Jewelry Industry Figures Talk Access, Opportunity And Belonging

The Jewelry Edit Foundation will be hosting a panel discussion tomorrow evening in New York, about access, opportunity and belonging in the jewelry industry, to consider how the industry can work towards a more open, dynamic and inclusive community.

The Jewelry Edit Foundation’s Rosena Sammi will be hosting a panel in New York tomorrow evening, to discuss how diversity and inclusion can help build a stronger jewelry industry. Joining her, will be the CEO and President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Steven Kolb; award-winning advocate and founder of the Black Girls Coalition, Bethann Hardison, and Stephanie Oueda, entrepreneur and strategic advisor. It’s at the Civic Hall at 6pm May 20, and you can still buy tickets.

Behind the talk, is The Jewelry Edit Foundation, a non-profit working towards a more inclusive and socially conscious industry, founded by Rosena Sammi, who also started The Jewelry Edit responsible e-commerce site. “I wanted to create an honest and forward-looking conversation, bringing together leaders from different perspectives to discuss not only the industry’s progress but also where it still needs to grow,” she explains. “These conversations can feel especially challenging in today’s climate, but that is precisely why they are imperative.”

“Talent exists everywhere, opportunity does not,” she continues, referring to the perception of a closed and difficult industry in which opportunity can be far from equal. “Jewelry is an industry built on creativity, culture, and human connection. If we are not willing to examine who is included in that story, and who is still being left out of it, we risk limiting the future of the industry itself.”

The event was born of a long-running discussion Sammi had with Oueda, the former vice-president of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging at Tiffany & Co., about the importance of opening up access, creating opportunities and fostering a sense of belonging for a broader community. They shared the conviction that rather than being treated as a side issue, “these conversations deeply connected to creativity, innovation, talent development, consumer engagement, and the industry’s long-term future,” says Sammi.

For Oueda, the luxury industry needs to reflect its clients “and diversity is where the money is.” According to Bain & Company, by 2030 Gen Z and Millenials will be driving up to 85% of all luxury spending, with growth coming mainly from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. These two demographic shifts are creating what she terms “the most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse luxury cohort in history.”

Oueda believes that the more representation and diversity there is in leadership, creative and marketing teams, the higher product resonance will be. Inclusive advertising drives over 16% in sales uplift, according to research from the UN Unstereotype Alliance and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, which for her, makes the “business case iron-clad. Clients spend money when they feel represented; they stay loyal to brand that reflect their identity. They become advocates, not just consumers.”

And it’s the consumer who will have the last word, according to Sammi. “We often say we want to support emerging or underrepresented designers, yet we return to the same heritage brands… because they feel established and safe. Real change happens… through who gets bought, worn, gifted, collected and talked about. I think consumers play a much bigger role in shaping the future of this industry than they sometimes think.”

Redefining Jewelry’s Culture: Access, Opportunity and Belonging, May 20 at 6pm, at Civic Hall, 124 East 14th Street, New York. Tickets are available from eventbrite.