My agenda
12 April 2022
Must-see jewelry events in 2022
“Bijou, Bijoux”
It’s a jewelry exhibition… without a single jewel! The Museum of Printing and Graphic Communication has opted, as you might expect, for printed documents (books, posters, photographs, etc.) in setting out to answer a thousand questions on jewelry-related themes: gemology, hallmarks, drawings, metals, techniques, films, etc. Depending on how much you already know, it may be news to you that there are precious stones in the subsoil of the Massif Central, that hair jewelry-design was once a profession in its own right, that the Kim Kardashian robbery led to the creation of a comic book, or that during the last great gold rush in Klondike in Canada at the very end of the 19th century, one of the most important mining companies was based in Lyon. “Lyon has an ancestral link with jewelry,” says Geoffrey Riondet, co-curator of the exhibition. “Its work with precious metals dates back to antiquity with the Beaujolais silver mines, and its gold and silversmiths enjoyed a golden age during the Renaissance.”
From 9 November 2022 to 19 February 2023 at the Museum of Printing and Graphic Communication, Lyon
The 39th Heritage Days, Paris
The Cartier Jewelry Institute is opening its doors to the general public for the first time since its creation in 2002. This is in fact the company’s own school, set up to provide its craftsmen with ongoing training. Discover both the “traditional” trades and skills (jeweler, setter, polisher) and two that are at risk of disappearing: pearl stringing and animal sculpture.
La Monnaie de Paris. On the program for this weekend: an engraving demonstration and an outdoor art foundry which has created impressive metal castings, the “Monnaies et Merveilles” exhibition (see below) and a medal-making workshop for the young public.
Bucherer. Events and workshops around watchmaking and gemology led by the company’s craftsmen, plus a lecture on vintage watchmaking.
Boucheron. The jeweler is holding its annual Open Day at the Hôtel de Nocé, on Place Vendôme, where it was established in 1893. Not to be missed: the museum and the workshops where the craftsmen work their magic.
Arthus Bertrand. Discover the drawings by the company’s jewelers.
From 16 to 18 September 2022
“Monnaies et Merveilles”, Paris
La Monnaie de Paris (the National Mint) sheds new light on coins by highlighting the different forms they have taken down the ages in cultures from Africa to Oceania, and from Europe to Asia. Jewelry also plays an important role – indeed the boundary between the two is sometimes flimsy. Porpoise or dog teeth, cowrie shells, plant fibers and feathers are all signifiers of wealth – symbols that could be offered as dowry, exchanged or saved in situations where banks were scarce. Conceived as a cabinet of curiosities, the exhibition features magnificent pieces, a graphic breastplate and a frontal ornament, both from the island of Sumba in Indonesia, a necklace made of 17 geometric gold beads from Côte d’Ivoire, Berber silver ornaments from Morocco and a jade belt engraved by Cartier.
From 12 May to 25 September 2022 at La Monnaie de Paris
“FRED Joaillier Créateur since 1936”
This fall, Fred will present its first retrospective exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo. It traces the history of the Maison founded by Fred Samuel, from 1936 to the present day, including its acquisition by LVMH in 1995. The exhibition features 400 pieces of jewelry, including high jewelry, stones such as the “Soleil d’Or” yellow diamond weighing more than 100 carats, and iconic pieces such as Force 10, a bracelet that combines a marine cable and a boat shackle. All of them bear witness to the brand’s great moments, stylistic trends and international expansion. In the 1980s and 1990s, it became one of the ten largest jewelry companies in the world.
From 23 September to 24 October 2022 at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris
“Cartier and the Islamic Arts”, Dallas
This exhibition is an adaptation of the 2021 Paris show. On that occasion, TFJP produced a series of articles in partnership with the Museum of Decorative Arts. Read the dedicated articles here.
From 14 May to 4 September 2022 at the Dallas Museum of Arts
Opening of a new museum at the French National Library
In September 2022, after several years of work, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) will open a new museum (Paris). Among the thousand pieces presented (jewelry, curiosities, gems, medals, etc.), rediscover the famous “Cameo of France” in sardony engraved with 24 figures. These figures are still deeply mysterious, and historians continue to disagree on the interpretation… In fact, the BNF’s collection of cameos and intaglios is considered unrivalled in the world.
“Machu Picchu et les trésors du Pérou”
This exceptional exhibition, comparable to those showcasing the treasures of Tutankhamen, looks back over 3,000 years of pre-Columbian civilizations, up to the mystery of Machu Picchu, and features over 190 masterpieces from the Larco Museum. The breathtaking “ancestors’ room ” is dedicated to the collection of pre-Columbian ornaments: breastplates, nose ornaments, and disproportionately high head decorations… Read the dedicated articles here.
“Engraved Gems” at The School of Jewelry Arts
The highlight of the collection of cameos and intaglios from Antiquity to the 19th century, put together by Guy Ladrière, is an introduction to glyptics – a little-known art consisting of engraving stones in hollow (intaglio) or relief (cameo) form. As the subject is so complex, The School of Jewelry Arts has chosen to present 200 pieces in chronological order from Greek Antiquity through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the 19th Century. A special excursus familiarizes the visitor with the technique and the precious stones used: carnelian, sardony, heliotrope, and so on.
From 12 May 2022 to 21 October 2022, Paris
“Végétal – L’École de la Beauté” by Chaumet
Having staged several exhibitions down the years on the history of its style, Chaumet now indulges in a less conventional approach featuring the perspectives not only of artists but also of scientists. Curator Marc Jeanson, also a botanist, has conjured up the spirit of the herbarium: the 80 antique or contemporary jewels are mixed with works based on the same plant species. And what splendid works they are! Paintings by Archimboldo, Claude Monet or Raoul Dufy, Paul Hermann’s herbarium, photos of peonies by Mapplethorpe and irises by Dora Maar, a jacket by Yves Saint Laurent, etc. Resolutely contemporary, the immersive scenography gives pride of place to projections, music composed especially for the exhibition, and fragrances.
From 16 June 2022 to 4 September 2022 at The Beaux-Arts, Paris
Royal tiaras at Sotheby’s London
Sotheby’s is one of the partners of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen, next June. For a month, it will present exhibitions, conferences, etc. highlighting British creativity. On the jewelry side, the auction house will stage an exhibition of tiaras of European royal provenance, both antique and contemporary, echoing its sale entitled “Noble Jewels”, launched in 2006. Among the items on display will be a model from the 1830s, designed as a crown of leaves set with diamonds reminiscent of those of ancient Rome, and a piecefrom the 1960s by Van Cleef & Arpels, in diamonds and turquoise cabochons. None of these antique pieceswill be for sale, but it will be possible to purchase those created by contemporary British designers.
Jubilee Arts Festival from 28 May to 15 June 2022, Sotheby’s London
Tiffany &Co, “Vision & Virtuosity”
Previously held in Shanghai in 2019, this is the first non-commercial exhibition by the jeweler Tiffany &Co, and features highlights and iconic creations from its history. Each room has its own subject: the engagement ring (its core business), the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with the Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn and the original script annotated by the actress, the creativity of the window displays and humorous advertisements, and the “Blue Book” – its high jewelry collection that was originally a mail order jewelry catalog, amongst others. The latest collaborations (notably with Suprême), also part of the exhibition, foreshadow the future.
From 10 June 2022 to 19 August 2022 at the Saatchi Gallery, London
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