TrendsOct 17, 2025
Piece of the Week: Judi Powers Jewelry’s ‘Stella’ EarringsTake a gaze at the sky with this pair of platinum diamond-set star earrings with blue lace agate drops.
Events & AwardsSep 03, 2020
ASJRA Takes Fall Conference Virtual
The conference, held online this October, has artists, goldsmiths, authors and curators lined up to discuss jewelry in America.
A Matilija Poppy brooch by Tom Herman/Seven Fingers and Patsy Croft made in gold and plique-a-jour enamel. Herman and Croft will talk about the project at the ASJRA conference this fall.
Ellicott City, Md.—The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts will hold its fifteenth annual conference virtually this October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference was set to take place in person in April this year in New York City, but was then postponed to September before being postponed again to October and moved online.
In an email to National Jeweler in March, event co-director Elyse Zorn Karlin said the organizers felt they had too many attendees who are in the high-risk group for coronavirus.
“We could not in good conscience be responsible for a gathering that might help expose people to the virus, despite the financial losses we will suffer,” she wrote.
It will now be held Oct. 10-11 and keep its original speaker line-up, inviting nine speakers to hold 10 lectures.
RELATED CONTENT: November Industry Events Canceled, Moved Online
The theme of this year’s conference is “Jewelry in America,” and it is open to anyone who is interested in jewelry and jewelry history.
Keynote speaker Beth Wees, the Ruth Bigelow Wriston Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will open the conference.
Conceptual gem artist John Nels Hatleberg will present “An Affinity for Gems.” He is known for creating exact replicas of famous diamonds.
ASJRA co-director Elyse Zorn Karlin will hold three talks: one discussing the jewelry of Peter Lindenauer on Oct. 10, one on the Diamond Jim Brady on Oct. 11, and another on the jewelry of Robert Lee Morris, also on Oct. 11.
Curator and scholar Jeannine Falino will discuss the work of Betty Cooke in “The Circle and the Line, Over 70 Years of Designs by Betty Cooke.”
Falino is currently curating a retrospective of Cooke’s work for the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, which is set to open in fall 2021.
Annamarie Sandecki, who has been Tiffany’s corporate archivist for 28 years, will present “Notably American: Tiffany & Co. Jewelry at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.”
On the second day, artisan goldsmith Tom Herman will present “Analyzing Plique-a-Jour Jewelry by Marcus & Co. and the Matilija Poppy Brooch Project.”
Herman will be joined by enamelist Patsy Croft, who helped to create the Matilija brooch.
Curator and author Lois Sherr Dubin will present “Floral Journey: Native North American Flower Beadwork.”
Dubin has published the History of Beads: From 30,000 B.C. to the Present and
North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment.
Jonathan Wahl will present “Jonathan Wahl, Artist & Director of the 92nd Street Y Jewelry Program.” Wahl oversees 55 weekly jewelry-making classes at the Y’s metalsmithing studios.
The additional study day, which originally included a curator’s tour of the “Jewelry for America” exhibition at the Met with Wees, a group luncheon and guided tour of the Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum on the east side of Manhattan, will not take place.
It would not be possible to do it virtually, said Karlin in an email to National Jeweler.
Registration for the conference is open to all and costs $155 for access to the two-day event.
The early bird price is $140, if you register by Sept. 1. ASJRA members receive a 10 percent discount.
For more information or to register, go to ASJRA’s website.
More on Events & Awards
The Latest
IndependentsOct 17, 2025
From the Jazz Age to the Information Age: London Jewelers Turns 100In 2026, the jewelry retailer will celebrate a milestone only a small percentage of family-owned businesses survive to see.
IndependentsOct 16, 2025
Retailer Hall of Fame 2025: Jeffrey Zimmer Jeffrey Zimmer's decades of leadership at Reeds Jewelers are defined by integrity, a love of sourcing gemstones, and a heart for community.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
AuctionsOct 16, 2025
Sotheby’s Introduces Custom Jewelry ServiceThe new high jewelry design and production process takes 30 days or less from concept to completion, the auction house said.
Weekly QuizOct 16, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsOct 16, 2025
Oscar Heyman’s Holiday Catalog Is Out, and It’s SpectacularThe holiday catalog for 2025 features never-before-seen images of more than 100 one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
CollectionsOct 16, 2025
Foundrae Adds To ‘United in Love’ CollectionThe brand has released a second installment of its collection of traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.
Brought to you by
JA New York Fall Is Right Around the CornerThe upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.
IndependentsOct 15, 2025
Retailer Hall of Fame 2025: Kathy CoreyCorey rescued New England chain Day’s Jewelers, preserving its legacy with strong people skills, pragmatism, and a “get-it-done” attitude.
CrimeOct 15, 2025
Men Receive Lengthy Prison Sentences for 2023 Murder of Colorado JewelerCharles Robinson Shay was sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years while his accomplice, Michael James McCormack, got 75 years.
Events & AwardsOct 15, 2025
JCK, Luxury to Debut New Watch Section in Vegas Next YearTimepieces at Luxury will take place at The Venetian and, like Luxury, will be invitation-only for the first two days.
AuctionsOct 15, 2025
Christie's Announces New Jewelry Department LeadershipThe auction house named a new global head of jewelry, as well as a new head of the jewelry department for the Americas.
IndependentsOct 14, 2025
Retailer Hall of Fame 2025: Tom DixonAs chairman of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, Tom Dixon has been tasked with honoring the past and shaping the future of the family-run store.
Events & AwardsOct 14, 2025
Here Are the Winners of the BIJC, JA ‘Emerging Jewelers’ Grant Katty Villapando Lyte and Mica Rencher received a $10,000 grant for their business, Shimmer Culture LLC.
IndependentsOct 14, 2025
Day’s Jewelers Crafts Custom Jewelry for No.1 NBA Draft Pick Cooper FlaggThe parents of the Dallas Mavericks rookie bought their engagement ring at a Day’s store in Bangor, Maine, in 1997.
SourcingOct 14, 2025
Pragnell Debuts Kitulo Garnet Jewelry The UK-based brand sourced the gemstones, which are fully traceable, from an artisanal mining community in Tanzania.
CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Count Down to the Holidays With Astrid & Miyu’s Advent CalendarsThe trio of Advent calendars include a version with 18-karat gold and lab-grown diamond jewelry in a red lacquer jewelry box.
CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Piece of the Week: Marla Aaron’s ‘Nymphenburg Lock’Created in collaboration with Nymphenburg Porcelain, the lock is part of a four-piece collection that took two years to bring to fruition.
MajorsOct 10, 2025
Frederick Goldman Names New VP of SalesJewelry industry veteran Alisa Bunger has taken on the role.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Feriel Zerouki Is Leaving De Beers The company and industry leader’s two-decade tenure with De Beers will come to a close at the end of the month.
AuctionsOct 09, 2025
This Fabergé Egg Could Crack $27M At Auction“The Winter Egg” set the world auction record for a Fabergé piece twice at previous Christie’s sales.
MajorsOct 09, 2025
Sy Kessler Buying Watch Batteries as Silver Hits Record High The company will pay 1.5x silver’s current spot price for each pound of silver oxide batteries submitted.
CollectionsOct 09, 2025
Katkim Launches First Men’s CollectionThe line includes a “Shadow” series crafted exclusively for the new men’s offering and reimagined styles from the brand’s core collections.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Gemfields’ Mini Mixed-Quality Ruby Auction Garners $11MThe rough on offer was recovered from a newer area at the Montepuez mine.
SourcingOct 08, 2025
In ‘Storied Diamond,’ Jared Jewelers Is Emphasizing the Journey The retailer’s new collection of engagement rings and fashion jewelry is set with natural diamonds that are traceable via blockchain.
CollectionsOct 08, 2025
Emily P. Wheeler Shifts Into Neutral for Latest ‘Ombré’ CollectionThe champagne colorway in her newest “Ombré” collection combines white and trendy brown diamonds, a departure from her usual vibrant hues.
CollectionsOct 08, 2025
Tsuba Designs Inspire Monica Rich Kosann’s New CharmsKosann partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to create a set of necklaces inspired by the artwork on samurai sword handguards.
