About this Event
The Power of Two: Collaboration in Contemporary Jewelry
There’s Simon & Garfunkel. Abbott and Costello. Sonny & Cher. And in contemporary jewelry, there are well-known duos The Pencil Brothers and spouses Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins. Though we picture a jeweler toiling alone at the bench, many team up and produce stunning work.
How do these pairs work together? What makes these collaborations so fertile? The panelists are Robin Kranitzky and Kim Overstreet, known for the tiny theatrical worlds inside their brooches; and Maria Phillips and Seth Papac, who collaborated on a 2025 exhibition at Galerie Noel Guyomarc’h in Montreal. The moderator is journalist Jennifer Altmann.
Contributors:
Robin Kranitzky and Kim Overstreet began making jewelry together in 1985. Known for their intricately detailed, narrative brooches, the pair incorporate a variety of found objects into their work, from toy soldiers to insect parts to bamboo chopsticks. Their brooches have been described as wearable dioramas, which evoke dreamlike worlds full of enticing creatures and bewitching stories. Kranitzky and Overstreet live in Richmond, Virginia. Their work is in many museum collections.
Contemporary jewelry artists Maria Phillips and Seth Papac met 20 years ago as teacher and student. Since then, they have been artist and assistant, then colleagues, and, finally, close friends. In 2025, they collaborated on a project inspired by the complexities of raw minerals, titled “Sedimented Histories,” which was shown at Galerie Noel Guyomarc’h in Montreal.
Maria Phillips is the co-manager of the Artist-in-Residence Program at the Recology King County Center, a recycling center in Seattle. Her work is in the collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and many other museums. Seth Papac is an associate professor in jewelry and metalsmithing at Rhode Island School of Design. Their work is in numerous museum collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Jennifer Altmann is a journalist who writes about contemporary jewelry. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and many other outlets. In 2025, Art Jewelry Forum named her one of four women “with their ring finger on the pulse of the art jewelry scene.” Her forthcoming book, Rejeweled: Ordinary Objects Become Extraordinary Adornments, will be published in 2029 by Arnoldsche Art Publishers. Follow her on Instagram at @jenniferaltmann, where she chronicles the world of contemporary jewelry.
NYCJW26: November 16–22, 2026
Each November, NYC Jewelry Week presents The Week, a seven-day celebration of jewelry and the people, ideas, and craftsmanship behind it. NYCJW26 brings together a global audience for a dynamic mix of in-person and virtual experiences across New York City and beyond.
Explore the full , featuring exhibitions, shopping experiences, retail collaborations, talks, panels, workshops, demonstrations, tours, and more. Virtual programs will be streamed on YouTube, while in-person events offer opportunities to engage directly with artists, designers, curators, collectors, and other members of the jewelry community.
With many programs free and open to the public, NYC Jewelry Week invites everyone—from longtime jewelry enthusiasts to those just beginning to explore the field—to discover the artistry, ideas, histories, and craftsmanship that make jewelry so compelling.
Join us for NYCJW26, November 16–22, 2026.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Jewelry Library @ Maison 10, 4 W 29th St, New York, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.