors to touch and feel materials and learn through hands-on exploration. Among the presenters here will be the Jewelers Vigilance Committee; Ethical Metalsmiths; Ethical Metalsmiths students; Susan Wheeler: The UN Sustainable Development Goals Through Jewelry; Wellness for Makers; Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance; Better Without Mercury; and event sponsors Stuller and Premier x Designer x ANZA Gems.

The event will also feature an interactive pop-up installation by Cassondra Justine, Lot28 Design, and Onus Studio designed to “illustrate the potential of how being a conscious consumer, empowering others, and respecting the environment can lead to a path toward change,” according to NYCJW verbiage. The installation is comprised of wearable objects that are shown as “a greater sum” when put together (and attendees are encouraged to leave with a small part of the work).

Here are some highlights we’re looking forward to at Full Circle (see the full rundown of talks and panels here).  

10:35–11:05 a.m.: Q&A with the Jewelers Vigilance Committee about compliance in the realm of sustainability and making.

12–1 p.m.: #sustainableluxury, a panel about the new market, from concept to consumer, with Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation; Kimberly Haisch, founder of KBH Jewels; Lara Koritzke of Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance; and moderator Anthony DeMarco, a well-known jewelry writer.

12:25–1:55 p.m.: Emily Phillippy of Emily Chelsea, Hannah Becker of @diamondoodles, and Brecken Branstrator of National Jeweler “in conversation about telling your sustainability story.”

2–2:30pm — Debra Rapoport, jeweler and artist, and Michelle McVicker, collections and education assistant of The Museum at FIT, in discussion about upcycling and alternative materials in jewelry-making.

2:35-3:15 p.m.: Designer Dana Bronfman, brand consultant Liz Kantner, and Jennifer Gandia, co-owner of Greenwich St. Jewelers, in conversation about “marketing sustainability and educating the consumer.”

3–3:45 p.m.: “Bejeweled,” a panel discussion designed to take you inside the world of Rizzoli’s newest jewelry-themed book, Bedazzled: The World of Ethical Jewelry with author Kyle Roderick; Anabela Chan, designer and owner of Anabela Chan; Stella Flame of Stella Flame Jewelry; Matthew Campbell Laurenza, owner of M.C.L Design; and Loren Nicole of Loren Nicole.

6:30–7:30 pm: A screening of River of Gold, an Amazon Aid film that examines the “devastating and global environmental and humanitarian consequences of small-scale illegal gold mining in the Amazon and provides solutions in order to save the Amazon rainforest.” 

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