Jewelry Independent Summit Returns to New York With Solid Speaker Lineup

The Jewelry Independent Summit, a unique industry event created for independent jewelry designers, announced its date this week.

The Summit, which boasts the straight-talking tagline “What you don’t know CAN hurt you—especially in the jewelry business” on Instagram, will be held in New York City (exact location is TBA) on Aug. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

The event was established to share knowledge and resources with indie jewelry designers “who recognize they need further development in areas such as marketing, public relations, manufacturing, and sales,” Samantha Silverberg, director of the Jewelry Independent Summit, tells JCK. 

She adds, “Success is not a straight line. What works for one may not work for others. So our mission is to provide a modern forum [offering] invaluable insights and advice to help attendees navigate the business of jewelry.”

The Summit’s 2018 agenda will consist of eight panel discussions focused on topics including manufacturing, retailing, social media, the nuts and bolts of running a business, and peer-to-peer advising.

Speakers lined up thus far include Third Coast Gems’ Benjamin Guttery; the Jewelry Bar’s Ryan Ryan; LuxCouture’s Sari Brown; fine jewelry consultant Francesca Simons; Walters Faith founders Mollie Faith Good and Stephanie Walters Abramow; Carbon & Hyde founders and designers Oren and Yarden Katz; Barneys New York associate buyer Delia Folk; jewelry designer and founding member of the Au Showroom Selin Kent; Swoonery CEO Jean Poh; Eden Presley founder and designer Gwen Myers; My Story Fine Jewelry founder and designer Jackie Cohen; and Milestones founder and designer Ashleigh Bergman.

“We believe that if more people responsible for making decisions in retail, editorial, manufacturing, or marketing were willing and/or able to share their perspective in an open and fluid exchange, it would not only result in designers being better prepared, but also create a higher rate of successful partnerships,” Silverberg says.

New this year is an option for remote attendance—jewelers can purchase a ticket that will allow them to livestream the goings-on from any location in the world. Tickets for the event, which start at $150, are available here.

Photo: Third Coast Gem’s Benjamin Guttery with Jackie LeBental of Barri Luxury Consulting and Claudia Wood from KVO Collections (courtesy of the Jewelry Independent Summit)

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JCK Senior Editor

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