MajorsJul 15, 2021
New YouTube Docuseries Explores Hip-Hop Jewelry WorldMajorsSep 29, 2021
PBS’s ‘Craft in America’ Creates an Episode About Jewelry
Airing on broadcast TV in December, it explores the history, artistry, and impact of personal adornment.
PHOTO Jesse Monongya is an award-winning master Navajo/Hopi jeweler in Scottsdale, Arizona.
PHOTO Monongya is best known for his pieces that feature night sky designs inlaid into a bear shape, as seen on this pendant, symbolizing strength and power.
Los Angeles—Craft in America, the award-winning series from PBS that explores the country’s creative spirit through the tradition of handmaking, will soon air an episode focusing on jewelry.
“Jewelry” will tell the stories of jeweler Tom Herman; artist Harriete Estel Berman, who creates jewels with recycled materials; the legacy of modernist jeweler Art Smith; nature-inspired artist Gabrielle Gould; and Navajo/Hopi master jeweler Jesse Monongya.
Art Smith’s story (1917-1982), for example, is brought to life by artist Joyce J. Scott, photographer Michael Fields, art historian Leslie King-Hammond, and National Museum of African American History and Culture curator Joanne Hyppolite.
Smith’s avant-garde creations redefined modernism. He was known for making jewelry influenced by biomorphism—design meant to evoke nature and living organisms—and Surrealism, creating pieces dynamic in both style and form.
He trained at Cooper Union in New York City and sold his jewels at his store in Greenwich Village from 1946 to 1979. Smith’s work was featured in museums around the world, and he worked with some of America’s most prominent Black creatives.
“Jewelry” will tell the stories of jeweler Tom Herman; artist Harriete Estel Berman, who creates jewels with recycled materials; the legacy of modernist jeweler Art Smith; nature-inspired artist Gabrielle Gould; and Navajo/Hopi master jeweler Jesse Monongya.
Art Smith’s story (1917-1982), for example, is brought to life by artist Joyce J. Scott, photographer Michael Fields, art historian Leslie King-Hammond, and National Museum of African American History and Culture curator Joanne Hyppolite.
Smith’s avant-garde creations redefined modernism. He was known for making jewelry influenced by biomorphism—design meant to evoke nature and living organisms—and Surrealism, creating pieces dynamic in both style and form.
He trained at Cooper Union in New York City and sold his jewels at his store in Greenwich Village from 1946 to 1979. Smith’s work was featured in museums around the world, and he worked with some of America’s most prominent Black creatives.
Designer Gabrielle Gould makes her jewelry by hand in St. Augustine, Florida, featuring subjects such as animals and nature informed by her experience living in coastal Florida.
Gould works with natural objects she finds, such as feathers and shells, as seen in these sculptural feather brooches.
The episode will also include a visit to Harriete Estel Berman’s studio in San Mateo, California.
The creative uses her jewelry to make statements about women’s roles and environmental sustainability, working with recycled materials to create pieces that challenge societal values.
In addition to the artists and their creations, “Jewelry” will highlight places important to the celebration of the category—Arizona’s Heard Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine—as well as Ornament Magazine and the family team behind it.
“Jewelry” will air on broadcast PBS on Dec. 10 (check local listings for specific time). The broadcaster will also give it an early digital release on the PBS Video App and its websites on Nov. 4.
Work by the featured artists also will go on display at the Craft in America Center in Los Angeles from Dec. 11 to March 19, 2022.
“Craft in America” has produced 27 episodes since 2007, from topics like “Quilts” and “Threads” to “Democracy,” “Identity,” and “Storytellers.”
Several of those previous episodes also briefly touched on jewelry, including “Messages,” with a focus on using craft to tell a story, which featured New Orleans-based jeweler and sculptor Thomas Mann, and “Industry,” which highlighted the connection between consumer and maker, and spotlighted New York City jewelry artist Shane Yamane.
More on Majors
The Latest
CollectionsJun 13, 2025
Piece of the Week: Robinson Pelham’s Pear EarringsTake a bite out of the 14-karat yellow gold “Fruits of Love Pear” earrings featuring peridots, diamond stems, and tsavorite leaves.
Events & AwardsJun 13, 2025
AGA to Host ‘Diamonds From Mine to Market’ Education ConferenceThe one-day virtual event will feature speakers from De Beers, GIA, and Gemworld International.
EditorsJun 12, 2025
15 Questions With Jewelry Photographer Ella SophieThe California-based creative talks jewelry photography in the modern era and tackles FAQs about working with a pro for the first time.
Brought to you by
Jewelers of America is Headed to Las Vegas for JCK 2025The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.
AuctionsJun 12, 2025
Vintage Patek Philippe From the ‘50s Sells for $4M at Sotheby’s Al Capone’s pocket watch also found a buyer, though it went for less than half of what it did at auction four years ago.
Weekly QuizJun 12, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsJun 12, 2025
Gabriel Love Foundation Introduces Scholarship Honoring Elias GabrielThe foundation has also expanded its “Stronger Together” initiative with Jewelers for Children.
AuctionsJun 12, 2025
Former De Beers Exec Celine Assimon Joins BonhamsAssimon is the auction house’s new chief commercial officer.
Brought to you by
The True Power Behind the Counter: Why Sales Associates Are the Heart of the Jewelry BusinessWhen investing in your jewelry business, it's important not to overlook the most crucial element of success: the sales associates.
EditorsJun 11, 2025
Q&A: Al Cook on Differentiating Natural Diamonds, Traceability, and TariffsThe De Beers Group CEO discusses the company’s new “beacon” program, the likelihood diamonds will be exempt from tariffs, and “Origin.”
GradingJun 11, 2025
Tiffany Stevens Exits IGI, Lab Appoints New Board LeaderIndustry veteran Anoop Mehta is the new chairman and independent director of the IGI board.
Events & AwardsJun 11, 2025
Kering Announces Winners of Sustainability-Focused AwardThe winners of the inaugural “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry” are student Lee Min Seo and China-based startup Ianyan.
SourcingJun 10, 2025
De Beers Turns to Brown, Yellow Diamonds for New ‘Beacon’“Ombré Desert Diamonds” will emphasize cream-, champagne-, and brown-colored diamonds, shades that set natural stones apart from lab grown.
AuctionsJun 10, 2025
Noonans to Auction 16th-Century Signet RingIt's one of the “Gresham grasshopper” rings English financier Sir Thomas Gresham was known to gift to acquaintances or business associates.
CollectionsJun 10, 2025
Tabayer Names Mary Chiam as CEOThe brand also debuted its new “Zorae” collection featuring a talisman of protection and harmony inspired by a sheaf of wheat.
Events & AwardsJun 09, 2025
And the Winners of the 2025 Couture Design Awards Are … Designers were recognized in 12 categories, from platinum to pearls, before the evening ended with a new, retail-focused award.
AuctionsJun 09, 2025
Nancy Astor’s Cartier Tiara Sells for $1.2MThe rare turquoise and diamond jewel was the top lot at Bonhams’ June jewelry sale.
IndependentsJun 09, 2025
Here Are the 2025 Retailer Hall of Fame InducteesThis year’s honorees include a Midwest retailer and two multi-store independents, one in New York and the other in New England.
Events & AwardsJun 09, 2025
CASE Awards Now Accepting Entries For 2025The deadline to submit is June 16.
MajorsJun 09, 2025
RDI Diamonds Partners With LavalierThe diamond wholesaler is working with the insurance provider to seamlessly offer personal jewelry insurance to RDI retailers’ clients.
CollectionsJun 06, 2025
Piece of the Week: Harwell Godfrey’s ‘Granny Squares Eleanor’ Necklace As an homage to iconic crochet blankets, the necklace features the nostalgic motif through a kaleidoscope of cabochon-cut stones.
Events & AwardsJun 05, 2025
The 12 Fresh Faces in Couture’s Design AtelierDiscover the dozen up-and-coming brands exhibiting in the Design Atelier for the first time.
SourcingJun 05, 2025
A Rare Suite of Rubies Has Arrived in Las VegasThe “Royal Ruby” Collection is a quintet of untreated rubies curated by collector Jack Abraham.
Events & AwardsJun 05, 2025
Daymond John to Give Keynote at JCK Las VegasThe entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.
MajorsJun 05, 2025
Platinum Guild International Updates Leadership TeamTwo existing executives have been given new roles.
Events & AwardsJun 05, 2025
Zillion Announces 'Women in STEM' Scholarship RecipientMeredith Tiderington, an electrical engineering student, was selected for the award.
Lab-GrownJun 04, 2025
GIA Reverting to More General Terminology for Lab-Grown DiamondsIt will quit assigning the stones specific color and clarity grades in favor of applying “new descriptive terminology.”
Events & AwardsJun 04, 2025
As JCK Talks Returns, Don’t Miss These 12 SessionsFrom design trends to sustainability, here’s a roundup of can’t-miss education sessions at JCK Las Vegas.
