MELANIE GRANT
Melanie Grant has been a journalist for 25 years having worked at The Times, The FT, The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC and at The Economist where she spent 16 years overseeing luxury content for 1843 Magazine, their lifestyle sister publication. She was Executive Director of the Responsible Jewellery Council from 2023 – 2025 and now advises as Executive Consultant. She has become the authority on jewellery as art and commodity, writing articles and giving talks at institutions including The Science Museum, The V&A, The British Museum, Parsons School of Art and Design, The GIA, New York Jewelry Week, 92nd Street Y, The MFA Boston, Christies, Sotheby’s and Mayfair Art Weekend.
Her first book Coveted on jewellery, art and economics was published by Phaidon in 2020. She wrote the foreword for Winged Beauty published by ACC Art Books in 2021 on pioneering jewellery artist Wallace Chan. She co-authored both 100 Years of Creativity for the centenary of Phaidon in 2023 and in 2025 The Jewelry Book also published by Phaidon which resulted in a worldwide book tour. She also contributed to Brilliance: Jewelry Art and Fashion published by The MFA Boston and wrote Journey of a Jeweler on the life and times of Brazilian jewelry artist Silvia Furmanovich for Rizzoli in 2025.
In 2025 she taught a month-long summer school at Harvard University entitled Metals and Minerals: Introduction to the Art and Science of Jewelry with Dr Raquel Alonso Perez. She writes articles for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Tatler, The New York Times, Town & Country, Wallpaper, The Goldsmith’s Company, Konfekt and Harrods Magazine. Melanie sits on the boards of New York Jewelry Week, The Black in Jewelry Coalition, Responsible Steel and ISEAL, the global membership organisation for credible sustainability standards. The British Society of Magazine Editors gave her an award in July 2021 and in March 2022, she won The Media Excellence category of The Gem Awards voted for by the Jewelers of America.
She made her first piece of jewellery with the Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery in November 2021 as a series of eight cuffs called ‘Self’ and she has started to curate, first for Sotheby’s New York, in conjunction with The Serpentine Galleries, for TEFAF Maastricht and Kensington Palace in their largest exhibition to date Crown to Couture. She is an author, writer, art director and curator focused on her specialist subject – the art and economics of jewellery.
MORE ABOUT ME – TALKS
Good Morning Texas
Presenter Erin Hunter talks to Melanie live on TV in Texas about key passages in The Jewelry Book.
V&A: David and Sybil Yurman
Melanie in conversation with the Yurmans on defining jewellery in America over the last 50 years.
New York Jewelry Week
Melanie in conversation with pearl carver Shinji Nakaba at the Museum of Arts and Design.
V&A: Art Deco
Melanie talks to Guy Burton, Satta Matturi and Ellie Top and the centenary of Art Deco.
92NY
92NY's Senior curator Jonathan Wahl talks to Melanie, Brooklyn Museum curator Matthew Yokobosky and journalist Tanya Dukes about their favourite entries in The Jewelry Book.
The V&A: Daniel Brush
Melanie discusses her new book with artist jeweller Daniel Brush and James Robinson V&A Keeper of sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, glass and jewellery.
Natural Diamond Council
Melanie talks with Katie Fergusson from De Beers, Mosibudi Jo Mathole of Kwame Diamonds, Madeline Fraser from Gemist and jewelry designer Roxanne Rajcoomer-Hadden on Int Women's Day.
The GIA and Harvard University
The Sustainability Minefield - Melanie Grant, Susan Jacques, Dr Raquel Alonso-Perez, Livia Firth MBE and Alexandra Mor.
Diamond Impact Week
Melanie moderates a discussion on re-imagining the engagement ring with Da Beers, 8 jewelry designers and the Government of Botswana.
Natural Diamond Council
Gender Equality in the Mining Industry - Melanie talks with Pat Dambe, Naseem Lahri, Satta Matturi and Noella Coursaris Musunka.
The Economist
Melanie pitched, wrote and researched the script for this short film on Lab-grown diamonds featuring Alisa Moussaieff, Jeremy Scholz and Tiffany & Co.
Positive Luxury
The Power of Speaking Up: Melanie talks with Misan Harriman, Jamia Wilson and Susan McPherson on social impact around the subject of Black Lives Matter movement.
The Goldsmith's Company
Melanie talks to designers Bina Goenka, Nicholas Varney, Hannah Martin and Evelyn Markasy on the subject of 'dangerous jewellery' to close The Goldsmith's Fair.
Sotheby's Talks
Curator Dr Emily Stoehrer in conversation with Melanie, designer Jessica McCormack and Vice Chairman for Jewelry Americas Frank Everett discussing the role women in high jewelry as artists.
Get in Touch: Books
Literary Agent: Chris Wellbelove
Via his assistant Emily Fish: Emily@aitkenalexander.co.uk
Aitken Alexander
291 Gray’s Inn Road
Kings Cross
London WC1X 8QJ
Tel: 0207 373 8672
Art Direction / Styling / Talks
Agent: Susie Babchick
Global Head of Photo & Art
The Ridley Scott Creative Group
42‑44 Beak Street
London W1F 9RH
E: sbabchick@rsafilms.co.uk
Tel: 0207 437 7426
For Everything Else
Trend Reports for luxury, jewellery, watches.
Writing for magazines, newspapers, columns, digital.
Business coaching and strategy.
Events such as talks, after dinner speaking, presenting.
DM Melanie through Instagram: @melaniecgrant