What you’ll learn in this episode:   Who jewelry designer Bill Smith was, and why his work and life deserve to be remembered. Why Bill Smith was a trailblazer for Black jewelry designers. How JoAnne tracked down long-forgotten jewelry to create the exhibit “Bill Smith: Madison’s Visionary Jewelry Designer.” Why Bill Smith’s body jewelry was ahead of its time. How jewelry trends trickle down from high jewelry to costume.   About JoAnne Spiller   JoAnne Spiller is the Director of Education at the Jefferson County Historical Society based in Madison, Indiana. She has more than two decades of museum education experience with an emphasis on children’s educational programming. She recently organized the exhibit “Bill Smith: Madison’s Visionary Jewelry Designer,” and is currently conducting research for a book on Bill Smith’s life and career.    Additional Resources: Facebook Instagram Twitter Linkedin   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com   Transcript:   Bill Smith was a trendsetting Black jewelry designer who did everything from Cartier collaborations to costume jewelry. His designs were seen on the likes of Lena Horne and Cicely Tyson. Yet in the 30 years since his death, his impact has been largely forgotten. JoAnne Spinner, Director of Education for the Jefferson County Historical Society, hopes to change that with her recent exhibit, “Bill Smith: Madison’s Visionary Jewelry Designer” and a forthcoming book she is currently researching. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about Bill’s trendsetting designs; how he found his path as a gay Black man from a small town; and why his work is worth collecting. Read the episode transcript here.    Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven’t heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.   Today, we’re talking with JoAnne Spiller, the Director of Education for the Jefferson County Historical Society located in Madison, Indiana. She recently curated an exhibition about Bill Smith who came from Madison, Indiana. Welcome back.    Tell us a little bit more about the body jewelry. You mentioned that and we haven’t really talked about it.   JoAnne: Oh, the body jewelry! He designed clothes made of, say, pearls or metal chain or gold-colored coins, fake coins; halters and skirts and crazy little headpieces, collars. The body jewelry really set him apart. Barbara Walters interviewed him and had a runway show with his body jewelry. I’d love to have a clip of that, at least to look at it and hear Bill’s voice because I don’t know what he sounds like. His body jewelry put him on the scene. It was crazy, and it was meant to be worn over clothing. Some of it was skimpy clothing; it just depended on the runway and where they were having their show. If it was a lady’s luncheon, then they were wearing leggings and turtlenecks underneath, but some of the actual fashion shows were a little more risqué. That was the timeframe. Everything was loosening up as far as dress code, I suppose, but it was out there, and it went crazy.    Richelieu thought it was gimmicky, but Bill pressured them into manufacturing some of them. They were all done by hand and sent to high-end department stores for display to catch your eye when you walked by. Who was really going to wear a garment made of giant pearls? People ate it up. They loved it. Pretty soon, they were having orders that were hard to keep up with, according to Clifton, and all the fashionistas were wearing it. I have an article that states that even brides were excited about wearing his pearl jewelry. I would love to get a hands-on look at someone wearing pearl jewelry for a wedding. That’s got to be out there.   That was his big start, just big, bold, in-your-face, why-would-you-ever-wear-that jewelry. It’s very experimental. Some of the chains were heavy. To wear a halter or a cape or a skirt made of that must have been uncomfortable. Some of his pea