
Current Jewellery Exhibitions
This list of current and forthcoming jewellery exhibitions is provided as a service to our members. We have no means of checking the accuracy of the information, and cannot take responsibility for any mistakes. Please check in advance before visiting an exhibition to avoid disappointment.
Please tell us here if there are any other jewellery exhibitions which we should add to this list, or if anything needs correcting. You can see lists of past exhibitions here.
UK
Derby
My Adornment is My Power
nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/peak-district-derbyshire/kedleston-hall
This exhibition explores themes of power and female adornment. This includes a display of South Asian jewellery from the Kedleston collection, with pieces selected by Anisha Parmar and shown alongside some of her own work (in Caesar's Hall on the ground floor.)
There is also a specially commissioned film featuring dancer and choreographer, Kesha Raithatha inspired by elements of Solah Shringar - the South Asian ritual of proudly adorning the body with jewellery. This video is a contemporary take on the power of female adornment and was made in collaboration with Grewal Twins (who provided the music and spoken word) and was filmed by Ofilaye (shown in the Billiard room on the ground floor.)
Photographs of the dancer wearing items from the artist’s collection and three pieces of jewellery from the Kedleston collection are in the Saloon on the first floor.
28/05/2023 - 31/10/2023
Kedleston Hall
Kedleston Road, near Quarndon, Derby, Derbyshire, DE22 5JH
Daily: 10am–7pm
Adults £15
Edinburgh
Beyond the Little Black Dress
nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/exhibitions
In 1926 Coco Chanel designed a simple, short black dress. Considered radically modern, it disregarded convention in its design and shade and was hailed by US Vogue as “the frock that all the world will wear.” The little black dress became a wardrobe staple and a blank canvas for future generations to reflect broader political and cultural shifts, challenge social norms around race, gender and sexuality and reflect evolving ideals of beauty and identity.
To accompany the dresses there is an assortment of mostly costume jewellery, a term referring to inexpensive designs made of common metals and stones or imitation gems, created for fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Balmain, Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli.
The show charts the fashion world’s embrace of costume jewellery from the late 1920s to today, and offers insights into jewellery makers’ view of the little black dress as a stylish backdrop for their often-whimsical creations.
1/07/2023 - 29/10/2023
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Daily: 10am–7pm
Admission FREE
London
Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians
Ending soon
rct.uk/whatson/event/1077944/Style-&-Society:-Dressing-the-GeorgiansThis exciting exhibition from the Royal Collection explores what the Georgians wore, from the practical dress of laundry maids to the glittering gowns worn at court.
Discover what fashion can tell us about life in the 18th century, a revolutionary period when trade, travel and technological innovations fuelled fashion trends across all levels of society. Delve into the Georgians’ style story and get up close to magnificent paintings, prints and drawings by artists including Gainsborough, Zoffany and Hogarth, as well as luxurious textiles, sparkling jewellery, and a range of accessories from snuff boxes to swords.
21/04/2023 - 8/10/2023
The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Adult £17.00, Young Person (18-24) £11.00, Child (5-17) £9.00, Disabled £9.00
London
Treasures of Gold & Silver Wire, An exhibition to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of The Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers
gswd.co.uk/400th-anniversaryThis exhibition will display over 200 rare and beautiful items, dating from the 15th to 21st century, made of gold and silver wire sourced from Royalty, the Arts, Military, Ecclesiastical, and Civil sources, including gold embroidered royal regalia, such as Queen Mary's coronation robe from 1911, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation glove, and a fragment of the only surviving dress worn by Queen Elizabeth I. The exhibition goes beyond regal treasures and unveils gold-braided military uniforms, magnificent ecclesiastical vestments, and civic ceremonial robes, many of which were worn during the coronation of King Charles III, as well as the court suit worn by Charles Dickens, costumes worn by stars such as Helen Mirren, David Tennant, and the late Glenda Jackson, and the wedding garments worn by Clare Foy and Matt Smith as Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Netflix's ‘The Crown’. Many of these objects have never been seen before in public. It will also feature items of jewellery and embroidery which have been made by the Freemen of the Company, as well as the Royal School of Needlework and the Glasgow School of Art. It is also planned to have a special demonstration of the art of wire drawing.
For details of a special tour for SJH members, see JHT 48
30/09/2023 - 12/11/2023
Guildhall Art Gallery
Basinghall Street, City of London EC2V 5AE
Daily 10.30am - 4pm
Adults £10, Concessions £7
Oxford
Colour Revolution. Victorian Art, Fashion & Design
ashmolean.org/exhibition/colour-revolution
Rediscover Victorian society as a vibrant colour-filled era – from dazzling dyes used in chic corsets, bold experiments by avant-garde painters, and the flamboyant use of nature's beauty in jewellery.
As Britain’s industrial revolution gained pace, new scientific breakthroughs allowed the Victorians to become increasingly revolutionary in their use of colour, with new hues greeted with both excitement and suspicion.
The exhibition will include fashion pieces – from Queen Victoria’s monotone mourning dress to the most daringly vivid clothing and accessories – and works by artists including Ruskin, Rossetti and Whistler, as well as objects from around the world. Our next major exhibition explores the vital role that colour has played in shaping our art and culture.
21/09/2023 - 18/02/2024
Ashmolean Museum,
Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH
Daily, 10am – 5pm
Admission to museum is free - Charges for exhibitions
Sheffield
Hair: Untold Stories
sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/hair-untold-stories
There’s more to hair than washing, combing and cutting. It’s an extraordinary, renewable fibre with a range of unexpected possibilities. This new exhibition puts the substance before the style and unfurls the untold stories of hair.
From jewellery and dresses to armour and environmental protection, the exhibition highlights the remarkable qualities of hair as a material. It also explores our complex relationship with hair both on, and off, our heads – how and why we care so much about our ‘crowning glory’, and how hair is entangled with society’s expectations and our relationships to others.
Objects on display include a dress and shoes made of human hair by artist Jenni Dutton, clothing and jewellery made from hair by Naga people in India, and historic and contemporary hair jewellery made by Swedish women.
The exhibition weaves in the work of artists, film makers and designers with a wide range of objects and archive material reflecting our connection with our hair. Together, they tell personal, powerful and surprising stories, spanning Sheffield hair salons to the global hair trade.
10/02/2023 - 29/10/2023
Weston Park Museum
Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TP
Tuesday to Saturday 10am–4pm, Sunday 11am–4pm
Admission free - donations welcome!
Woodbridge
Rendlesham Revealed: The Heart of a Kingdom, AD 400-800
nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/sutton-hoo/events
This new exhibition shares the story of an Anglo-Saxon royal settlement in Suffolk, the largest and wealthiest of its time known in England. It will take visitors on a 400-year journey, revealing how the settlement at Rendlesham developed, before moving on to celebrate contributions from today’s local community. Objects on display will include gold and garnet dress accessories and weaponry fittings, gold, silver and copper-alloy coinage, and objects representing the ordinary population of farmers and craftworkers, including belt buckles, pins and weaving items. These 1,400-year-old artefacts, many never before seen by the public, help tell the story of Rendlesham’s royal connections and its international importance.
Suffolk County Council’s Archaeological Service is curating the exhibition, to celebrate “Rendlesham Revealed”, a community archaeology project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Two years of excavations at sites in the Deben valley have now been completed, with the final season running this autumn.
23/03/2023 - 29/10/2023
Tranmer House,
Sutton Hoo, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 3DJ
Daily 10:30 - 17:00
Included in Sutton Hoo admission, Adults £15, Children £7.50
EUROPE EX-UK
BELGIUM
Antwerp
The Jewellery Procession, a mini expo
divaantwerp.be/en/whatson/activities
One hundred years ago, the Jewellery Procession ("De Juweelenstoet") took place in Antwerp. The procession was organised by the diamond sector itself to emphasise Antwerp's important role as the diamond capital of the world. It was a great spectacle with 15 floats, 2000 extras, a lot of exotic animals and a wealth of expensive jewellery. More than 1 million people travelled to the city to watch the procession. Even the royal family came to watch.
Using (large) images of floats, videos of the crowds on the Grote Markt, original programme and commemorative booklets, and newspaper articles, you will discover why this procession is unforgettable in Antwerp's history. And you will also find out what bloopers happened back then.
3/08/2023 - 26/11/2023
DIVA museum
Suikerrui 17-19, 2000 Antwerp
Thursday - Tuesday 10.00 - 18.00
Adults €12, 18-26 years €8
Brussels
Art nouveau. Unique objects with a tale to tell
belvue.be/en/expo/art-nouveau
Discover the art nouveau masterpieces from the King Baudouin Foundation’s collection and the interesting stories and anecdotes behind each of the objects.
Thanks to the generosity of its patrons, the Foundation has been able to acquire work by Victor Horta, Philippe Wolfers and Henry Van de Velde. The wide variety of unique pieces – from art jewellery to furniture and book covers – are all part of different public collections, but will now be showcased in one and the same exhibition at the BELvue museum.
7/06/2023 - 7/01/2024
BELvue Museum
Place des Palais, 7, 1000 Brussels
Daily 11:00 - 19:00
Adults €10, Seniors €8, Other concessions €5
CZECHIA
Rakovník
Záhada zlatých šperků
The Mystery of Golden Jewels: Unique finds of royal jewels from the migration period of peoples from Central Bohemia
Extended to June 2024
muzeumtgm.cz/kulturni-program/vystavy/zahada-zlatych-sperkuWhat does a golden treasure from the dark dawn of history look like? What did the rulers of that time adorn themselves with, what demonstrated their power and wealth? And what was the level of the craft workshops at that time? The answer will be provided by this completely extraordinary exhibition, which is the culmination of an almost two-year investigation of the treasure of gold jewellery found in 2020 near Rakovník, which brought together an unusual number of top scientific institutions and laboratories from the Czech Republic and abroad. The set of gold ornaments from Rakovník consists of several artefacts of exceptional value. The ring and massive belt buckle, made of almost pure gold and decorated with precious stones, come from the second half of the 5th century, i.e. from the turbulent period at the end of Late Antiquity, known in our environment as the Migration Period. Unknown to us at that time, tribal rulers procured such expensive and luxurious emblems of their status in the imperial workshops to demonstrate their power. The jewels on display are decorated with almandine garnets, antique glass, and above all Czech garnets, assembled using the technically demanding compartmental technique known as cloisonné. And in the case of a belt buckle, it is one of the oldest uses of Czech garnet in jewellery! The value of the discovery is not diminished by the fact that the ostentatious objects - a belt buckle and a ring - were most likely part of hidden loot, perhaps stolen from a grave? This is evidenced primarily by the belt buckle, which was brutally broken into 3 pieces during the division of the loot, regardless of the aesthetically very impressive motif of birds of prey. Together with the nearby, slightly later, discovery (2021) of a massive gilded silver pendant from the end of the 6th century, part of a horse halter with the motif of human masks, these documents of the material culture of the then highest aristocracy are completely unique not only in Central Bohemia, but in the entire wider European area. The comparison with the royal jewels of the time is therefore appropriate, although the mystery of who the ornaments belonged to remains unanswered…..
28/06/2022 - 28/06/2024
Muzeum T. G. M. Rakovník
Žižkovo nám. 1, 269 01 Rakovník
Tuesday – Sunday: 9.00 - 17.00, July, August, Tuesday – Sunday: 9.00 - 18.00
Adults CZK 50, Children under 15 years CZK 30, Seniors CZK 30
FRANCE
Cagnes-sur-Mer
ADN – Une chaîne de créateurs
DNA: A Chain of Creators
vma.asso.fr/exposition-adn-une-chaine-de-createurs
The Musée du Bijou contemporain, which in 2019 received a major donation of 167 pieces from the "Alliages" association of designers, has once again invited its members to exhibit within its walls! 53 artists, both beginners and experienced, worked on the particularly fertile theme of DNA.
DNA refers to an individual's artistic imprint, but also, for this exhibition, to the group's identity: the Alliages association has made a point of bringing together artists from all backgrounds for many years.
A second exhibition, entitled 'Drag & Drop', has also been included in the show. It showcases the work of Juan Riusech, Sébastien Carré and Isabelle Busnel. Each artist has created a piece of jewellery, which is then copied by the other two (a first copy of the visual, a second copy of the concept).
10/06/2023 - 5/11/2023
Musée du Bijou contemporain – Espace Solidor
Place du Château 06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer
June - September: Wednesday - Monday, 14.00-18.00; October - November: Wednesday - Sunday, 14.00-17.00
Admission free, but advance reservation required
Paris
A New Art. Metamorphoses of Jewelry, 1880 – 1914
Ending soon
lecolevancleefarpels.com/fr/en/exhibition From the 1880s onwards, aesthetics underwent a profound change. A radical renaissance of the imaginary, enriched by an extraordinary dissemination of scientific knowledge, enhanced creative potential in all spheres of art. At the end of the century in France, this movement converged towards Art Nouveau in a creative spirit that enlivened the work of the workshops.
Far from being simply the reflection of a history of forms written elsewhere, jewellery was fully engaged in a fascination with nature and its phenomena. Free from practical considerations, the only constraint being that associated with working with metals and stones, precious objects lent themselves admirably to all sorts of experiments, allowing the most varied combinations and the most evocative fantasies. Artists such as René Lalique, Georges Fouquet, Élisabeth Bonté, Victor Prouvé, Jean Dampt, Jules Desbois, Edward Colonna and Eugène Grasset then took possession of an art form for which the primary source of invention was its materials.
From a technical point of view, it is mainly characterised by its subtle combination of stones, metals and materials of different value, based on a conviction that the beauty of a piece of jewellery lies in its artistic design rather than the cost of its components. The latter, ductile, colourful and shimmering, form feminine silhouettes, foliage and flowers, insects and enchanting arabesques. Brooches, combs, pendants and rings borrow the flowing curves of the natural world, in a bewildering diversity of themes often viewed through the prism of dreamlike fantasy.
Although, in the early 1910s, artists opt for an esthetics more inspired by geometry, Art Nouveau ultimately developed a rich legacy: its decompartmentalisation of the arts, contact with the sciences, and assimilation of a living visual culture would ultimately modernise the art of jewellery.
2/06/2023 - 30/09/2023
L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
31 rue Danielle Casanova, 75001 Paris
Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Admission free, but advance reservation required
Paris
#Tarot
la-joaillerie-par-mazlo
Combining contemporary jewellery and drawings, this is an interdisciplinary exhibition articulatd around a Tarot specially designed by Robert Mazlo to bring to light the hidden geometry of the image.
9/09/2023 - 31/12/2023
La Joaillerie par Mazlo
31 Rue Guénégaud, 75006 Paris
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, 2pm to 7pm, Wednesday, Thursday by appointment
Paris
Des cheveux et des poils
Hair
Ending soon
madparis.fr/cheveuxetpoilsThrough more than 600 works, from the 15th century to the present day, this exhibition explores the themes inherent in the history of hairdressing, as well as issues related to facial and body hair. The trades and skills of yesterday and today are highlighted with their emblematic figures: Léonard Autier (Marie-Antoinette's favourite hairdresser), Monsieur Antoine, the Carita sisters, Alexandre de Paris and, more recently, the studio hairdressers. Great names of contemporary fashion such as Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela or Josephus Thimister are present with their spectacular creations made from the singular material that is hair.
5/04/2023 - 17/09/2023
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107, rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm
Adults €14
Paris
Trésors médiévaux du Victoria and Albert Museum : quand les Anglais parlaient français
Medieval Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum: When the English spoke French
thealthanicollection.com/exhibitions
The exhibition presents more than 70 singular masterpieces of medieval art together in Paris for the first time, highlighting the complex and interdependent relationship of England and Continental Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s renowned collection of medieval art – one of the most comprehensive in the world – the exhibition includes extraordinary survivals from the period made in England, France, Italy and beyond, and illustrates the rich artistic culture that flourished in what was a truly international age. Comprising sculpture, textiles, ceramics, ivories, manuscript illumination, metalwork, jewellery, and enamelled and stained glass, the exhibition includes many of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s most remarkable works of art including the Gloucester Candlestick, the Becket Casket, the Clare Chasuble and the Luck of Edenhall.
30/06/2023 - 22/10/2023
Hôtel de la Marine,
2, Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris
Daily 10.30 AM - 7.00 PM, Thursday 10.30 AM - 9.30 PM
GERMANY
Hanau
Wahre Schätze – die Sammlung des Goldschmiedehauses
True treasures - the collection of the Goldsmiths' House
goldschmiedehaus.com/de/wahre-schaetze-die-sammlung-des-goldschmiedehauses
50 years ago, the Goldsmith's House began continuously to build up its own collection of jewellery and utensils post-1945. The collection is systematically expanded through targeted purchases from the exhibitions shown in Hanau, as well as generous donations from artists and other people. The most extensive donations include the oeuvre of the Salem master goldsmith Ebbe Weiss-Weingart and the collection of student work by the former teacher at the State Drawing Academy, Eberhard Burgel. Some pieces of jewellery from the collection of the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst, which were donated by members, complement the presentation. As a "personal choice" of the manager of the Goldschmiedehaus, Dr. Christianne Weber-Stöber, a cross-section of the museum's diverse collection presents itself as a statement for contemporary jewellery and contemporary equipment. The city goldsmiths of Hanau have their say, honorary ring bearers, winners of the Friedrich Becker Prize Düsseldorf and participants of the Silver Triennale International are represented, as well as jewelery designers who have been presented in retrospectives in the Goldschmiedehaus over the past three decades. The world-renowned artists represent the broad spectrum of avant-garde jewellery in Europe after 1945. The following artists are represented with their works in the exhibition: Peter Bauhuis Isolde Baumhackl-Oswald Friedrich Becker Rudolf Bott Bussi Buhs Anton Cepka Peter Chang Carl Dau Martina Dempf Georg Dobler Sam Tho Duong Uta Feiler Dorothea Förster Helen Friesacher Max Fröhlich Bernhard Früh Batho Gündra Hagen Hilderhof Mir jam Hiller Yasuki Hiramatsu David Huycke Margit Jäschke Svenja John Jiro Kamata Ulla + Martin Kaufmann Sylke A. Klopsch Firm Kreuter Daniel Kruger Jens-Rüdiger Lorenzen Bruno Martinazzi Gerda and Wilfried Moll Ossi Oswald Karlheinz Pfannenschmidt Annelies Planteijdt Tabea Reulecke Gerd Rothmann Vera Siemund Conrad Supports Silke Trekel Hartwig Ullrich David Watkins Silvia Weidenbach Ebbe Weiss-Weingart Annamaria Zanella Alberto Zorzi
22/06/2023 - 25/02/2024
Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus
Altstädter Markt 6, 63450 Hanau
Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 - 17:00
Iphofen
Glanz und Geheimnis. Pracht und Macht des orientalischen Schmucks
Shine & Mystery: The Splendour and Power of Oriental Jewellery
knauf-museum.de/sonderausstellung/glanz
Just thinking about jewellery from the Orient makes you feel like you've been transported to a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights. Oriental jewellery conceals beauty, wealth but also power. In addition, this jewellery is attributed a magical function in traditional societies. It was worn to protect against harm and to obtain blessings. The materials of which the various jewellery objects are made are very different. Jewellery makers used materials such as gold, silver (also as coins), coral, beautiful stones, pearls, amber and faience. The classic, beautiful jewellery is primarily made of silver. Women received it as a wedding gift and often as a dowry from their own family. This jewellery was considered the personal property of the wearer and was, so to speak, also a kind of social security. Oriental jewellery was handed down from generation to generation. When a piece was very worn, the silver was melted down and recreated in the same way. In this way, the memories of millennia were preserved in this jewellery.
For the first time, the Knauf Museum Iphofen is showing Oriental jewellery from Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the Levant from Peter Hösli's magnificent collection. These include: necklaces, bracelets and chokers, rings, belts, pendants, jewellery-adorned dresses, headdresses and magnificent face veils, etc. Together with textiles from the Widad Kawar collection, visitors can look forward to a unique special exhibition that bears witness to the splendid diversity and beauty of oriental arts and crafts.
26/03/2023 - 5/11/2023
Knauf-Museum Iphofen
Am Marktplatz, 97343 Iphofen
Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 17.00, Sunday 11:00 – 17.00
Adults €5, Children €3
Pforzheim
Perfection and passion. 130 years of the Wellendorff Manufacture
Ending soon
schmuckmuseum.de/enThe art of jewellery making, whose lines of tradition in technology and design reach back to antiquity, interpreted in a modern way and refined further - this is what the jewellery manufacturer Wellendorff stands for. In 2023, the family business will celebrate its 130th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Pforzheim’s Jewellery Museum is looking back at the individual decades since 1893. For each decade, a precious object from the Wellendorff company that exemplifies its time will be on display. As interventions woven into the historical collection, visitors can trace the history of the manufactory during their tour.
11/03/2023 - 1/10/2023
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €6, Concessions €3.50
Pforzheim
Auf Abwegen – Gerät + Schmuck am Rande der Vernunft in der zeitgenössischen Gold- und Silberschmiedekunst
Gone Astray – Jewellery and utensils on the fringe of reason in contemporary gold- and silversmithing
schmuckmuseum.de/en/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions
Where does usefulness end, and where does experimenting far beyond functionality begin? After all, it’s no longer new that some contemporary gold- and silversmiths question the classical canon of their respective genre, as well as their historical roots and traditions, and create wildly unusual things that violate taboos of their trade and bear witness to disobedience and to breaking rules. They unhinge golden rules and challenge or satirise aesthetic norms, transmuting jewellery, utensils and other objects into paraphrases of their craft. The show will be spotlighting jewellery, utensils and other objects that question conventional perspectives. The featured artists will include, among others, Karen Pontoppidan and David Clarke, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Betrice Brovia and Nicolas Cheng.
6/10/2023 - 14/01/2024
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €6, Concessions €3.50
Pforzheim
Gabi Dziuba & Friends
schmuckmuseum.de/en/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions
Matches or tablet cartons, coins, beans or letters of the alphabet, cast in gold or silver and slightly modified – Gabi Dziuba uses anything as a source of inspiration for her jewellery. The results of her experiments with shapes and materials are rigorously inventive, refreshingly unconventional, austerely minimalistic, glamorously sparkling, and progressively modern. Friendships, such as with Günther Förg for example, have a fundamental influence on her artistic work. Hence, the exhibition will be showing not only Gabi Dziuba’s jewellery from all her creative periods, but also pieces developed in collaboration with artist friends of hers, as well as a representative selection of their works. It will be giving an impression of the entire spectrum of her oeuvre for the first time. Created over the course of her 40-year career, it testifies to her liberal approach to the interdisciplinary influences from the art, music and fashion worlds. On view in the year of Ornamenta 2024, the exhibition will be harkening back to Ornamenta I in 1989 because the then zeitgeist and the blurred boundaries between jewellery, design and art had a formative effect on Gabi Dziuba.
25/02/2024 - 9/06/2024
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €10, Concessions €8.50
Pforzheim
All Cleared Out – the Jewellery Museum Extends an Invitation
schmuckmuseum.de/en
Concurrent with Ornamenta 2024 in Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest, the Jewellery Museum will be staging three parallel exhibitions under the motto of 'all Cleared-out' one put together by visitors, another featuring individual artistic positions, and a third presenting haute joaillerie creations.
In the Historical Collection room, visitor groups assembled by cooperation partners from educational and sociocultural institutions will have an opportunity to slip into the role of curators and compose an exhibition themselves; in the Modern Collection area, the internationally esteemed jewellery artist Sam Tho Duong, who lives in Pforzheim, will be showcasing his own work in dialogue with pieces created by ten jewellery designer friends of his; the focus in the special exhibitions area will be on superlative jewellery creations made by the Wellendorff Manufactory.
All three themes revolve around genuine values, symbolic meaning, and feelings or longings. Pieces of jewellery may be regarded as luxury objects, but they owe their special aura to the ideas people associate with them. In collaboration with all those involved, the Jewellery Museum will be spotlighting what they consider valuable, and tracing the secret of luxury.
5/07/2024 to late September 2024
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €10, Concessions €8.50
Pforzheim
Historical Mughal Jewellery and Objets d’Art from a Private Collection
schmuckmuseum.de/en
Architecture, literature and painting, as well as jewellery, experienced a heyday during the Indian Mughal Empire. Mughal jewellery from the 16th to 18th centuries in particular stands out for its excellent quality in terms of design and craftsmanship. Although made of precious gold and embellished with gemstones, it does not look overly ornate but testifies to a well-developed sense of aesthetics and refinement, and is clearly distinct from 19th-century Maharaja jewellery. The exhibition will be featuring superlative examples of the goldsmith’s and the hardstone carver’s art during this culturally important epoch in India’s history. The majority of the exhibits will be from a private collection that has never been revealed to the public before, but there will also be a few outstanding pieces of Mughal jewellery on loan from international museums.
23/11/2024 to early February 2025
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Adults €10, Concessions €8.50
Pforzheim
What Is Jewellery? Criss-cross through the Jewellery Museum's collections
museumspass.com/en/exhibitions
The Pforzheim-based couple Eva and Peter Herion, who acquired a wide variety of adornments on their travels between 1970 and 2006, were fascinated by jewellery in all its diversity. Their primarily ethnographic collection was originally given to the Jewellery Museum as a permanent loan, and has meanwhile passed into the museum’s ownership. When the remodelled museum opened in 2006, parts of the Herion collection were set up with a special focus on Africa and Asia. Conceived as a semi-permanent exhibition back then, it is now being redesigned on the basis of a fundamentally new approach, based on their cultural and historical context as much as the artistic aspirations involved. They also need to be regarded within the framework of global jewellery history. Objects from all of the museum’s collections, whether from the historical, the modern or the ethnographic collection, will therefore be exhibited in a manner that allows them to enter into dialogue with each other. This will give visitors an opportunity to immerse themselves in a wide variety of jewellery, allowing them to discover diverse new perspectives or even come up with their own.
5/12/2021 - 31/12/2025
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim
Tuesday - Sunday 10.00 - 17.00 p.m.
Free with general admission (€ 4.50, concessions € 2.50)
SWEDEN
Stockholm
The Joy of Giving – silver donations
nationalmuseum.se/en/exhibitions/the-joy-of-giving-silver-donations
Nationalmuseum’s collections include many exquisite, representative examples of Swedish and European silver from the 16th century to the present day. This unique collection has come about partly as a result of many generous donations and financial contributions received over the years. This exhibition presents some 80 gifts received by the museum in recent decades.
The objects presented in the exhibition range from magnificent baroque and gracious rococo pieces to modern silver from the decades around the turn of the millennium. There are tankards, bowls, jewellery, candlesticks, vases and goblets – all of them silver.
5/07/2023 - 23/06/2024
Nationalmuseum
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2, Stockholm
26 June–27 August 2023: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00–17:00, 28 August–31 December 2023: Wednesday, Friday 11:00 – 17:00, Thursday 11:00 – 21:00, Saturday–Sunday 10:00 – 17:00
Adults: 150 kr, Under 20: free
AMERICAS
CANADA
Vancouver
The Art of Dimension
Ending soon
billreidgallery.caA vibrant celebration of Haida metalwork practices, and a powerful artistic affirmation of Indigenous knowledge sharing across generations, this exhibition features the copper, gold and silver carving artistry of Haida Gwaii’s lauded Skil Xaaw Jesse Brillon, alongside Bill Reid’s own masterful repoussé works. Brillon is widely known for his excellence in specialty precious metals techniques, including repoussé, chasing and lost-wax casting.
The exhibition further honours the roles of mentorship and family connections through the emerging voice and cedar sculptural works of Brillon’s niece and protégé, award-winning Haida and Cree artist Haayłingtso Marlo Wylie Brillon, who also makes her Bill Reid Gallery debut.
'The Art of Dimension' features 14 recent elaborate repoussé carvings, along with cedar carvings and painted works by Jesse Brillon. Several modern works by Bill Reid will be showcased to encourage a dialogue between the two artists’ work. Marlo Wylie Brillon’s four featured cedar artworks reflect her close connection to Jesse Brillon, and his important role as a mentor for her artistic development since she was a young child.
4/07/2023 – 15/10/2023
The Bill Reid Gallery
639 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2G3
May to September, Daily 10 am - 5 pm
Adults $13, Seniors $10, Students (with valid ID) $8, Youth (13 to 17) $6, Children under 12 Free
USA
Brockton, MA
Joyce J. Scott: Messages
fullercraft.org/exhibitions/joyce-scott-messages
This exhibition celebrates the renowned career of Joyce J. Scott, an acclaimed Baltimore artist who for over three decades has elevated the possibilities of beadwork as a relevant contemporary art form. Scott uses off-loom hand-threaded beads and blown glass to create arresting jewellery, figurative sculptures, and wall hangings informed by her African American ancestry, the craft traditions of her family (including her quilter mother Elizabeth T. Scott), and traditional Native American techniques, such as the peyote stitch. Scott’s subject matter, whether social and political commentary, violence, gender, or human relationships, reflects the artist’s narrative of what it means to be Black in America.
31/03/2023 – 28/01/2024
Fuller Craft Museum
455 Oak Street, Brockton, MA 02301
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Admission is free.
Chicago, IL
First Kings of Europe
fieldmuseum.org/exhibitions/first-kings-europe
This gathering of more than 700 exquisite objects — including jewellery, weapons, armour, and more — has never before been shown together.
Explore the rise to power of ancient Europe’s first kings and queens and discover how once egalitarian farming communities developed power, inequity, and hierarchy for the first time. Travel back to 5000 BC to uncover what prehistoric tools, weapons, and ritual sculptures can tell us about life in the Balkans’ earliest societies. Venture through the trade routes that shaped the world as we know it today. Immerse yourself in the ceremonies of the Ages as you view a Neolithic altar, and hear the crackling fire of a life-sized funerary pyre simulation. See the precious axes, swords, and crowns that turned warriors into royals and forever changed the structure of society.
31/03/2023 – 28/01/2024
The Field Museum
1400 South DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Illinois 60605
Daily 9am–5pm
Adults $30
Newark, NJ
Innovators in Southwestern Jewelry
newarkmuseumart.org/exhibition/innovators-in-southwestern-jewelry
Contemporary Native American jewelry artists of the Southwest build upon centuries-long traditions of stonework and silversmithing—knowledge that is often passed on within families.
Since the mid-20th century, there has been an explosion of creativity and experimentation. Recognized internationally as innovators of Modern jewellery design between the 1950s and 1970s, Preston Monongye, Kenneth Begay, and Charles Loloma created artworks with bold patterns and outstanding craftsmanship. They redefined how silver, turquoise, and gemstones could convey Hopi and Navajo aesthetics and introduced new approaches for high fashion. The next generations of innovators, including those shown here, have continued to experiment with new materials and reimagined traditional forms.
opened 11 May 2023
Newark Museum of Art
49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Thursday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm
Adults $10, Concessions $8
New Orleans, LA
Ring Redux: The Susan Grant Lewin Collection
noma.org/exhibitions/ring-redux
The 90 international artists represented in 'Ring Redux: The Susan Grant Lewin Collection' imagine jewellery as a thought-provoking medium, resonating with contemporary art, design, craft, and technology. These artists show a mastery of both traditional and unconventional materials, with rings ranging from gold, diamond, and pearls to found sunglass lenses and goat hair. Innovative techniques and conceptual pieces show jewellers who have given free flight to their imaginations to create objects imbued with sensitivity and humour, beauty and power, subtlety or drama. 'Ring Redux' includes improvisations on the ring form dating from the 1950s to the present, arranged around six themes: Real to Surreal, Drawings in Space, Darkness to Light, Tender to Tough, Geometry Devolves, and All About Color.
This exhibition presents rings by artists who have reinvented an enduring jewellery form with a distinctively contemporary sense of experimental craft. Two videos and one hundred rings highlight five decades of collecting by Susan Grant Lewin, one of the foremost collectors of 20th- and 21st-century art jewellery.
5/05/2023 – 4/02/2024
New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)
One Collins Diboll Circle, City Park, New Orleans, LA 70124
Tuesday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm
Adults $15, Concessions $10
New York, NY
Garden of Green: Exquisite Jewelry from the Collection of Van Cleef and Arpels
amnh.org/exhibitions/green-jewelry-van-cleef-and-arpels
This new exhibition features 44 pieces of beautiful green jewels — including emeralds, malachite, jade, and peridot — 32 of which will be on view in the U.S. for the first time — designed by the renowned French high jewellery maison Van Cleef and Arpels.
Featured pieces from the Van Cleef and Arpels collection and private loans include spectacular jewellery such as an India-inspired necklace and bracelet set which boasts Colombian emeralds (477.58 carats) carved in Mughal style; the 'Quatre Chemins' necklace, which notably showcases 16 emerald-cut Zambian emeralds (27.79 carats) along with sapphires and diamonds; and other remarkable pieces.
The exhibition will be on view in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, within the Museum’s new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, and is included with all admission.
opened 10/06/2023
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5102
Daily, 10 am–5:30 pm.
Admission pay-what-you-wish, but must be booked in advance
New York, NY
Enchanting Imagination: The Objets d’Art of André Chervin and Carvin French Jewelers
nyhistory.org/es-us/exhibitions
André Chervin (born 1927 in Paris, France), with his New York atelier, Carvin French, is one of the most acclaimed makers of handcrafted fine jewellery in the world. Yet unbeknownst to even his most ardent admirers, Chervin’s true lifetime passion was creating a collection of unique, precious objets d’art at Carvin French. These enchanting one-of-a-kind lamps, clocks, figurines, boxes, personal accessories, and table decorations, are fashioned in gold and silver, with gems such as rubies, diamonds, and sapphires and masterfully carved semi-precious stones like jadeite jade, lapis lazuli, amethyst, and rock crystal quartz.
The main focus of the exhibition is on Chervin’s artistic extension beyond jewellery and his creation of bejewelled objets d’art. Conceived and engineered by Chervin and fabricated under his watchful eye by his artisans in between work on commissioned jewellery work, each objet evolved over the course of 5 - 25 years with most measuring a mere three to eight inches in height.
8/09/2023 – 28/01/2024
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street), New York, NY 10024
Tuesday – Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm, Friday: 11 am – 8 pm
Adults $22, Seniors, Educators, Active Military $17, Students $13, Kids (5–13 years old) $6
Racine, WI
Four Jewelers and the Artists of Color
ramart.org/exhibit/ram-showcase-four-jewelers
Utilizing rich and varied materials like sea grass, silicone, recycled keychains, and bronze, the contemporary artists featured in this exhibition create evocative and poetic adornment. Each artist undertakes investigations linking media, conceptual threads, and notions of wearability. They create jewellery that also functions as a way to explore the world—covering topics such as organic growth; personal, cultural, and social history; pop culture; and heritage. What further connects the featured work is that every piece is new to RAM as part of the first round of acquisitions specifically focused on supporting artists of colour. These additions reflect RAM’s desire to further broaden the scope of creative voices that comprise the museum’s permanent collection.
While RAM has maintained its status as the largest contemporary craft collection in North America for almost a decade, dedicated funds for acquisitions are not typical as the institution primarily relies on gifts of artwork. In 2022, the museum combined a recent grant focused on acquiring works in craft media with an objective to increase historically underrepresented artists and purchased the work of seven artists of colour. Critically, most of these objects were purchased directly from the artists themselves.
1/03/2023 – 13/01/2024
Racine Art Museum (RAM)
441 Main Street, Racine, WI
Wednesday – Saturday, Noon – 4:00 pm
Adults: $10, Concessions: $8
Racine, WI
Open Close Front Back: Exploring Contemporary Art Jewelry Design
Ending soon
ramart.org/exhibit/open-close-front-backUnless faced with something particularly unusual or difficult to maneuver, many people likely put on or take off a piece of jewellery without thinking about the mechanics of its design. Contemporary art jewellers — those constructing jewellery by hand as they undertake conceptual explorations — necessarily consider composition, materials, closures, and the relationship between the object and the wearer.
This exhibition, drawn entirely from RAM’s growing collection, celebrates contemporary jewelry while emphasizing the consideration of it from new angles—sometimes literally. For example, some brooches are displayed in a way that focuses attention on the back rather than the front. While the back may be invisible when a piece is worn, an artist might still take advantage of the fact that it is the side that the wearer interacts with — continuing elements from the front, adding an inscription, or, at a minimum, thoughtfully incorporating it into the overall composition.
Similarly, jewellers carefully consider how a neckpiece opens and closes — is it an element they want to draw attention to, something they want to hide, or something they avoid altogether through alternative design choices? All of these factors impact the overall visual effect of the work as well as its wearability.
1/03/2023 – 16/09/2023
Racine Art Museum (RAM)
441 Main Street, Racine, WI
Wednesday – Saturday, Noon – 4:00 pm
Adults: $10, Concessions: $8
San Francisco, CA
The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England
Ending soon
famsf.org/exhibitions/tudorsThis major exhibition of Tudor portraiture, textiles, sculpture, silver, jewellery, and manuscripts follows the development of the arts in England from Henry VII’s seizure of the throne in 1485 to the death of his granddaughter Elizabeth I in 1603. The Tudor period in England saw the end of medieval feudalism, the rise of absolute monarchy, the English Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the expansion of maritime trade. Art and luxury goods were used to legitimize the Tudor dynasty and reinforce shifting religious and foreign policies. Including iconic portraits of England’s most enduring monarchs and lavish works of art in a variety of media, the exhibition traces the evolution of courtly taste in Tudor England, culminating in the distinctly English Elizabethan style.
24/06/2023 - 24/09/2023
The Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park, 100 34th Avenue (at Clement Street), San Francisco, CA 94121
Tuesday – Sunday, 9:30 am – 5:15 pm
Adults: $30, Seniors: $27, Students: $21, Youth: $15
Santa Fe, NM
The Stories We Carry
Ending soon
iaia.edu/event/the-stories-we-carry For over half a century, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) has fostered an environment where emerging Indigenous artists have had the freedom to develop the means to tell their own stories in their own ways. The unique format of jewellery has played a large role in storytelling as it is a deeply human practice that gives people the tools to carry their histories and identities — a powerful reminder to ourselves and to others who we are.
This exhibition features contemporary jewellery created by more than 100 Indigenous artists across decades stewarded by the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) permanent collection. Guest curated by IAIA Assistant Professor Brian Fleetwood (Mvskoke Creek) ’12, the exhibition explores the extraordinarily diverse recent history of Indigenous jewellery and its enduring relationship with IAIA. Many of the works were made by IAIA students, faculty, alumni, and artists-in-residence presenting another side to the IAIA’s rich story.
30/09/2022 - 29/09/2024
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)
108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, 87501
Monday, Wednesday – Saturday 10 am–5 pm, Sunday 11 am–4 pm
Adults: $10, Concessions: $5
Santa Fe, NM
Here, Now and Always
indianartsandculture.org
When the first iteration of 'Here, Now and Always' opened in 1997, it was considered revolutionary. It was the first exhibition of its kind in a museum space, moving authority away from historically non-Native academics and scholars. Led by a primarily Indigenous curatorial team, it centered the voices, perspectives, and narratives on the Indigenous people it represented while concurrently foregrounding meaningful and long-lasting partnerships with Native communities. 'Here, Now and Always' closed in 2019 for a complete re-imagining. Now, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs invites the public to experience the exhibition as they have never seen it before.
Situated within the museum’s 8,400-square-foot Amy Rose Bloch Wing, 'Here, Now and Always' features more than 600 objects from the museum’s collection. More importantly, it continues to express a fundamental truth about the quintessence of Native communities in the Southwest. To quote the late Zuni scholar and former MIAC curator of ethnology Edmund J. Ladd, 'I am here. I am here, now. I have been here, always.'
2/07/2022 - 2/07/2024
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (miac)
710 Camino Lejo off Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm
Admission $12
Tucson, AZ
Ancient—Modern: Continuity and Innovation in Southwest Native Jewelry
statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/ancient-modernNothing better captures the spirit of the American Southwest than jewellery of shell, silver, and turquoise crafted by the region’s Indigenous artisans. The story of this cultural art form is one of continuity and innovation. Over 70 outstanding examples from ASM’s collections of ancient, historic, and contemporary jewellery are on display. They tell of efforts by the region’s Indigenous peoples over the millennia to adorn themselves and their loved ones, engage in trade, and express their identities, cultural beliefs and values. The exhibit’s story is enlivened by comments from contemporary makers whose works are included.
4/02/2023 - 28/10/2023
Arizona State Museum
The University of Arizona, 1013 E University Blvd, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0026
Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm
Admission $8, Concessions $6
ASIA
Hong Kong
Radiance: Ancient Gold from the Hong Kong Palace Museum Collection and the Mengdiexuan Collection
Ending soon
hkpm.org.hk/en/exhibition/radiance-ancient-goldThis first major exhibition showcases more than 200 pieces of ancient golds selected from the generous donations by Betty Lo and Kenneth Chu to the HKPM and their world-renowned Mengdiexuan Collection. These precious objects from the Eurasian Steppe, Tubo Kingdom, and Central Plains, with the oldest dating back to the 18th century BC, highlight the artistic and technical achievements of gold in ancient China. The exhibition also explores the role of gold in political activities, life, culture, and the dynamic connections across territories over the past 3,000 years.
22/02/2023 – 25/09/2023
Hong Kong Palace Museum
West Kowloon Cultural District, 8 Museum Drive, Kowloon
Wednesday - Monday 10:00 am – 06:00 pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00 am – 08:00 pm
Adults HK$50, Concessions HK$25
