Many jewelers go to their sketchbooks or benches to work through a challenge or create a design that shows their concern, and this year the motivation for some has been encouraging people to go to the ballot box on Nov. 5.
JCK talked with designers from jewelry brands Dorian Webb, Rebel Nell, and Mazi New York about how the 2024 presidential election has had them drawing, advocating, fundraising, and creating “vote” jewelry.
Dorian Webb
Energized by what’s at stake in this election, Dorian Webb designed a suite of sterling silver jewelry to support voter registration and increased voter participation. All proceeds from her eponymous brand’s Vote necklace and Freedom and Joy earrings will be donated to When We All Vote and the Movement Voter Project, nonpartisan organizations that identify, evaluate, and invest in grassroots groups mobilizing local residents to register and vote.
Webb says these pieces were inspired in part by the ribbons that medieval knights received from their loved ones and tied to their armor prior to battle, as well as the commemorative ribbons used in the modern day to effect social change through advocacy and visibility. On the necklace, the word vote is rendered in ribbons, ending with a comma that conceals a clasp.
The comma functions both grammatically, as it does in a sentence, and symbolically, uniting disparate elements to result in a more reflective and comprehensive whole, Webb says. An earring that spells la follows the visual line of the comma, and is paired with an earring bearing the words freedom and joy on ribbons.
“Although ribbons are easily dismissed as something overtly feminine, they are an object that we often turn to for strength and to demonstrate unity,” says Webb.
In 2020, Webb’s brand offered a limited-edition “I vote” bracelet to raise money for a nonprofit focused on motivating voters to go to the polls. The cuff featured three butterflies of varying sizes in flight and the words “I vote” cut out of its hammered surface, which was finished in unadorned Thai gold, brass, or white, blue, or rainbow-colored enamel.
“I meant it as both a joyful message and a warning,” says Webb, who’s based in Oakland, Calif. This year, “I wanted to come up with something that again put the emphasis on the wearer, and moved the discussion of voting from the political to the personal.”
For 2024, Webb initially designed three stacking bracelets, but she decided they just didn’t seem to meet the tenor of the moment. “I wanted everyone who saw the necklace to also immediately note who was wearing it,” she says. “This is not a few letters spread out on a thin chain as a whisper of a suggestion to take action—this necklace is bold.
“That strong connection was an important one. As with my signature jewelry collections, I wanted there to be a message that amplified the wearer’s beliefs and values for those who were attentive to details.”
Rebel Nell
Amy Peterson, cofounder of the mission-focused Detroit brand Rebel Nell, decided only about a month ago to make a voting-related jewelry piece. She was briefly worried whether asking her team to create a last-minute pin might be too difficult—until she asked them how they wanted to proceed. “Our team was all about it,” Peterson says. The limited-edition Vote pin is almost sold out, she adds.
“People sometimes don’t think they make a difference, and that was disconcerting to me,” Peterson says. “We wanted to remind people about the power we have as voters. Every individual is important—every one of us needs to show up and vote. Your voice does matter. You can be heard.”
The Rebel Nell pin has a sleek stainless-steel finish and Detroit graffiti proudly filling the O in VOTE. Each one is handcrafted by women in Detroit who are working with Rebel Nell as they overcome barriers to employment, Peterson says.
The brand’s commitment to Detroit and its residents makes the pin not just a statement piece but a symbol of strength and perseverance, Peterson says. And it takes your accessory game up a notch, she says.
It also is a fitting statement from a jewelry and gift company that is inspired by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who was known as “Little Nell” in her younger years. Peterson explains that she and cofounder Diana Roginson just put an edgier spin on the nickname when they created Rebel Nell in 2013.
Mazi New York
Owner and creative director Lizzy Klein shares the story of the suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote, and who continue to inspire her today, with the Vote necklace that she originally created for her brand Mazi New York during the last presidential election.
“Voting remains one of the most powerful ways we can shape our future,” Klein says.
Her necklaces are handmade in New York City using either reclaimed solid 14k gold or sustainable sterling silver, and they are available in 16-, 18-, and 20-inch lengths. (Klein says the brand just sold out of the 16-inch silver but are accepting preorders, although they won’t ship for seven to 10 business days.)
When Klein designed the necklace in 2020, she was feeling kind of helpless about the state of the world, she says. Michelle Obama selected the necklace to fundraise for her When We All Vote organization. They raised a lot of money, Klein says, but there is no fundraiser this year.
The Vote necklace is more than just a piece of jewelry, says Klein—it’s a tribute to the suffragists’ courage and a reminder that every vote matters. On the websites and social media for Mazi New York and Klein’s other company, Mazi & Zo, Klein is urging clients to have a plan to vote, finding a ride to their polling place if they need it or getting an absentee ballot.
“I think of voting as not just a right and a privilege, but a way to honor the women suffragists who came before us. They marched, petitioned, and lobbied in an age where that meant actually marching, petitioning, and lobbying—a lot harder than posting on social media,” Klein says.
(Top photo courtesy of Dorian Webb)
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