A growing number of cultural figures and institutions are working to elevate jewelry from its traditional association with adornment and luxury status symbols to a recognized form of art and cultural expression. This shift is reflected in initiatives such as the Jewelry Edit Foundation’s recent master classes in New York City, which aim to mentor emerging jewelry artists while fostering broader appreciation for the field.
The nonprofit foundation has enlisted professionals from various backgrounds to explore jewelry’s deeper resonance in culture. Among them are Sloane Crosley, an author and essayist; Theaster Gates, an artist and professor; and Diane Mahady, president and CEO of Hermès Americas. Each has contributed their distinct perspective on how jewelry intersects with history, identity, storytelling, and craftsmanship.
In October, Mahady led a session focusing on building purposeful careers in the luxury sector at the Hermès Campus in Manhattan. Two months later, Crosley, alongside her sister Dana Naberszy—chief innovation officer at The Company—discussed the personal and narrative significance of jewelry during a master class at a Midtown private club. Crosley described jewelry as a unique fusion of nostalgia and history, highlighting how these elements shaped her own understanding.
Later this year, Gates is scheduled to engage in a dialogue with Rosena Sammi, founder of the Jewelry Edit Foundation, addressing the traditional hierarchies in art that position ceramics and jewelry below painting and sculpture. Gates’s inquiry seeks to challenge the often rigid distinctions between “artist” and “craftsperson,” questioning why jewelry-making remains on the margins despite its creative and cultural importance.
Sammi emphasizes jewelry’s multifaceted nature, describing it as an intersection of identity, history, craftsmanship, technology, and sustainability. She notes that despite robust intellectual interest in other creative fields such as food, architecture, and literature, jewelry has often been overlooked in broader cultural conversations. Through her salon-style master classes, Sammi intends to broaden perspectives within the jewelry industry and encourage participants to rethink jewelry’s cultural and artistic value.
This evolving dialogue reflects a wider trend in the art and design world. Lise Macdonald, president of L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts in Paris, which received support from Van Cleef & Arpels, observes that the cultural discourse surrounding jewelry has expanded significantly in the last decade, especially following the pandemic. Macdonald points out that jewelry is ubiquitous, ranging from traditional precious materials to unconventional elements like threads and leaves, and that it holds meaning far beyond mere decoration.
L’Ecole’s partnership with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, launched two years ago, further illustrates this broadened scope. The program “Jewels and Literature” explores the connections between jewelry and broader cultural narratives, merging the study of material culture with literary arts.
As these efforts continue to gain momentum, the perception of jewelry is gradually shifting. What was once primarily valued for luxury and status is increasingly recognized as a complex cultural artifact deserving serious attention within the arts and humanities.