Sharon Berman – Artwork Jewellery Discussion board

It’s with nice disappointment—and pleasure—that we at AJF fondly keep in mind our pal, AJF member and passionate jewellery collector Sharon Berman. Sharon handed away lately, on August 16, 2024, after an extended and hard-fought battle with most cancers. I can safely say that for everybody who knew Sharon she was an inspiration, together with her dogged willpower, indomitable spirit, and love of life … and jewellery. Fierce and fearless, she was not going to be outlined by her sickness, nor would she let it get in her means.

I first met Sharon on an AJF journey to Munich Jewellery Week in 2017, my first AJF journey as a comparatively new board member. I used to be so struck by this larger-than-life lady who wore daring and distinctive jewellery, colourful clothes, and large, enjoyable glasses—her trademark glasses! As I received to know her, I discovered that she owned a public relations and advertising and marketing agency in Los Angeles, was a member of a number of jewellery organizations, and was a passionate collector, educator, and traveler. She traveled the world looking for jewellery—every kind of bijou, from classic to costume to artwork jewellery.

Sharon joined AJF in 2010 and was a board member from 2015–2020. She supported the group in some ways through the years and was a staunch traveler on all of AJF’s journeys. As her husband, Dr. Jonathan Kramer, shares under, he was typically an AJF widower! For Sharon, AJF was a house, not a spot to go, however a house. 

Lately, Sharon channeled her jewellery power into creating and internet hosting the Jewellery Journey podcast, which lots of you might be most likely aware of. Ever curious and all the time studying, she talked to makers, writers, curators, designers, gallerists, educators, and collectors over 229 episodes to raise jewellery past the standard and mundane, and to advance the dialog of bijou as artwork with tales to inform and that means past the apparent. The ultimate episode, to be launched quickly, will discover Sharon’s personal jewellery journey. And so it comes full circle.

We AJF vacationers have simply returned from an AJF journey to Amsterdam, our first with out Sharon. We missed her spirit, power, and fervour, and we raised many a glass in reminiscence of this intrepid jewellery warrior. As a fellow traveler described her, she was a real jewel embodied in delight; a pressure of nature. We are going to miss her.

—AJF Board Chair Bonnie Levine

I’m Mr. Sharon Berman. I’m an AJF widower.

I used to be Sharon Pleasure Berman’s husband for over 32 years till her passing final month. For almost half of these 32 years, I used to be an AJF widower. The precise date it occurred was Might 1, 2010: the day Sharon joined AJF.

At the same time as an AJF widower I all the time relished the pleasure and satisfaction Sharon inhaled from her participation in AJF. That stated, your journeys to go to makers … and galleries … and museums … and locations around the globe took Sharon away from me for weeks yearly. Even once we did journey collectively, which we did till simply six months in the past, Sharon all the time … all the time … all the time managed to pre-schedule visits to native makers and outlets.

Enable me to share a little bit of Sharon’s private arts and jewellery journey with you.

Sharon was recognized with breast most cancers in 2016. After remedy, Sharon misplaced her hair, however not her will to journey with AJF and to serve AJF in numerous methods. Her breast most cancers was only a small lump alongside her jewellery journey.

Aleah, my youngest from a earlier marriage, grew to be Sharon’s daughter. She additionally grew to be Sharon’s touring companion on AJF jaunts around the globe. I do know from Sharon and Aleah how so lots of you took Aleah into your hearts and underneath your wings. You helped carry out and polish the aspects of Aleah’s artwork life, and I’m profoundly grateful for what she’s discovered out of your tutelage, your steerage, and your prolonged parentage of our daughter.

In 2018/2019, Sharon created “The Jewellery Journey” podcast. It was a direct outgrowth of her travels with AJF. She met such fascinating arts and jewellery individuals by way of AJF that she had to determine a solution to keep in touch with them. From that sprung the podcast. Sharon’s podcast was a ardour challenge for her … one through which she absorbed all the manufacturing and distribution prices and by no means sought nor obtained compensation from any maker or any listener. Sharon significantly loved interviewing makers who had not but gained a excessive degree of visibility, and generally did so greater than as soon as.

Alas, in 2019, Sharon’s most cancers returned. She misplaced her hair, once more, and when it grew again she started what we known as her “purple period.” (I hated her purple hair, however maybe that’s one cause she liked it so.)

Sharon’s well-known response to setbacks was “Shit! Shit! SHIT! Shit! SHIT!,” after which she resumed life like nothing had occurred. Once more, Sharon’s will and her aim to journey with and serve her AJF household remained as firmly entrenched in her as her want to stay life and discover.

Sharon continued her AJF journeys, now together with her occupational therapist, Jules, who took over Aleah’s position as Sharon’s AJF companion.

Some 4 months in the past, Sharon developed respiration issues. After I lastly satisfied her to let me take her into the ER, we had been devastated to study that the most cancers had regained legion pressure. By all of her remedies, Sharon totally meant to journey with AJF to Amsterdam in September. And she or he completely refused to permit me to cancel our long-planned journey to London and Paris this November. She was certain she’d be again on top of things by then.

However Sharon was rushing in a really completely different path. Her journey reached its finish on August 16, 2024, at 11:21 a.m. At that second, I used to be holding Sharon’s left hand, and her sister held her proper hand. Aleah and her husband, together with Jules, had been additionally holding Sharon at that second. She died the way in which she preferred to stay her life: surrounded by those that liked her, and whom she liked.

I’ll take the journey to London and Paris in two months in honor of Sharon, however not in her reminiscence. This shall be a bookend journey for me, for we spent our honeymoon in Paris greater than three a long time in the past.

I liked Sharon’s eyes and coronary heart for artwork jewellery, and I liked Sharon’s coronary heart maintaining her eyes on AJF and her pals in AJF. She even often claimed to have eyes and coronary heart for me; I actually did for her.

I like that the final episode of her ardour challenge, The Jewellery Journey Podcast, shall be one recorded just a few months in the past. For it, Aleah interviewed Sharon about Sharon’s personal Jewellery Journey. Now, Aleah’s within the technique of re-editing and increasing that last episode with some commentary I’ll present, and with further ideas from some individuals you’ll most likely acknowledge when it goes up on-line in just a few weeks. I’m dedicated to maintaining the episodes on-line for the foreseeable (and unforeseeable) future as a tribute to Sharon and the makers and others so expensive to her.

I’ll finish by telling you that Sharon used to say that the one means she stayed married to me was that I nonetheless made her snort. I used to say that she didn’t actually need a husband; she simply wanted tech help. Neither are actually full nor fully true statements, however relatively the banter of an interwoven outdated couple who made their means collectively alongside the identical path for many years and located their peace alongside the way in which.

I’m honored that you just allowed Sharon to cross by way of your lives through AJF. You’ll honor Sharon by persevering with your individual arts and jewellery journey by way of AJF. Who is aware of, possibly I’ll even be a part of you on a visit.

—Dr. Jonathan Kramer, a.ok.a. Mr. Sharon Berman
Santa Monica, CA
September 5, 2024

We welcome your feedback on our publishing, and can publish letters that have interaction with our articles in a considerate and well mannered method. Please submit letters to the editor electronically; achieve this right here. 

© 2024 Artwork Jewellery Discussion board. All rights reserved. Content material will not be reproduced in entire or partially with out permission. For reprint permission, contact information (at) artjewelryforum (dot) org