Brilliant & Black: Age of Enlightenment

The selling exhibition at Sotheby’s London highlights contemporary designs by well-known and up-and-coming Black jewelers.

Few events establish a designer’s status as powerfully as having their creations sold at one of the leading auction houses. “Brilliant & Black: Age of Enlightenment” — a selling exhibition taking place at Sotheby’s London through October 2 and hosted online indefinitely — is the sequel to the groundbreaking “Brilliant & Black: A Jewelry Renaissance” that opened in New York in September 2021.

For both shows, curator and award-winning author Melanie Grant selected Black jewelry artists ranging from established names like Jacqueline Rabun and Sheryl Jones to up-and-coming creators like Lola Fenhirst and Johnny Nelson. For the second edition, 25 designers from both sides of the Atlantic are presenting around three pieces each, one specifically created for the event. Among the newcomers are British designers Roxanne Rajcoomar-Hadden and Disa Allsopp, and US-based Gina Love and Latoya Boyd.

Talent on display
The show is about keeping Black talent in the headlines, as well as displaying the scope and variety of their creations, notes Grant. If the first curation looked at Black designers from a historical perspective, with pieces from the estates of modernist artists Winifred Mason and Art Smith, the second installment focuses on the wide range of contemporary designs.

“We’re looking at individual talents now much more closely and acknowledging that everyone is quite different, with something completely different to bring to the table. We are exploring those individual styles and also looking at the future,” says Grant.

While the New York edition’s prices ranged from around $2,000 to a spectacular $1 million pink-diamond ring by Los Angeles-based Maggi Simpkins, the London selection offers sterling silver items of just under $500 and diamond jewelry below $500,000. Designers have explored the theme of enlightenment in its many guises, from the personal to the political, combining their distinct styles with family stories, their African and Caribbean heritage, and a vast range of other inspirations.

Diverse offerings
New York designer Lorraine West, whose work was on display in the first Sotheby’s show, says this year’s theme has inspired her “to create pieces that tell a story of love [and] nurturing, and to enlighten, which is to give someone spiritual knowledge and insight.” One of her creations is a ring in 18-karat yellow gold that features the word “enlighten” in diamonds.

“This show is a portal into this heightened moment and awareness around issues of the lack of diversity and inclusion in the fine-jewelry industry,” West adds. “It’s a time for Black jewelers’ work to be celebrated and exposed to a broader audience across the globe.”

Love, who founded the Auvere brand, sees the exhibition as a landmark event for the Black jewelry community. “It means recognition by one of the most renowned institutions in the business of jewelry for the work that we do,” she says. “It acknowledges our unique creativity. And it allows us to showcase our respective cultures and have our expression be received and enjoyed by a larger community of jewelry fans. I hope that more institutions take note of this collaboration between Melanie Grant and Sotheby’s and follow suit.”

Main image: Model wearing Roxanne Rajcoomar-Hadden gold, diamond, peridot and citrine 1976 earrings; Angie Marei gold, enamel and diamond Black Opium Hayya Serpentine Ring I; and Jariet Oloyé gold and diamond Galaxy cocktail ring. Photo: DeMarcus Allen.