Keith Lewis was a chemist. Isabelle Busnel was in finance. Katja Toporski was an anesthesiologist. They started their working lives far afield from jewelry before pivoting to become contemporary jewelers. Journalist Jennifer Altmann hosts the conversation.

Isabelle Busnel believes jewelry is the most powerful, yet underrated, means of communicating visually between people. After a 15-year career in finance and banking, Busnel, who was born in France, studied jewelry at the Sir John Cass Department of Art, Media and Design at London Metropolitan University. She is a member of Dialogue Collective, a group of London-based jewelers and silversmiths.

Keith Lewis is a master American jeweler who lives in Washington state. He is a distinguished professor of jewelry/metals/design at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, where he has taught for almost 30 years. Lewis is best known for his brooches and neckpieces exploring gay male sexual identity, and commemorating friends and acquaintances who died of AIDS.

Born in Germany, Katja Toporski is a jewelry maker, professor and writer living outside Washington, D.C. She has taught at Towson University, Penland School of Crafts, the Baltimore Jewelry Center and other schools. Her work, informed by philosophical thinking, juxtaposes archetypal objects and elements to explore the limitations of our understanding of things.

Jennifer Altmann is a journalist who writes about jewelry. Her work has appeared in The New York Times’ Style section, The Washington Post, the Associated Press and many other outlets. Her new series for Art Jewelry Forum, “Inside the Jewelry Box,” offers a peek into the jewelry collections of artists, gallery owners, curators and collectors.

Each November, NYC Jewelry Week proudly presents ‘The Week,’ a 7-day celebration dedicated to the art of jewelry. This annual event invites a global audience to explore the world of jewelry through a dynamic mix of in-person and virtual experiences, spanning New York City and beyond.