Jamie Dunton and Gabriella Botelho are the first graduates of the program, created by the WJA Foundation and Julius Klein Diamonds.
10 Rainbow Jewels to Celebrate Gay Pride
In the wake of the Orlando attack, this week’s gay pride festivities in New York take on an extra layer of significance.
New York--With the country still reeling from the recent attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, which has been called both a terrorist attack and a hate crime, this year’s Gay Pride Week in New York City takes on an extra layer of significance, and Sunday’s parade is predicted to be the largest ever.
The correlation between fine jewelry and current events might not be immediately apparent but, like any artist, jewelry designers don’t create in a vacuum and cultural influence will always be an aspect of their work.
The recent surge in rainbow jewelry, which coincides with important milestones in the gay rights movement, reflects a change in consciousness and politics towards LGBTQ citizens.
One of Scandinavia’s most successful designers and an LGBTQ-equality activist, Efva Attling donates 30 percent of the proceeds of U.S. online sales of her “Rainbow Freedom” pendant to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, the United States’ oldest LGBTQ youth group.
Attling designed the piece after the International Amateur Athletic Federation instructed high-jumper Emma Green Tregaro to remove her rainbow-colored nail polish at the Moscow World Athletics Championship in 2013. Tregaro was protesting Russia’s anti-gay laws.
Other pieces, like Celine Daoust’s rainbow-hued ring or Finn’s multi-colored love knot, are less didactic, but embody the joyful spirit that is Gay Pride Week in New York, even in times of strife.
Click through for a selection of jewelry that expresses hope for a more peaceful and harmonious world.
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