HERE WE ARE Award Winners
NYC Jewelry Week is delighted to announce the 2025 recipients of the HERE WE ARE (HWA) Awards, honoring innovative and impactful talent within the jewelry industry. This year, NYC Jewelry Week proudly presents the Exhibition Award, sponsored by David Yurman, and the Emerging Entrepreneur Awards, generously supported by Halstead.
Exhibition Award Winner
The 2025 HWA Exhibition Award, sponsored by David Yurman, celebrates Chicago-based jeweler Alicia Goodwin, founder of Lingua Nigra Jewelry.
Her exhibition, The ReOrder, presents an abridged survey of over twenty years of Goodwin’s work, showcasing the evolution of her sculptural jewelry through archival works, photographs, and sources of inspiration.
Drawing on her background in Cultural Anthropology and Jewelry Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Goodwin blends ancient techniques like reticulation and acid etching with contemporary forms. Influenced by ceremonial jewelry from the Mesoamericas and the African diaspora, her work reflects a deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship.
The ReOrder invites viewers to experience the past, present, and future of Lingua Nigra, honoring Alicia Goodwin’s contribution to contemporary jewelry design.
Emerging Entrepreneur Award Winners
The 2025 HWA Emerging Entrepreneur Awards, sponsored by Halstead, recognize two inspiring jewelry entrepreneurs:
- Shoma Nath of Nath Jewelry (New York): Shoma Nath is the founder and designer behind Nath Jewelry, a South Asian–inspired brand that bridges heritage and modernity through meaningful design. Drawing from her Bangladeshi roots and Queens, New York upbringing, Shoma creates pieces that celebrate cultural identity and self-expression. Her work honors traditional South Asian craftsmanship while reimagining it for a new generation. When she’s not designing, Shoma balances her day job in tech and her studies as an MBA student, using her multidisciplinary background to shape a more inclusive and innovative jewelry industry.
- Naomi Johnson of Metal Petal Jewelry (USA): Naomi Johnson (they/she) is an artist and researcher based in Chicago, IL. They began metalsmithing in 2021, developing their skills in a local studio. Naomi started their handmade, small-batch jewelry business, Metal Petal Jewelry, in February 2023. Through it, they design and sell ready-to-wear and custom pieces. Naomi’s work has been exhibited nationally, and their practice includes both wearable pieces and sculptural objects. In addition to their creative practice, they co-lead Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and are deeply invested in reducing the harms of the legal system.
About HERE WE ARE
HERE WE ARE is a strategic initiative designed to address widespread inequity and a lack of representation in the jewelry industry through action and impact. Launched in 2019, the HERE WE ARE program highlights creators and builds industry awareness around issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, representation, and allyship. Introduced in 2020, the HERE WE ARE Funding Awards spotlight exceptional talent. Every year, one individual receives a financial grant to execute an exhibition at NYC Jewelry Week. Once restricted to members of the HERE WE ARE cohort and alumni, applications are now open to the wider community.
NYC Jewelry Week congratulates the 2025 HWA Award winners and is honored to showcase these trailblazing voices at this year’s NYCJW25. Join us in celebrating their creativity, resilience, and dedication to diversity in the jewelry world!