Manchester Jewellery Week Launches City-Wide, 2026

Key Points

• Manchester Jewellery Week is the inaugural jewellery festival for Manchester, taking place from 10–16 September 2026 with the title I Wanna Be Adorned.
• The week brings together jewellers, designer-makers, artists, students, collectors and jewellery lovers for exhibitions, talks, open studios, trails, workshops and special events.
• The festival is co-founded by Manchester jewellers Jo Lavelle and Eve Redmond, inspired by the internationally renowned jewellery week in Munich.
• Jo Lavelle and Eve Redmond have teamed up with fellow jewellers and makers Mark McLeish, Sarah O’Hana, Sadie Blythin and Stacey Hill to create the event.
• Manchester Craft and Design Centre will be the heart of the festival, hosting exhibitions, talks, studio trails and special events throughout the week.
• A major highlight is City of Suffragettes, curated by Joanne Haywood of The Association for Contemporary Jewellery and Eve Redmond, exploring themes linked to Manchester’s suffragette history.
• Other highlights include:
  • Cotton to Graphene at Manchester Metropolitan University, showcasing work by jewellery graduates and emerging talent.
  • Bound, Fabricate, Worn at The Portico Library, featuring new work by the organisers of Manchester Jewellery Week.
  • Adorn at Waterside Arts in Sale, celebrating sculptural jewellery and wearable art in glass.
  • Exhibitions from Precious Collective at Redstart Gallery and Dialogue Collective featuring national and international jewellers.
  • The Curated Self, an online exhibition showcasing Jennifer Noble’s private necklace collection.
• Visitors will be able to explore a city-wide programme at venues including Manchester Art Gallery, HOME Arches, The Portico Library, Fred Aldous, Frog Flowers, Islington Mill, Franny & Filer, Studio Critical and many more.
• The Open Weekender on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September will see jewellers, designer-makers and studios across the city open their doors to the public.
• Jo Lavelle stated that the week gives the city an opportunity to celebrate its talented and diverse jewellery community, connect people and open up the world of jewellery to new audiences.
• Eve Redmond said the event is inspired by Munich but proudly rooted in Manchester and aims to create new opportunities for graduates, collectors and audiences to engage with contemporary jewellery.

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) July 02, 2026 – It is set to host its first jewellery festival this September, marking a new cultural milestone for the city as I Wanna Be Adorned Manchester Jewellery Week launches across Manchester.

A brand-new cultural event celebrating contemporary jewellery, art jewellery and adornment will make its debut this September as Manchester Jewellery Week. The week is designed to position Manchester as a national hub for contemporary jewellery practice, drawing on the city’s existing strengths in design, craft and cultural innovation.

Taking place from Thursday 10 to Wednesday 16 September, I Wanna Be Adorned will bring together jewellers, designer-makers, artists, students, collectors and jewellery lovers for a week of exhibitions, talks, open studios, trails, workshops and special events. This structure mirrors international models such as Munich Jewellery Week, which co-founders Jo Lavelle and Eve Redmond cited as a key inspiration for the festival.

How Will the Inaugural Week Be Structured Across Manchester?

The heart of the festival will be Manchester Craft and Design Centre, which will host a series of exhibitions, talks, studio trails and special events throughout the week. This central venue is expected to act as a hub where visitors can orient themselves before exploring the wider city-wide programme.

Beyond the central hub, the event will invite the public to discover contemporary jewellery in unexpected places and settings throughout Manchester city centre, Salford, uk/local/sale/">Sale and Chorlton. Exhibitions and installations will be spread across a wide range of venues, including Manchester Art Gallery, HOME Arches, The Portico Library, Fred Aldous, Frog Flowers, Islington Mill, Franny & Filer, Studio Critical and many more.

A key part of the programme is the Open Weekender on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, when jewellers, designer-makers and studios across the city will open their doors to the public. This element is designed to shine a spotlight on Manchester’s thriving jewellery community and independent makers, offering direct access to practitioners and their workspaces.

What Exhibitions and Projects Are Confirmed for the Launch?

A major highlight will be City of Suffragettes, curated by Joanne Haywood of The Association for Contemporary Jewellery and Eve Redmond, co-founder of I Wanna Be Adorned. The exhibition will explore themes inspired by Manchester’s pioneering role in the suffragette movement and will be accompanied by a Suffragette Studio Trail and a related exhibition at Divinity Studio.

Other highlights include:

• Cotton to Graphene at Manchester Metropolitan University, showcasing work by jewellery graduates and providing a platform for emerging talent from universities and colleges.
• Bound, Fabricate, Worn at The Portico Library, featuring new work by the organisers of Manchester Jewellery Week.
• Adorn at Waterside Arts in Sale, celebrating sculptural jewellery and wearable art in glass.
• Exhibitions from Precious Collective at Redstart Gallery and Dialogue Collective, featuring national and international jewellers.
• The Curated Self, an online exhibition showcasing the private necklace collection of Jennifer Noble.

These projects reflect a deliberate aim to showcase the breadth and diversity of contemporary jewellery while engaging a range of audiences, from students and practitioners to collectors and general visitors.

Why Is Manchester Jewellery Week Significant for the City’s Creative Sector?

I Wanna Be Adorned is explicitly described as the first jewellery festival for Manchester, co-founded by Manchester jewellers Jo Lavelle and Eve Redmond. Their decision to create the event was inspired by the internationally renowned jewellery week in Munich, suggesting a desire to embed Manchester within a global network of contemporary jewellery events.

The organisers Jo Lavelle, Eve Redmond, Mark McLeish, Sarah O’Hana, Sadie Blythin and Stacey Hill have created an event designed to showcase the breadth and diversity of contemporary jewellery while inviting the public to discover it in unexpected places and settings. This approach supports the city’s broader creative economy by bringing attention to independent makers, small studios and local cultural venues.

Jo Lavelle stated:

“I am delighted the time has come to host the very first Manchester Jewellery Week. We have such a talented and diverse jewellery community here and this week gives us an opportunity to celebrate that creativity, connect people and open up the world of jewellery to new audiences.”

Eve Redmond added:

“Inspired by Munich but proudly rooted in Manchester, we hope that this inaugural event will bring together an eclectic mix of jewellers and designer makers and will create new opportunities for graduates, collectors, and audiences to engage with contemporary jewellery.”

Background on the Development

Manchester Jewellery Week emerges from the collaborative efforts of Manchester-based jewellers Jo Lavelle and Eve Redmond, who were inspired by the Munich jewellery week model to create a dedicated festival for their city. They teamed up with fellow jewellers and makers Mark McLeish, Sarah O’Hana, Sadie Blythin and Stacey Hill to develop a programme that reflects both local talent and international contemporary jewellery practices.

The City of Suffragettes exhibition, curated by Joanne Haywood of The Association for Contemporary Jewellery and Eve Redmond, links the festival to Manchester’s historical identity as a centre of the suffragette movement. By pairing this exhibition with a Suffragette Studio Trail and a related show at Divinity Studio, the organisers are integrating the event with the city’s heritage and cultural narratives.

The wider programme draws on a network of venues across Manchester city centre, Salford, Sale and Chorlton, indicating a deliberate strategy to distribute the event geographically and engage multiple communities. This approach aligns with broader trends in UK cultural programming, where city-wide festivals are used to activate underused spaces and support local cultural infrastructure.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Manchester’s Creative Community and Audience

For contemporary jewellers and designer-makers in Manchester, the week offers a high-profile platform to showcase work, engage with visitors and connect with collectors and peers. The Open Weekender, with studios opening their doors, is expected to provide direct access to practitioners and their workspaces, potentially leading to commissions, collaborations and new audiences.

For students and educators in art, design and craft disciplines, the festival is likely to create additional learning opportunities through exhibitions such as Cotton to Graphene at Manchester Metropolitan University and talks and studio trails at Manchester Craft and Design Centre. This aligns with the region’s focus on skills development and supporting emerging talent within the creative industries.

For the wider public, Manchester Jewellery Week broadens access to contemporary jewellery as a living art form, challenging narrow perceptions of jewellery as solely luxury or heritage objects. By inviting people to discover jewellery in galleries, libraries, arts centres and independent studios across multiple towns, the event is expected to build new audiences and increase appreciation for craft and design.

If the week is sustained and expanded in future years, it could become a recurring anchor event for Manchester’s cultural calendar, strengthening the city’s reputation as a national and international hub for contemporary jewellery and contributing to the local economy through visitor numbers, hospitality and cultural attendance.