‘Jewelry in America’ Conference Pushed to September

New York—The Association of Jewelry and Related Arts is postponing its annual conference until the fall due to the continuing spread of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization has officially declared to be a pandemic.

In an email to National Jeweler, event co-director Elyse Zorn Karlin said they’ve never had to postpone an ASJRA event before and it was a difficult decision to make but organizers felt they had too many attendees who are in the high-risk group for coronavirus. 

“We could not in good conscience be responsible for a gathering that might help expose people to the virus, despite the financial losses we will suffer,” she wrote.

The conference, originally slated for April 4, will now take place Saturday, Sept. 12. A lineup of the speakers can be seen in National Jeweler’s conference preview.

The pre-conference Study Day will be Friday, Sept. 11.

Karlin said though the full agenda for the Study Day hasn’t been determined, it will still include a curator’s tour of the jewelry at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The cost to attend is $350, and the Study Day, which is limited to 25 attendees, is $350 as well. She said those interested in attending in September can reserve a spot now at no charge, as conference organizers won’t be asking for a payment or deposit until sometime this summer.

For more information, email Karlin at ekarlin@usa.net.