Watch: An Interview With 2 Co-Founders of the Black in Jewelry Coalition

Dec 03, 2020

Watch: An Interview With 2 Co-Founders of the Black in Jewelry Coalition

Annie Doresca and Elyssa Jenkins discuss how the organization got started and where it’s headed in the latest episode of “My Next Question.”

New York—The death of George Floyd in May sparked mass public demonstrations nationwide and kick-started conversations about racial injustice, discrimination and inequity.

In the fine jewelry industry, Black professionals connected in a way they hadn’t in the past, and nine of them decided to start the first organization focused on the inclusion and advancement of Black professionals within the gem, jewelry and watch industries—the Black in Jewelry Coalition, an international nonprofit.

On the latest episode of “My Next Question,” two of the nine co-founders, Annie Doresca and Elyssa Jenkins, the organization’s president and vice president, respectively, joined Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff to talk more about the BIJC’s genesis and where it’s heading. 

Watch it right here. 

Join us again this coming Tuesday, Dec. 8, for another episode of “My Next Question.”

Senior Editor, Gemstones Brecken Branstrator is interviewing three U.S.-based lapidaries—Derek Katzenbach, Jeff Hapeman and Nolan Sponsler—about their one-of-a-kind creations.

The three gemstone cutters will talk trends, the increasing interest in unique cuts and the state of the colored stone market amid 2020’s supply chain struggles.

Learn more about this session, as well as other upcoming webinars, on NationalJeweler.com/webinars.
Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

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