The Team

“I love jewelry because I love seeing how people wear it, learning what it means to them and how that came to be – it’s as much about loving the people behind it all as it is about loving the jewelry itself.”

JB Jones began her career as a Design Director and Fashion Editor in Los Angeles. In 2008, JB switched gears and launched The Site Unscene, a street art gallery and artists’ platform. She curated the first West Coast exhibition of the NYC based graffiti crew TC-5, which included the work of Doze Green and Lady Pink, and was a leader in helping to establish street art as a legitimate force in the LA gallery scene. Upon moving to NYC in 2014, JB returned to fashion in a retail development capacity with a focus on jewelry. She co-curated the first street art x art jewelry exhibition, PLACEMENT, with Bella Neyman. In 2017 the duo launched a digital contemporary jewelry platform of the same name designed to promote the concept of “wearing your art.” Her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, WWD, Juxtapoz, Obey, Work magazine , and more. She resides in Manhattan.

“I love jewelry because of the way that it makes me feel. I want to stand out and be the only person in the room wearing that piece. Because I am not a jeweler myself, I want to be a walking billboard for the talented individuals who have dedicated their lives to making jewelry and therefore enriched my world with beauty and joy, and have given me confidence to be me.”

Bella Neyman is an independent curator and journalist specializing in contemporary jewelry. Since graduating with a Master’s Degree in Decorative Arts and Design History from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum & Parsons, The New School for Design in 2008, she has worked for some of New York City’s leading design galleries. For the last three years, she was the Director of New York’s only contemporary jewelry gallery. In addition to this, in 2014, along with Ruta Reifen, Bella founded Platforma, a contemporary jewelry-focused initiative whose exhibitions have been on view in the U.S. and Europe. Bella’s articles have been published in The New York Times, American Craft, and the magazine Antiques. She is also a frequent contributor Modern magazine and Metalsmith. Bella is on the Board of Art Jewelry Forum. She resides with her family in Brooklyn.

“I love jewelry because it’s art that inspires curiosity and conversation.”

Elliot Carlyle, known as “the brand. the voice.” is a New York City-based fashion & creative consultant, speaker, and coach with over a decade of tenure in the fashion industry. Elliot began his fashion career in production, working for Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week for many years. Since this time, he has seamlessly navigated multiple facets and roles within the fashion industry including public relations, model development, and creative direction. Elliot has worked with notable brands and organizations including Atlanta International Fashion Week, Obvious Magazine, and the Legendary Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight. He received his formal education at The Art Institute of Charleston, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta, earning a BFA in Fashion & Retail Management. Elliot now works in an executive capacity with award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week and international fashion & design consultant, Fern Mallis. Elliot is also the author of The Influence Workbook, a book filled with clarifying keys, liberating exercises, and empowering takeaways that will position you on a trajectory to get to your “next” by moving you beyond the questions and unblocking your personal power. As his career continues to evolve, Elliot is committed to executing his personal mission and brand statement, “building people for global influence.”

Trained as a traditional craft practitioner through the formalist lens of jewelry design, Darby’s speculative jewelry practice critiques notions of value through material explorations and marriages uncommon to the logic of form and permanence of traditional jewelry making. Her work blurs lines between traditional and non traditional materials, combining them in new and playful forms; diamonds and sugar, plastic engagement rings, fake gold, fake gems, fake everything. She critiques the medium through form itself. Darby is an artist, and jewelry is both the medium, and the subject.

Jocelyn DeSisto is a social entrepreneur, technologist, and jeweler based in New York City. DeSisto founded Lot28 in 2018 after graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design.

Raised just off the coast of Maine, she grew up with a deep appreciation for nature; her design fuses her interest in contemporary adornment with her desire to play a proactive role in combating climate change. Working at the intersection of art, science, and technology, DeSisto utilizes three-dimensional printing, vibrant colors, and sterling silver to create forms inspired by the ecosystems of coral reefs. Her jewelry acts as a springboard to discuss our influence and opportunities to enact positive environmental change.

“I love jewelry because each piece has an interesting story to tell. Like books, designers are authors and they narrate their experiences, adventures and journeys through their designs. However, once that piece becomes yours, you can now rewrite the story to fit your journey and experiences. Each of my amethyst rings, gold necklaces, brass bracelets and diamond earrings help to tell my story! They represent me well. I look forward to adding to it.”

For over 10 years, Filecellia A Sampson has been an experienced Communications Professional, and Specialty Retail liaison for both the brand and trade side of the jewelry industry. Driven by her passion for education and community, Sampson takes pride in understanding the importance of inclusion for all deserving a seat at a currently underrepresented table. In her interest to support small business, she works avidly to cultivate profitable and sustainable relationships between retail store owners and fresh talented designers. Whether Sampson is managing brand studio operations, leading sales training seminars or running a tradeshow, she continues to be an effective resource to this industry and beyond.

“I love jewelry because it is an extension of body and soul.”

After graduating from Eugene Lang, the New School for Liberal Arts, Emilija spent two years in Lithuania volunteering for an NGO specializing in tutoring underserved children and taking geopolitical courses at Vilnius University. After returning to the states, she apprenticed as a jewelry photographer and worked as a sales associate at The Hat Shop where she eventually became the shop’s manager, working with the owner in production, design, promotion and sales. Emilija currently works for Alex Sepkus and is in charge of all the studio’s visual needs as well as social media. Her interests are expanding into communications and making her cats Tumblr famous.

“I love jewelry because it offers so many unique ways to express who you are, how you feel, and what you’re thinking. Big bold statement pieces can turn heads and make you wonder, and then there are subtler pieces, sparking conversations that encourage connection.”

KIRU is an author, musician and entrepreneur.

“I love jewelry because it tells a continuing story as it’s inherited and passed down, adding value and sentiment over the years.”

Born in Guatemala City, Andrea Rosales-Balcarcel is an artist and jeweler currently based out of Pennsylvania. With a desire to pursue a career in the arts, Andrea attended Pratt Institute in 2012, for a BFA in Jewelry and a minor in Art History. She had the opportunity to work for David Yurman straight out of school, where she gained additional experience while working as a bench jeweler in their in-house shop, as well as a design assistant under the Head Design for the High, Fine, and BridalJewelry department. During and since her career at David Yurman, Andrea has continued to develop her own personal work as an artist. In the past 5 years, she has had the opportunity to participate in multiple international shows, including LOOT: Mad About Jewelry in New York City, in 2017, Artistar Jewels in Milan, 2018 as well as the 2019 Guan Tong-International Jewelry Art Exhibition in Beijing, China. Her ultimate goal and dream is to turn to education and become a bridge for future students from a similar background to pursue additional goals and dreams in the arts.

“I love jewelry because it incites curiosity and captures the imagination like nothing else.”

Anna Rasche is a gemologist and independent jewelry historian based in New York City. She holds an MA in the History of Design & Curatorial Studies from Cooper Hewitt/Parsons, a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America, and a BA in Archaeology from Boston University. She is also co-founder of the Society for the Advancement of Social Studies, a history lecture series that has been bringing good times and fun facts to museums and bars around the city since 2011.