The Jewelry Library

We were thrilled to see Sugandha Gupta’s exquisite designs for the new exhibition ‘Costume Art’, a thought-provoking show that “expands aesthetics beyond detached contemplation toward lived embodiment, with the dressed body emerging not at the margins of art history but at its generative core”. Featured in the Disabled Body section, Sugandha’s ‘Floating Dress’, in dialogue with Alfred Steiglitz’s 1919 photograph of Georgia O’Keeffe’s hands, employs “her signature hand-felting techniques” featuring “perforated silk and merino wool left intentionally pigment-free” as in all her textiles, which “honor the diversity of human skin tones”.
Gupta, whose lived experience with albinism and vision impairment, informs her practice, said “I hope you all experience the show and feel seen and acknowledged through this work as well. I want to be in a world where visibility no longer feels like a historic moment.”

We’re looking forward to this Wednesday’s discussion, ‘Redefining Jewelry’s Culture: Access, Opportunity and Belonging’.

Bethann Hardison, Steven Kolb, and Stephanie Oueda will join Rosena Sammi, Founder and CEO of The Jewelry Edit, Inc. and The Jewelry Edit Foundation, for a candid conversation on how the jewelry industry can evolve to better reflect the world around it. These industry legends will explore the pathways to greater access, the importance of creating real opportunity, and what it takes to foster a true sense of belonging—from education and mentorship to leadership and representation. The discussion will challenge traditional structures, spotlight voices shaping the future, and offer a forward-looking perspective on building a more open, dynamic, and inclusive jewelry community.

Wednesday, May 20th, 6:00–8:00pm. Link in bio for details!

It’s not a Met Gala roundup without Rihanna...
sparkled in a gown “crafted from fine copper oscillating duchess woven with recycled computer wire, cloaked around a bodice made of 115,000 found crystal beads, antique jewels, and chains, crafted in over 1,380 hours.”
She was also decked out in all kinds of jewels from , , , , , and .
And for her hair, custom metal pin curls, complete with crystals, by in collaboration with the star’s longtime hairstylist .

Styled by .

There were lots of ‘naked’ dresses at this year’s Met Gala—and lots of hands (see in , and , , and in ). Here, wears a custom gown by , “conceived as a living work of art”.
“The hand-painted corset references 18th-century painting, where light and shadow shape the body, echoing the tradition of academic nudes. Its motifs draw from Getty’s personal jewelry collection, integrating these intimate pieces directly into the narrative of the dress.”

Met Gala co-chair wore a custom look inspired by Robert Pruitt’s ‘Venus Williams, Double Portrait’, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in 2022. Her necklace, a re-creation of the Wimbledon-plate-inspired piece seen in the painting, incorporates symbols of her family and career, along with nods to the historic fight for equal pay in tennis and to the sport’s early Black champions.
“It reflects not just my journey but the legacy of those who came before me—especially pioneers like Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, who paved the way,” Williams told . “It felt like a personal way to connect with ‘Costume Art’—using fashion to tell a story about legacy and progress and honoring those who made it possible.”

Styling by , makeup by , hair by , and nails by .

Isha Ambani’s Met Gala look is something special. Crafted over 1,200 hours by over 50 artisans, the custom ensemble “brings together textile, jewellery, and form”.
Her sari is woven with pure gold threads, and the showstopping bodice features jewels from her own collection and her mother Nita Ambani’s collection, along with other sentimental pieces, like a gift from when her children were born.
She accessorized with more family heirloom jewels, a custom diamond choker by , and a sculpture of a mango by artist Subodh Gupta.

Styled by .

Photos via .

TJL Met Gala coverage incoming...starting with ’s homage to the iconic collaborations of Yves Saint Laurent and Claude Lalanne.
Bieber’s look is directly inspired by the sculpted bodices in Saint Laurent’s fall 1969 couture collection. Lalanne employed an electroplating process to give the metal pieces a realistic effect, which served in contrast to gauzy dresses.

On view at through May 25th, ‘Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture’ explores the relationship between the work of period-defining English artist Thomas Gainsborough and fashion––a central aspect of eighteenth century British society.

“The artist’s painted images were subject to the same forces of fashion as the people they depict. Like the cut and cloth of a jacket, the shape, size, and facture of a painted portrait could be avant-garde or passé. In Gainsborough’s world, the trappings, trade, and power of fashion were everywhere—from magazines to tailor shops, from the opera to promenades—and his portraits were at the heart of it all.”

Technical investigations conducted in collaboration with conservators at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Yale Center for British Art shed light on Gainsborough’s artistic process and materials, exploring connections between his practice and goods that fueled the fashion industry—from dyes, pigments, and cosmetics to textiles and jewelry.

Link in bio for details.

Happy Earth Day! We recently spent the day with artist Anu Das , scooping up some of her newest work at the Artisan Fair sponsored by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in NYC. Das’s work brings attention to the impact of climate change through storytelling and her inventive use of recycled materials.

“I think of my work as a collaboration with the environment,” Das says. “Patterns of migration are changing at a rapid rate across our planet. It became more apparent to me that climate disasters not only disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, but also the beauty and sustainability of the natural habitat we depend upon.”

Featured here, a selection of Das’s pieces, including earrings and a brooch from her series “Migrants in Altered Landscapes”. 

1. Butterfly Jhumka Earrings —Mesh lime bags, hand-drawn butterflies, bells, beads, $175.00
2. Arid Necklace – Air-dried clay, fabric, beads, $195.00
3. Red Tide Clutch – Recycled mesh vegetable bags, computer parts, dried paint, fabric, and found objects, $150.00
4. Butterfly Brooch – Plastic strawberry container, hand-dyed Tussar silk, hand-drawn monarch butterflies, dried palm leaf, dried pollen, beads, raffia, $175.00
5. Leaving the Pinyon Pines Necklace – Handmade clay beads, embroidered fabric, dried, and painted palm leaves, $175.00
6. White Bird Earrings – Found objects, paper, mesh garlic bag, $125.00
7. Bird Necklace – Recycled sari fabric, recycled canvas, beads, $145.00

DM us to purchase!

(Select photos by .)

We love this special bespoke piece by .
Inherited heirloom gold rings reworked into an interlocking chain, with handmade sterling silver tapered links to form a necklace.
A lesson in giving new life to your old jewelry!