Jewelry Industry Responds to George Floyd’s Death

The shocking death of Minneapolis man George Floyd while being held down by a police officer has led to six consecutive days of protests against police brutality in cities across the United States and has prompted some jewelry retailers and brands to voice their anger and frustration, as well as their solidarity with black communities and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, on social media platforms.

Here are a handful of industry reactions from Instagram.

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#ARMorris #WilmingtonDE

A post shared by A. R. Morris Jewelers (@a.r.morrisjewelers) on

Wilmington, Del., jewelry store A.R. Morris had its front window broken during a protest but said in its post, “Let us acknowledge the pain so many of us are feeling…. Shattered glass is easy to fix; shattered communities take more time” (image via @a.r.morrisjewelers).

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#blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Peridot Fine Jewelry (@peridotfinejewelry) on

Jewelry store Peridot Fine Jewelry in Larchmont, N.Y., posted a photo of a protestor with #blacklivesmatter (image via @peridotfinejewelry).

Brooklyn, N.Y., jewelry store Catbird hashtagged #justiceforgeorgefloyd with a powerful message from the ACLU (image via @catbirdnyc).

Georgia jewelry retailer Worthmore Jewelers posted a timely reminder (image via @worthmorejewelers).

 

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George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Ahmaud Arbery.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ We say their names to honor their memory. We stand with the black community to speak against injustice. But this alone isn't enough. Only action can remedy systemic problems in our society. As such, Shinola has made a donation to The Detroit Justice Center.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ If you're searching for actions to take and organizations dedicated to healing and justice support, here are a few of many:⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY⁠⠀ Press legislators on their plans to end discrimination in law enforcement.⁠⠀ joincampaignzero.org⁠⠀ change.org⁠⠀ winningjustice.org⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ DONATE⁠⠀ Gofundme.com/georgefloyd⁠⠀ @detroitjusticecenter⁠⠀ @aclu_nationwide⁠⠀ @acluofmichigan⁠⠀ @blklivesmatter⁠⠀ @reclaimtheblock⁠⠀ @blackvisionscollective

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Image via @shinola

Jennifer Gandia, co-owner of Greenwich St. Jewelers in NYC, announced she would match donations to #BlackLivesMatter-supporting nonprofits. Her post, which was intended to raise $1,000, raised a total of $2,655 (image via @jennifergandia).

Watch and jewelry blogger/podcaster Barbara Palumbo has been posting messages of solidarity with protestors on her @whatsonherwrist feed (image via @whatsonherwrist).

Image via @preston_and_linnie

Jewelry designer Rona Pfeiffer posted a photo of protestors protecting a police officer (image via @rona_pfeiffer).

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Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed— Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.") … Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose— The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath— America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain— All, all the stretch of these great green states— And make America again! #LangstonHughes 1935 Art: The Banjo Lesson, by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1893

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Veteran jewelry writer and editor Peggy Jo Donahue posted a Langston Hughes poem with a circa-1893 painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner (image via @peggyjodonahue).

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It is hard for me to know what to say on a week like this. It is hard to feel like I have the right to speak. When all the racial inequality that has simmered in our nation since the founding boils over, I can’t ignore the depth of my white privilege, my ability to thoughtlessly live in safely and without fear. Sometimes I feel like I am the best ally by being quiet. By purchasing from black and minority run businesses, donating to @mnfreedomfund and @splcenter, acknowledging my personal privilege and looking for ways to create equity in my small world. Other times I feel that what small voice I have should be loaned to the cacophony and deserved rage of the black community. In truth I don’t know what to do. Either way I stand with you, I’ll fight for you. #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Ariana Boussard-Reifel (@arianaboussardreifel) on

Jewelry designer Ariana Boussard-Reifel posted a heartfelt message with the black square of solidarity (image via @arianaboussardreifel).

Top: An original work by artist and gemologist Hannah Becker, aka Diamondoodles (image via @diamondoodles)

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