This week, Curious Objects podcast host Benjamin Miller speaks with three bigwigs of Gem X, an international club for jewelry aficionados. Gem X founder Lin Jamison, Simon Teakle gallery director Christine Cheng, and returning Curious Objects guest Levi Higgs of David Webb discuss men in brooches, women in cuff links, and the fail-proof “smell test” for detecting real gold. Jamison, Cheng, and Higgs have also brought with them enchanting bijoux from their personal collections: a Van Cleef and Arpels Virgo pendant, Portuguese citrine and pearl brooch, and a pair of Flemish heart pendants.
Van Cleef and Arpels Virgo pendant, 1970s. Photograph courtesy of Levi Higgs.
Lin Jamison is the founder of Gem X, a social club for jewelry enthusiasts with over one thousand members around the world. She is also the owner of Lin Jamison Jewelry, which offers bespoke jewelry consulting and design services to private clients. Lin graduated from Yale with double degrees in literature and economics, and also holds a design degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America.
Levi Higgs is the Head of Archives and Brand Heritage at David Webb, and has been with the brand for over a decade. He is a member of the Gem X Core classification, and holds a masters degree in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from Parsons, the New School, a program taught in conjunction with the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. He often writes and lectures on jewelry and the decorative arts, and his glittering day-to-day can be followed on Instagram @levi_higgs.
Christine Cheng (@christinechengny) is the gallery director of Simon Teakle Fine Jewelry in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a member of the Gem X Core. Christine holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales. She is passionate about antique and vintage jewelry, especially from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
