Manchester Art Gallery Shop will present ‘24 Carat Party People’, a selling exhibition bringing together work by 11 Manchester jewellers from 8 September to 4 October 2026. The exhibition is part of the first Manchester Jewellery Week, scheduled to run across the city from 10 to 16 September.
The project connects contemporary jewellery with Manchester’s music heritage. According to the gallery’s programme, the participating jewellers have developed pieces inspired by the city’s post-punk and Madchester traditions. The exhibition will focus on bold, wearable artworks rather than a historical display of music memorabilia, with the works offered for sale through the gallery shop.
The materials listed for the exhibition span precious metals, gemstones, enamel, glass, vinyl and 3D printing. That range places established jewellery materials alongside industrial, synthetic and digitally enabled processes, while retaining the practical emphasis on objects designed to be worn. The source material does not identify individual works or specify how particular pieces relate to specific musicians, bands or venues.
The exhibitors are Amy Wilkinson, Charlotte Verity, Francesca Lobb, Gemma Scully, Helen Tiffany, Ilona Palarz-McDermott, Jenny Rothwell, Jo Bull, Kylie Yeung, Rebecca Beyond and Stephanie Mann. They are described collectively as Manchester jewellers, and no further biographical information or individual artist statements are provided in the programme.
‘24 Carat Party People’ will be located in the Manchester Art Gallery Shop rather than being identified as a presentation in one of the museum’s numbered galleries. The shop listing gives opening hours of Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5pm, throughout the exhibition period. The run begins two days before Manchester Jewellery Week and overlaps with the week’s full 10–16 September schedule.
The exhibition appears in Manchester Art Gallery’s wider September listings alongside separate exhibitions, talks and activities, including a conversation with Mancunian fashion designer Aitor Throup and an evening programme titled ‘Night At The Gallery’ on 30 September. Those events are not presented as part of ‘24 Carat Party People’. The jewellery exhibition itself remains on view at the Manchester Art Gallery Shop until 4 October 2026.
