The Jewelry Symposium Gets Industry Talking About Labor Shortage and AI

By Karen Dybis | May 23, 2025

With a 10% increase in attendance and a new event addressing the skilled labor shortage, the Jewelry Symposium (TJS) highlighted how important it is for members of the trade to work together to target the industry’s long-term issues.

The 2025 edition of TJS—an annual international event dedicated to the advancement of jewelry manufacturing technology—took place May 17 to 20 at the Detroit Marriott Troy, with seminars, roundtable conversations, networking, and even a little sightseeing around Detroit.

The location put TJS in the midst of a Metro Detroit business and higher education sector struggling with developing and maintaining a skilled workforce as well as with trade wars, tariffs, and rising gold prices, says Linus Drogs, TJS chairman of the board.

TJS Chris Ploof — *Jewelry designer Chris Ploof spoke at the Jewelry Symposium 2025 about his business, its personnel needs, and his use of mokume gane in his jewelry.*

The “Workforce at Risk” roundtable on May 17 discussed where there are cracks in the systems that support newcomers entering the jewelry industry. Representatives of local universities who attended TJS told stories of the challenges they face with funding and administrative support.

“One of our speakers talked about how his administration is constantly pressuring him to reduce his [jewelry] program in sight of other programs that could use the space, funding, everything else. He’s constantly fighting for a budget and for expansion,” says Drogs, who owns Troy-based jewelry manufacturing company Au Enterprises.

“Other people talked about hiring young talent out of art school or college but they often have such extensive student debt that it is hard for them to overcome that and invest in their careers. It’s also a huge investment for those who hire them and sometimes reteach them what they need to know about jewelry manufacturing.”

Drogs adds: “What we all walked away with was the understanding that our industry needs to get more organized. That means scholarships, mentorship, and apprenticeships plus much more.”

TJS Hitsville — *TJS participants had a chance to explore Metro Detroit, including attractions such as the Motown Museum.*

Other key topics discussed at TJS include computer-aided design (CAD) and artificial intelligence—how AI is rapidly becoming standard in jewelry design and how that affects manufacturing. AI is closing the gap between “fantasy” designs that customers want and what can be created, and jewelry manufacturing has to be ready for anything, Drogs notes.

One important speaker at TJS was metals specialist Christopher Corti, formerly of the World Gold Council, who Drogs says really improved attendees’ understanding of metallurgy. Corti’s master class will continue at the 2026 Symposium, says Drogs.

For 2026, the TJS board is seeking additional industry veterans, such as Corti, to do presentations that preserve jewelry knowledge for future generations. In the long term, the board hopes to make TJS a must-attend event for retailers, manufacturers, technology experts, and students.

“It’s more than just friends coming together; it’s a family,” Drogs says. “It’s a community of people who have struggled to build their businesses or expertise and don’t want to see others have to do the same.

“We will start to meet [in June] to talk about what will happen next year,” he says, “so we hope people will reach out to us, fill out an abstract, and join us. Come and share what you know.”

Top: The Jewelry Symposium was held earlier this month at the Detroit Marriott Troy in Michigan. (Photos courtesy of the Jewelry Symposium)