Golden Roots: The Jewellery Collective to Host Panel Event Celebrating Caribbean jewellers

02 Oct 2024

The Jewellery Collective – a community-driven members’ association founded on a vision of knowledge-sharing, inspiration and opportunity – has announced an upcoming panel talk and networking event, Golden Roots: Stories from Caribbean Jewellers.

Hosted by Caribbean-owned Deptford cocktail bar Buster Mantis on Wednesday 23rd October, the event will platform a panel of jewellers of Caribbean heritage and origin, inviting them to discuss the experiences, traditions, tales and materials that inform their practices today.

The panel, headed up by jewellery designer and The Jewellery Collective founder Kassandra Gordon, features contemporary designer-maker Melanie Eddy, diamond mounter and 3D artisan Darren Sherwood, metal artist Mairi Millar and design-maker Kareece Peters.

An audience of jewellery professionals and enthusiasts are invited to gain creative inspiration and practical guidance from the panel discussion, then interact with the speakers through a laid-back Q&A session. The event will also involve a mixer session; an opportunity for attendees to connect with other members of the jewellery, fashion and art industries in our multicultural capital city.

A tapestry of Caribbean culture, artistry and skill, this celebratory event is another step in The Jewellery Collective’s mission to break down barriers to the jewellery industry; one that is notoriously difficult to access via traditional routes and without existing social capital.

Thanks to a grant from the Goldsmiths’ Centre, Golden Roots is one of a number of exciting events and activities in The Jewellery Collective’s autumn programme - by far its most jam-packed schedule yet.

The emergence of this programme marks one year since The Jewellery Collective’s inaugural event in September 2023; a forum that welcomed hundreds of attendees and featured a keynote speech from Stephen Webster MBE.

The collective’s upcoming Golden Roots event closely follows a sold-out panel talk and networking in partnership with the Hatton Garden Business Improvement District (BID) and London Design Festival last month.

Community Manager Ruby McGonigle, explains,

“These curated but laid-back events are designed to challenge convention and offer safe and supportive spaces for people to learn from one another and form catalytic relationships. They platform fresh voices, new perspectives and exciting collaborations."

Founder Kassandra Gordon, says,

“We believe that by sharing knowledge and breaking down the barriers of secrecy, we can make the jewellery industry stronger and more sustainable."

The Jewellery Collective is open to all jewellery and fashion professionals, from those just starting out to those who have been involved in the industries for many years. 

Register for Golden Roots

View The Jewellery Collective

Source: The Jewellery Collective