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.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Majors
The Latest
Lab-GrownNov 10, 2026
GIA Examines Pink Lab-Grown Diamond Made to Look NaturalThe 6-carat CVD-grown pink diamond was “deliberately modified” to mimic the appearance of a natural rough diamond, the lab said.
SourcingNov 10, 2026
Botswana in Line to Take Controlling Stake in De Beers, President Says If the Global Diamond Consortium emerges as the top bidder for De Beers, Botswana’s stake will double to 30 percent, Duma Boko said Monday.
ColumnistsNov 10, 2026
Who Checks the Facts When AI Writes Your Jewelry Copy?An incorrect AI-generated ad or product description can cost your store valuable consumer trust.
Brought to you by
DSF Antique Jewelry: Fine Jewelry, Signed Designers, and a World of Rare DiscoveriesWith over 50 years experience in the trade, DSF Antique Jewelry offers quality, craftsmanship, condition, and remarkable variety.
Events & AwardsNov 09, 2026
Here Are the 2027 Gem Award NomineesThese nine individuals and brands are up for a Gem Award in the Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation categories.
Weekly QuizNov 05, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CrimeNov 09, 2026
Jeweler Pistol-Whipped, $900K in Jewelry Stolen During Home Invasion The incident, which happened in Miami-Dade County, serves as a reminder to jewelers of the dangers of selling and storing jewelry at home.
GradingNov 09, 2026
GIA Acquires Thousands of Gem Specimens With ‘Extraordinary’ InclusionsGIA Analytical Microscopist John Koivula curated the collection of 2,665 crystals, gems, and minerals over a 60-year span.
Brought to you by
How Overnight Mountings’ Bridal Builder Makes Custom Engagement Ring Design Easier to SellWith customization becoming more expected in engagement ring shopping, the Bridal Builder makes the process tangible.
CollectionsNov 09, 2026
Bibi van der Velden’s Alligators Become High JewelryThe “Eclipse” collection, the brand’s first high jewelry line, centers its alligator motif in diamond and spinel jewels.
EditorsNov 06, 2026
The Spectrum Pieces I Can’t Stop Thinking AboutFrom a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
TrendsNov 06, 2026
Pat Pruitt’s DragonFly Earrings Take Flight on Election NightGroundbreaking New Mexico Governor-elect Deb Haaland wore the earrings, our Piece of the Week, when she declared victory on Tuesday.
Supplier BulletinNov 05, 2026
Winning With GCAL 8X®: What’s Working at the CounterSponsored by GCAL by Sarine
SurveysNov 05, 2026
What Retailers Should Know About Holiday Shoppers This YearFrom shrinking budgets to AI elves, here are five takeaways from holiday reports by Bain, Adobe, Mastercard, NRF, and insights from YouGov.
CollectionsNov 05, 2026
Judi Powers, Russell Jones Unleash Joy With New CollaborationThe designers combined their talents for Little Pet Portraits, hand-painted miniatures of our best friends set in a piece of jewelry.
FinancialsNov 05, 2026
Brilliant Earth Continued to Resonate With High-Income Shoppers in Q3Its non-bridal fine jewelry remains the star of the show, recently launching new collections inspired by Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Goodall.
GradingNov 05, 2026
GIA to Offer Next-Day Holiday ServicesThe lab will bring back its complimentary next-day service for some reports starting next week.
CrimeNov 04, 2026
$250K+ in Undeclared Cartier Jewelry Seized at Philadelphia AirportA Pennsylvania woman failed to declare a ring and a bracelet, discarding the boxes and receipts to conceal the purchases, officials said.
FinancialsNov 04, 2026
Pandora’s Q3 Sales Up 7% Amid Focus on DesignNew collections and relevant marketing pushed the company forward, while Pandora’s lab-grown diamond sales continue to lag.
Events & AwardsNov 04, 2026
NYC Jewelry Week 2026 Is the Largest Edition YetThe citywide celebration, slated for Nov. 16-22, is set to host more than 175 events, including live jewelry-making demos.
MajorsNov 04, 2026
Bergdorf Goodman Names New PresidentLanessa Elrod, former president and CEO of Louis Vuitton Americas, has stepped into the role as the retailer celebrates 125 years.
AuctionsNov 03, 2026
Infinity Gauntlet Set With 170+ Carats of Colored Gemstones Up for AuctionA replica of one of the most powerful objects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the glove is heading to auction next month in Abu Dhabi.
IndependentsNov 03, 2026
Longtime Jewelry Marketer Arthur Klein Dies at 89Klein, who had his own marketing agency and worked for Gabriel & Co. and Trans American Diamond, is remembered as a kind man.
IndependentsNov 03, 2026
Zadok Jewelers Toasts To 50 Years With Diamond Bracelet GiveawayTo enter the giveaway, locals can purchase a featured beverage from one of eight participating restaurants in Houston and Austin, Texas.
Events & AwardsNov 03, 2026
David Yurman Gem Awards Grant Opens 2027 ApplicationsThe grant recipient will be awarded $50,000 as well as mentoring meetings with executives at David Yurman and other industry executives.
Events & AwardsNov 03, 2026
NAJA, Instappraise Name 2026 Scholarship WinnersThe winners include a non-NAJA member seeking training, a member beginning NAJA courses, and a member becoming a Certified Master Appraiser.
AuctionsNov 02, 2026
197-Carat ‘Romanov Sapphire’ Heads to Sotheby’s GenevaThe rare jewel, which has links to Russia’s Romanov dynasty, is estimated to fetch up to $2 million.
CrimeNov 02, 2026
Customs Seizes More Than 400 Fake Audemars Piguet WatchesIt is one of several seizures of counterfeit jewelry and watches by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in Louisville this year.
