From hands-on workshops to music-inspired jewellery, this September Manchester gets its very own celebration of adornment. From the 10th to the 19th of September, Manchester will host its first ever Jewellery Week, which celebrates contemporary jewellery, art jewellery and adornment across the city.
The week includes a series of events across the city, including exhibitions, talks and workshops. Its headline event, I Wanna Be Adorned, takes place from the 10th to the 16th of September at Manchester Craft and Design Centre, where a selection of jewellers will showcase pieces inspired by the event’s theme.
’24 Carat Party People’, an event inspired by Manchester’s iconic music scene, and named after the popular Happy Mondays’ tune, features pieces created by members of Manchester Jewellers Network in honour of the musical culture that has shaped our city.
The week also offers a range of workshops, where you can get involved in creating your own jewellery. In collaboration with Manchester School of Jewellery and Wongs Jewellers, attendees can design and style their own pieces to celebrate MJW.
In conversation with one co-founder of Manchester Jewellery Week, Jo Lavelle shared that Manchester’s identity was integral to its creation. ‘I Wanna Be Adorned’ is a play on the Stone Roses track, with Lavelle saying it felt ‘like home, like Manchester’. She and co-founder, Eve Redmond, were inspired by the renowned jewellery week in Munich, and aspired to transform the idea into a celebration of Mancunian culture by celebrating its local jewellers and their art.
Manchester is home to a rich, thriving community of studio jewellers around the city, and Lavelle feels that it is important that we celebrate this industry whilst also inviting jewellery collectives and national and international jewellers to exhibit in the city. Further to this, MJW also collaborates with several local businesses and galleries to help bring this to fruition.
With exhibitions, workshops and events celebrating the city’s creative community, Manchester Jewellery Week is set to put the city’s jewellers firmly in the spotlight.
