Known for showcasing the best of emerging brands at its annual trade show, the Couture Show has added a new edition this year as it debuts the Luminaries by Couture, a set of six BIPOC designers hand-picked and mentored by the Couture Diversity Action Council.

The Luminaries represent the designers who have undergone the second mentorship program driven by the Couture Diversity Action Council and have received guidance from experts in CAD to seasoned bench jewelers and gemstone aficionados. Through this program, the council furthers its commitment to be a catalyst in addressing the issues of systemic and institutionalized racism that have contributed to a lack of diversity within the fine jewelry industry.

Selected last spring to kick off the program in April 2023, the designers who make up the Luminaries by Couture are Alexia Connellan, Ama McKinley of Ilium Wing, Bliss Lau, Casey Perez, Hiba Husayni of Zahn-Z Fine Jewelry and Sasha Flynn of Adore-Adorn. Collectively, the Luminary designers represent a range of backgrounds and experiences and have designed a diverse set of aesthetics through their collections from price points to approaches and the design process.  

During the program, the Luminaries were given one-on-one mentorship and engaged in biweekly classes led by industry experts on lessons including finance, merchandising and more. At the 2024 Couture Show, each designer from the program will be showcasing jewelry that represents their unique worldview.

“We are thrilled to welcome this collective of creatives to Couture,” said Gannon Brousseau, director of Couture and executive vice president of Emerald. “One of our guiding principles is our commitment to championing and fostering fresh talent, and the work of each of these designers showcases both acumen and an expansive understanding of jewelry as an art form. We are proud they have entrusted the Couture community with sharing a glimpse into the cultural influences and personal journeys that have informed their collections.”

Eric Ford, precious jewelry buyer for Neiman Marcus and leader of Couture’s Diversity Action Council, added, “It has been absolutely delightful to witness the evolution of this group of mentees. While I’m impressed with the wealth of knowledge and talent they already possessed when they joined the program, I am even more impressed with the knowledge they have sought throughout — sometimes knowing what you don’t know is the biggest challenge. It is also heartening to see how close they have grown on a personal level; they truly love one another and extend themselves to support one another’s success. That is a rare thing in this world, and it is beautiful.”

Already, the Luminaries have been given high levels of industry support in different forms. The Platinum Guild International extended its seminal Platinum Spotlight program to the designers and provided those who participated with platinum to create pieces for their debut Couture showcase. De Beers also provided support to the designers through the sponsorship of the salon build where the group will be showcasing their jewelry to “ensure the designs will be on display in an environment befitting the quality and creativity of their work.”

Alexia Connellan

As an immigrant of Jamaican descent Connellan felt compelled to follow a more traditional, “secure” professional trajectory and began her career as a pre-law student at Columbia University in New York City before studying sculpture at the School of Visual Arts. After learning that she had inherited a rare heart disease, however, she decided to follow her passion through a discipline that interested her on a multitude of levels: jewelry design.

At the 2024 Couture Show, Connellan will be showcasing pieces from her core collection, which shows commonality of intention and thoughtfulness through design and fabrication. The pieces show her passion for using gemstones that are sourced ethically and sustainably.

Ama McKinley of Ilium Wing

Ilium Wing features McKinley’s perspective and is a “representation of an exploration of jewelry’s transformational and transcendent capabilities and its profound place in the narrative of cultures throughout history.” McKinley draws inspiration from her childhood and African spiritual traditions.  

At the 2024 Couture Show, McKinley will showcase her waist beads, which tell the story of jewelry’s place in history. All pieces shown will exemplify her brand’s core ethos of Divine Femininity and incorporate elements of humankind’s first jewelry natural bone which has been sustainably and ethically reclaimed from Africa and Southeast Asia.

Bliss Lau

Growing up in Honolulu, Lau has always associated art with fun, learning to see the world through beauty, art and appreciation at a young age.

At the 2024 Couture Show, Lau will debut a collection of work that showcases the dichotomies at play in her life and history and explores the dark, sexy side of New York and the calm serenity of the ocean. The pieces feature the “Stone of Kings,” jade, in three colors — blue green, black jadeite and rare, lavender jadeite.

Casey Perez

A Dallas native and child of an immigrant family, Perez never thought following an art career was possible. It wasn’t until her last year in college that she discovered jewelry design, finding an immediate connection and support. Perez describes her approach to design as “entwined as it is with the physical fabrication of her work, is also philosophical, reflecting her pensive nature and profound appreciation for an artist’s capacity for innovation and expansion.”

At the 2024 Couture Show, Perez will debut an expansion of her Acros collection, inspired by iconic arches and mold geometries found in architecture and art throughout history.

Hiba Husayni of Zahn-Z Fine Jewelry

Growing up in a small town outside of Syria, Husayni describes herself as a troublemaker as a child who had a desire to create and saw the value in creative outlets. Today, she describes her jewelry design as displaying a soft-spoken, quiet demeanor that runs contrary to her fierce determination and inexhaustible spirit.

At the 2024 Couture Show Husayni will present two Zahn-Z Fine Jewelry collections inspired by her Syrian heritage and architecture. While the Sadaf collection is designed to invoke the feeling of viewing the world without being seen, the Zaha collection pays homage to Dame Zaha Hadid.

Sasha Flynn of Adore-Adorn

Of African and Lebanese descent, Flynn grew up in Kansas City, Mo., dreaming of becoming an artist, a writer and a fashion designer to explore her creative voice, the depth of her emotions and perceptions of her surroundings. While she felt like an outcast for many years, Flynn finally felt like she had “found her people” when she attended Parsons School of Design in New York City and after a brief career in fashion discovered that jewelry design was the right tool for her to express herself.

At the 2024 Couture Show, Flynn will showcase pieces from Adore-Adorn’s core collection as well as her debut collection that draws inspiration from ancient traditions of creating jewelry with symbolic meanings. Her jewelry is crafted in 14k gold and gemstones including sapphires, rubies, lapis lazuli, tourmaline and quartz.