It features 63 items created by various designers.

Although many would say this is long overdue, Sotheby’s has officially launched their first exhibition exclusively featuring black jewellery designers on 17 September. The exhibition is currently running a sale, where fashion-lovers can buy the items on display in-person or online. The exhibition aims to elevate 21 black designers to the global fashion stage. The inaugural exhibition features a whopping 63 pieces and it has been dubbed Brilliant & Black: A Jewelry Renaissance.

The 63 pieces on display feature signature items by the designers and also a few custom items that have been created specifically for the event. The items all show off a range of skills and techniques that the designers boast.

The exhibition is the brainchild of black jewellery author, editor and stylist Melanie Grant, who was galvanised by the Black Lives Matter movement to find a way to make a difference in the jewellery world. Grant has worked at The Economist and its sister publication 1843 for 15 years and wrote the coffee-table book Coveted: Art and Innovation in High Jewelry (2020).

Grant said that she wanted to change the traditional approach to the fashion industry, which is often filled with barriers that lead to the sad reality of exclusion. She decided to use her power and influence in the international fashion industry to change the status quo and to connect serious buyers with upcoming black designers. Of course, there is no better way to do this than to host the exhibition at one of the most trusted and established auction houses in the world.

The sale of the jewellery on display is on until 10 October 2021. It is understood that the exhibition will be an annual event going forward.