Fair Luxury Open House - What it means to be an LGBTQIA+ person within the jewellery profession
In the historically conservative world of jewellery, we want to examine and shed light on the challenges being faced by and positive contributions made by, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, both as industry professionals and also as our potential customers.
In this Open House panel discussion held in January 2023, we explore the challenges; from the lack of representation to the use of language and self-awareness of learned behaviours and biases, as well as the positive affects diversity has in any industry, and the opportunity to discover how we can ensure that our industry is open and inclusive to all.
With the help of our panellists we delve into what it means to be an LGBTQIA+ person within our industry and also how we, as jewellery professionals are perceived by LGBTQIA+ people outside of the trade.
Our guests also give their thoughts on how we can market to the LGBTQIA+ community to welcome more people in and create lasting change.
Many thanks to our guests!
Guest facilitator - Brandee Dallow (she/her)
Founder/President, Fine Girl Responsible Business Strategies & Communications
Brandee Dallow is an award-winning communications and marketing executive, dynamic brand champion and sustainability advocate skilled at driving robust social impact strategies & campaigns. She recently rejoined Grandview Klein Diamonds (formerly part of the Julius Klein Group), as the company's first Chief Communications and Sustainably Officer.
Guest speaker - Tracey Carswell (they/them)
Founder of Powerful in Pink
Tracey is a queer non-binary curator, educator, and artist committed to fostering meaningful connections through community-building. They also co-founded Queer Metalsmiths, a community space honoring, centering, and uplifting 2SLGBTQIA+ jewelers and metalsmiths. They are the founder and former President of the Miami chapter of the Women's Jewelry Association, where they invest in the growth and success of women, femmes, and trans and gender non-conforming leaders in the jewellery and watch industries.
Guest speaker - Sam Malandra-Myers (they/them)
Sales Specialist, Emily Chelsea Jewelry
Sam is often the first person couples meet when they reach out to Emily Chelsea Jewellery, and generally sets the tone for their experience. Before joining the ECJ team in 2021, they graduated with a BFA in photography from the University of the Arts in 2018, and earned a MA in art history from Temple University's Tyler School of Art in 2022.
Emily Chelsea Jewelry is an alternative jewellery and custom design shop in Philadelphia, PA, with an outspoken stance on LGBTQ+ rights, ethics, and responsible sourcing. Emily Chelsea Jewellery offers non-gendered jewellery, and believes that anyone can wear any ring.
Guest speaker - Emma Barnes (she/her)
Founder, Wild Fawn jewellery
Emma started Wild Fawn after endlessly searching for jewellery she could trust to be truly ethically made and accessible to all. Wild Fawn's all female team makes each piece of jewellery by hand in their London studio and will always be committed to conscious jewellery that puts people before profit.
Being in a same sex relationship, Emma takes pride in cultivating an LGBTQ+ allied brand, no matter how you identify, especially when it comes to wedding and engagement rings Emma and her team support all forms of love!
Facilitator - Stuart Pool (he/him)
Ethical Gemstone Specialist, Gemmologist, Social Entrepreneur, co-founder of Nineteen48 and Fair Luxury
Stuart is a specialist in responsibly-mined and fully-traceable coloured gemstones, mainly sourced directly from mines in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. He works very closely with local mine owners to provide a "mine-to- market" service and is committed to educating the widest possible audience about the issues within the jewellery sector.
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Watch the full conversation at Fair Luxury
