10 Great Things to See at the Inaugural NYC Jewelry Week

When news about NYC Jewelry Week first surfaced, it was hard to believe that there hadn’t been one already in existence. The brainchild of industry veterans Bella Neymar and J. B. Jones, the event runs from November 12 to 18, bringing together a series of exhibitions, lectures, workshops, studio tours, and collection presentations that seemingly open the city’s opulent coffers to its denizens and throw a spotlight on emerging brands, artists, designers, and visionaries shaping the city’s jewelry industry.

With exciting events including a curator-led tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s major upcoming exhibition “Jewelry: The Body Transformed,” a talk at FIT moderated by New York Fashion Week creator Fern Mallis that looks at iconic jewelry from stage and screen, and a tour of the workshop and archive of legendary jeweler David Webb, here are a few of the things worth marking your calendar for.

Blown Tetrix rings by Agustina Ros. Photo: Courtesy of Vitraria Gallery

1. “Cutting Edge: Contemporary Glass Jewelry” exhibition
R & Company

Through the works of Paolo Marcolongo, Biba Schutz, and Agustina Ros, this exhibition probes designers’ use of glass as a vehicle of expression, ultimately presenting an unconventional and avant-garde perspective on the medium. The exhibition will be accompanied by a conversation between Ilaria Ruggiero, Biba Schutz, Agustina Ros, and guest exhibitor Linda MacNeil entitled Cutting Edge: The Use of Glass and Metals in Contemporary Jewelry. 

Where: R & Company, 64 White Street

When: November 12–17; the accompanying conversation is on November 13 at St. Michael’s Church, The Chapel, at 225 West 99th Street

Torus bracelet by Sergey Jivetin. Photo: Sergey Jivetin

2. “Loud and Clear: Voices from the Empire State” jewelry exhibition
Maison Gerard

Curated by Biba Schutz and Marjorie Simon, this exhibition features many jewelers residing in New York and has been curated around the theme of voice—meant to allude to the sound of the city in all its facets, including horns, subway musicians, and rumbling trucks. An opening reception will be held on the third day of the exhibition.

Where: Maison Gerard, 43 East 10th Street

When: November 12–16. Opening reception: Wednesday, November 14, 6–8 p.m.

Recommended: My Day Learning the Craft of High Jewelry at the Van Cleef & Arpels School

A yashmak made in the 1990s from aluminum and Swarovski crystals by British jewelry designer Shaun Leane for fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Photo: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

3. Exclusive curator-led tour of “Jewelry: The Body Transformed”
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Melanie Holcomb (in the department of medieval art and the Cloisters) leads a tour of the museum’s highly anticipated exhibition, which Galerie is honored to support. Featuring 230 dazzling objects from The Met’s collection, the show explores everything from the seductiveness of the pearl to jewelry that treads on scandalous territory. 

Where: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue

When: Tuesday, November 13 at 11 a.m.

Recommended: Preview the Metropolitan Museum’s Blockbuster Fall Jewelry Exhibition

4. “Made in New York” Talks: Behind Iconic Jewelry on Stage and Screen
Fashion Institute of Technology

How can a statement piece tell a story or develop a character? New York Fashion Week creator Fern Mallis explores this question with leading costume designers Donna Zakowska, Marci Rodgers, Jacqueline Demeterio, and Catherine Zuber, who have designed costumes for productions like The Marvelous Life of Mrs. Maisel, My Fair Lady, She’s Gotta Have It, and Sex and the City 2.

Where: Fashion Institute of Technology, Katie Murphy Amphitheater, 227 West 27th Street

When: Tuesday, November 13, 5–7:30 p.m.

Lalique’s Cabochon ring comes in a wide range of colors. Photo: Courtesy of Lalique

5. Color, Cocktails & Cabochons: A Night to Celebrate the Iconic Ring
Lalique

To celebrate the colorful palette of the simply elegant 1931 Cabochon ring by René Lalique—the “inventor of modern jewelry,” as he has been called—Lalique invites guests to enjoy a night of cocktails and macarons inspired by the ring’s 17 hues. Select a favorite ring, and then enjoy a manicure customized to match while Lalique’s Paris-based jewelry director, Stella Junius, selects pieces to complete your look.

Where: Lalique, 609 Madison Avenue

When: Tuesday, November 13, 6–8 p.m.

Lynn Yaeger and Marion Fasil. Photo: Courtesy of 92Y

6. Treasure Hunting: Lynn Yaeger in Conversation with Marion Fasel
92nd Street Y Jewelry Center

Ever felt envious of those people who can rummage a flea market and make their finds look like the latest must-haves from Berdorf’s? Then you won’t want to miss Vogue contributing editor and style icon Lynn Yaeger teaming up with celebrated jewelry historian and The Aventurine editorial director Marion Fasel to talk flea markets. The discussion will cover everything from finding the best jewels to wearing, collecting, and even bargaining for them.

Where: 92nd Street Y Jewelry Center, 395 Lexington Avenue

When: Tuesday, November 13, 7–8:15 p.m.

Josef Hoffmann, brooch, 1907. Photo: Private Collection, courtesy of NGNY

7. Curator tour: “Focus: Wiener Werkstätte Jewelry”
Neue Galerie

Curator Janis Staggs invites visitors to tour an exhibition of extremely rare jeweled works crafted by the foremost artists of the Wiener Werkstätte (the Viennese Workshops), including pieces by firm cofounder Josef Hoffmann, which have been compared with the art of Gustav Klimt. Special events at the on-site Book Store and Design Shop will coincide with the tour.

Where: Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Avenue

When: November 14, 11 a.m.

Recommended: Take a Look at the Opulent, and Real, High-End Jewelry of Crazy Rich Asians

8. Symposium: Emerging, Established, Historical: American Jewelers Speak
Museum of Arts and Design

A daylong symposium unites leading artists and scholars in contemporary American jewelry, including jewelers Taisha Carrington, Ada Chen, Holland Houdek, and Aaron Decker; gallerist Helen Drutt; historian Toni Greenbaum; and acclaimed metalsmith Eleanor Moty.

Where: Museum of Arts and Design

When: Thursday, November 15, 2:30–7:45 p.m.

The panel discussion at Christie’s will focus on collecting jewelry. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's.

9. Panel discussion: On Collecting 
Christie’s Education

Christie’s senior vice president of jewelry Angelina Chen moderates a panel discussion on collecting among three jewelry experts with different specialties: Tom Heyman, whose focus is on historically significant 20th-century jewels by Oscar Heyman; Mahnaz Collection founder and director Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos; and appraiser Dianne Batista. Some of the questions to consider will be: Why and how do we collect? What determines value? When does a collector act on provenance versus pure emotional influence?

Where: Christie’s Education, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor

When: Thursday, November 15, 6–7:30 p.m.

Inside the David Webb workshop. Photo: Courtesy of David Webb, New York

10. Private tour
David Webb

If you were resourceful enough to snag an invite to this private event, you’ll get to tour the flagship boutique, workshop, and archive of David Webb, the historic American jewelry house founded in 1948 with co-owner Mark Emanuel and archivists Dianne Batista and Levi Higgs. We did the tour ourselves recently, and it is a very special treat. If you miss out on this one, get on the list for future private events by emailing the organizers at rsvp@nycjewelryweek.com.

Where: David Webb flagship, 942 Madison Avenue

When: Disclosed on the invitation