The number of exhibitions devoted wholly or in part to jewelry is increasing. Here are just a few of the 20 or so exhibitions scheduled for 2025. Enjoy your visit.<\/p>\n
By Sandrine Merle<\/p>\n
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\u201cDynastic Jewels: Power, Prestige, and Passion 1700-1950,\u201d Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the third installment in a trilogy of exhibitions organized by the Al Thani Collection in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum. Spread across four rooms, this exhibition presents spectacular stones and jewels commissioned by major historical figures linked to the monarchies of France, Russia, and the United Kingdom (Catherine II of Russia, Josephine, Marie Louise of Austria, Eug\u00e9nie, Queen Victoria). It looks back at the upheavals of the 20th century that led to the dispersal of royal and aristocratic collections to new circles of bankers, heiresses, stars, and others. For example, the sumptuous ruby necklace commissioned by the Maharaja of Indore was acquired by socialite Gloria Guinness, a close friend of Truman Capote. A wow-factor exhibition for lovers of palaces, royalty, and celebrities.<\/p>\n From December 10, 2025, to April 6, 2026, H\u00f4tel de la Marine<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cFrom Louise Bourgeois to Yoko Ono. Jewelry created by women artists,\u201d Cologne<\/strong><\/p>\n The 90 pieces of jewelry created by 45 female visual artists from the 20th and 21st centuries (from the 1920s to the present day) definitively challenge male dominance in this field. Finally! We welcome the spotlight on the work of Lynda Benglis, Annabelle d’Huart, Leiko Ikemura, Margit J\u00e4schke, Jacqueline de Jong, Alicja Kwade, Claude Lalanne, Liliane Lijn, Rita McBride, Michele Oka Doner, Yoko Ono, Meret Oppenheim, Fran\u00e7oise P\u00e9trovitch, Armelle de Sainte Marie, Niki de Saint Phalle, Ma\u00eflys Seydoux-Dumas, Dorothea Tanning, Sophia Vari, and Joana Vasconcelos.<\/p>\n \u00a0From November 21, 2025, to April 26, 2026, Museum of Applied Arts Cologne (MAKK)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cR\u00eaveries de pierres: Poetry and Minerals by Roger Caillois,\u201d Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n Feel free to bring your little ones to discover the minerals of Roger Caillois, who saw castles, characters, forests, and more in these minerals. The collection, assembled between 1952 and 1978 by this academician, scholar, sociologist, and historian of religions, includes 1,000 specimens, 200 of which are on display here. Most are jasper and agate stones that reveal abstract and sometimes figurative images of landscapes or objects. \u201cMore than once, I have thought that stones should be viewed as a kind of poetry,\u201d said this intellectual with his encyclopedic knowledge. He also saw them as \u201chieroglyphs without a message.\u201d Among the masterpieces, don’t miss Le Ch\u00e2teau, a limestone with dendrites evoking a fortress and small figures, or La Cime, an agate evoking a mountain. Here, they are juxtaposed with excerpts from his prose, as fascinating and poetic as they are challenging, taken from \u201cL’\u00c9criture des pierres\u201d (The Writing of Stones) and \u201cPierres irr\u00e9fl\u00e9chies\u201d (Unreflective Stones).<\/p>\n \u201c1925-2025: A Century of Art Deco\u201d, Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the exhibition dedicated to decorative arts that retrospectively gave its name to a style: Art Deco, which would endure until World War II. This style, a reaction against the excesses of Art Nouveau, is characterized by geometric and symmetrical lines and bright, bold colors, and draws on multiple influences from other cultures (Egypt, India, Japan). A thousand pieces of furniture, drawings, posters, and clothing trace its origins, development, heyday, and contemporary reinterpretations in a chronological and thematic manner. All the big names are there: Sonia Delaunay, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Albert-Armand Rateau, etc. In the jewelry section, the series of brooches by Raymond Templier and Jean Despr\u00e8s sits alongside the sublime hardstone marquetry brooch by Boucheron and pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels. Cartier is given pride of place, notably with a coral chimera bracelet and the design for the B\u00e9r\u00e9nice emerald, which has rarely been exhibited to date. \u201cThe house is considered the pioneer of this movement and has an absolutely unique collection of archives and period pieces,\u201d says Mathieu Rousset-Perrier, heritage curator for the Medieval, Renaissance, and Jewelry collections.<\/p>\n From October 22, 2025, to April 26, 2026, Mus\u00e9e des Arts D\u00e9coratifs<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Poetry of Birds”, Dubai<\/strong><\/p>\n Van Cleef & Arpels explores the theme of birds, \u201cwhich have long held a sacred place in Middle Eastern cultures as symbols of freedom, renewal, and the human spirit,\u201d explains Marie-Laure Cassius-Duranton, curator of the exhibition, gemologist, and art historian. Jewelry, precious objects, and gouaches created by renowned jewelers (including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Buccellati, and Faberg\u00e9) bear witness to this and interact with works of art (carpets, ceramics, miniatures) on loan from the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and the Dubai Museums.<\/p>\n Until April 25, 2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Journey of Women: Yemeni Women and Social Growth”, Bloomington (\u00c9tats-Unis)<\/strong><\/p>\n Le Y\u00e9men\u2026 Il n\u2019est pas ici question de la situation tragique de ce pays mais des bijoux en argent et en textile r\u00e9alis\u00e9s par des orf\u00e8vres au savoir-faire minutieux. Au-del\u00e0 de la repr\u00e9sentation du statut social, du r\u00f4le dans les \u00e9v\u00e9nements importants de la vie, etc., ces bijoux, une fois offerts, sont consid\u00e9r\u00e9s comme la propri\u00e9t\u00e9 des femmes. Elles ont alors toute latitude pour d\u00e9cider de leur utilisation y compris la possibilit\u00e9 de les vendre.<\/p>\n Du 25 octobre 2025 au 13 aout 2027, Museum of\u00a0Archaeology and Anthropology<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDonation Jo\u00ebl Faivre-Chalon,\u201d Cagnes-sur-Mer<\/strong><\/p>\n The artistic career of the recently deceased Jo\u00ebl Faivre-Chalon is showcased here thanks to a collection of archives (photographs, drawings, body of work, and prototypes) donated by his widow. In the 1970s, he established himself as a major figure in contemporary French jewelry (alongside Jean Dinh Van and Gilles Jonemann) by conducting research into refined forms, technicality, and materials such as brass, silver, titanium, Formica\u00ae, and carbon fiber. This exhibition is a continuation of the one presented in Parcours Bijoux 2023, shortly after his death.<\/p>\n From September 19, 2025, to May 17, 2026, Mus\u00e9e du Bijou Contemporain<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJewelry from Dutch soil,\u201d Middleburg (Netherlands)<\/strong><\/p>\n Never before have so many archaeological jewelry items found on Dutch soil been brought together. Many of the pieces come from the impressive collection of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, supplemented by loans from collections across the country. One of the oldest objects on display, a boar’s tooth pendant, dates from around 9000-4000 BCE.<\/p>\n Until March 1, 2026, Zeeuws Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Jewelry of Dorothea Pr\u00fchl, Houston<\/strong><\/p>\n Amateurs de bijoux contemporains, cette exposition consacr\u00e9e \u00e0 Dorothea Pr\u00fchl est pour vous. Le MFAH qui poss\u00e8de la plus grande collection publique au monde de cette artiste allemande pr\u00e9sente cinq d\u00e9cennies de son travail, entre 1976 et 2025, colliers et broches aux grandes formes audacieuses et r\u00e9p\u00e9titives dict\u00e9es par la nature du mat\u00e9riau, bois ou m\u00e9tal. \u00c0 la fronti\u00e8re entre le figuratif et l’abstrait, elles \u00e9voquent grenouilles, oiseaux et fleurs.<\/p>\n Jusqu\u2019au 3 janvier 2027, MFAH<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Middle Ages of the 19th Century – Creations and Fakes in the Precious Arts,\u201d Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n 19th-century artists created countless pastiches, composite works, and fakes inspired by the Middle Ages. Viollet-Le-Duc immediately comes to mind… Just like the precious arts, textiles, goldsmithing, etc., jewelry did not escape this revival. Falize’s comb brings back into fashion the fantastical creatures from Romanesque bestiaries and the medieval technique of cloisonn\u00e9 enamel on gold. The chastity belt, associated with the Crusades and supposed to guarantee the virtue of a knight’s wife during his journey to the Holy Land, is a pure fantasy of the 19th century.<\/p>\n From October 7, 2025, to January 11, 2026, Mus\u00e9e de Cluny<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0Viking North\u00a0\u00bb, York<\/strong><\/p>\n Ces marchands scandinaves, colosses barbus et casqu\u00e9s voguant sur les eaux, se sont constitu\u00e9s des fortunes colossales en pillant ports, monast\u00e8res, etc. Parmi les rares vestiges figurent deux tr\u00e9sors datant de 866 \u00e0 1066. Le premier, le tr\u00e9sor de Bedale contient un large bracelet en argent d’origine irlandaise, un collier torsad\u00e9 de style permien provenant de Russie et d’autres objets probablement fabriqu\u00e9s en Grande-Bretagne ou en Scandinavie. Le second, le remarquable tr\u00e9sor de Harrogate a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9couvert en 2007, \u00e0 l’aide de d\u00e9tecteurs de m\u00e9taux. Contenu dans un r\u00e9cipient en argent dor\u00e9, il se compose de plus de 700 pi\u00e8ces. La nature exotique de certains (Afghanistan, d\u2019Afrique du Nord et Russie) est surprenante.<\/p>\n Jusqu\u2019en juillet 2027, Yorkshire Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Discovering Ancient Egypt, Leiden (Netherlands)<\/strong><\/p>\n The public never tires of discovering the beauties of Pharaonic Egypt, from magnificently painted coffins and colorful papyri to animal mummies, manuscripts, and more. In terms of jewelry, the centerpieces here are the gold funerary offerings from the tomb of General Djehuti (who served Thutmose III), unearthed in the Saqqara necropolis in 1824.\u00a0 In his report, the discoverer described \u201ca tomb containing a mummy entirely wrapped in solid gold (each limb and each finger had its own wrapper inscribed with hieroglyphics), a scarab attached to a gold chain, a gold ring and a pair of gold bracelets, along with other precious relics…\u201d Scattered across several European museums, these pieces are being brought together for the first time since their discovery 200 years ago.<\/p>\n Until March 15, 2026, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLes Ma\u00eetres du Feu\u201d (Masters of Fire), Saint-Germain-en-Laye<\/strong><\/p>\n The arrival of bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) brought about real changes in objects, weapons, and jewelry. This is evidenced by a comb-shaped pendant dating from 900-1000 BC. The two sublime torques from Gu\u00eenes (Pas-de-Calais), finely chiseled in gold and linked to the votive practices of the time, illustrate the theme of metallurgy more broadly.<\/p>\n From June 13 to March 9, 2026, National Archaeology Museum – National Estate of the Ch\u00e2teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Whakahokihoki – Jewelry from the Dowse Collection”, Wellington (New-Zealand)<\/strong><\/p>\n Whakahokihoki (meaning \u201cto return\u201d) brings together 60 contemporary jewelry pieces that have recently been added to the Dowse Museum’s collection or that had been absent while traveling around the world. Forty artists are represented, including Warwick Freeman, Karl Fritsch, and Alan Preston, to name just a few of the best known.<\/p>\n Until February 15, 2026, Dowse Art Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Timeless Art Deco with Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry”, Tokyo<\/strong><\/p>\n We all know how much the Japanese love French decorative arts… Here, they are treated to 250 pieces (jewelry, watches, and precious objects) from the Art Deco period, drawn from the Van Cleef & Arpels heritage collection and private collections.<\/p>\n Until January 18, 2026, Metropolitan Teien Art Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOde to Nature by Van Cleef & Arpels,\u201d Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n Fauna and flora are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for jewelers. Fifty-three creations, dating from the 1920s to the 2000s, illustrate their importance in the style of Van Cleef & Arpels. A gold shell powder compact, the Fleurette set, a gold and coral seahorse clip, a parrot with chrysoprase and coral plumage, a yellow sapphire daffodil, and more: together, they form a veritable ode to life.<\/p>\n From July 4, 2025, to January 12, 2026, Van Cleef & Arpels boutique – Heritage Gallery<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “From function to fantasy: the brooch”, Londres\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Read the itw of Katerine Purcell on TFJP<\/a>.<\/p>\n October 1\u201312, 2025 \u2013 Wartski Gallery (free admission), London<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDinh Van, 60 Years of Creation and Freedom,\u201d Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n September 3\u201313, 2025, Christie’s<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAmazighes \u2014 Cycles, Adornments, Patterns,\u201d Marseille<\/strong><\/p>\n Amazigh jewelry, found in an area stretching from Egypt to Morocco via northern Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, is often equated with Berber jewelry, folklorized and reduced to \u201ca simple silent artifact.\u201d However, as this exhibition highlights, its patterns, shapes, and symbols are there to ward off bad luck and mark social status and gender. One section showcases an iconic piece of jewelry: the fibula, a metal clasp formed by a circle and a triangle, used to fasten clothing.<\/p>\n April 30 to November 2, 2025, MUCEM Fort Saint-Jean<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMarie Antoinette Style – Shaped by the most fashionable queen in history\u201d, London<\/strong><\/p>\n Those who are still talking about the pair of Converse amidst the silk pumps in Sofia Coppola’s film will love this exhibition! The objects are here to bear witness to \u201cthe late monarch’s lasting influence<\/a> on over 250 years of design, fashion, film and the decorative arts\u201d. So it’s a mix of anachronisms, shoes by Manolo Blahnik (sponsor of the event), portraits like the one from 1773 painted by Fran\u00e7ois-Hubert Drouais, and objects and furniture like the chair made for her private apartment. The Ch\u00e2teau Versailles is lending around twenty works, including a replica of the famous necklace belonging to the Queen, created by jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge, which was at the heart of the scandal that rocked the court in 1784-1785 and compromised the reputation of Marie Antoinette, who was innocent of the charges against her. This modern and symbolic object, illustrating the queen’s taste for expensive jewelry, was made in the 1960s based on an engraving preserved at the Biblioth\u00e8que Nationale de France.<\/p>\n September 20, 2025 to March 22, 2026, Victoria & Albert Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Ren\u00e9 Lalique, architecte et d\u00e9corateur”, Wingen-sur-moder<\/strong><\/p>\n From May, 1st to November, 2 2025, Ren\u00e9 Lalique Museum<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cCartier\u201d<\/a>, London<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s been over a century since the first exhibition in London, organized by Jacques Cartier when he was head of the boutique: it was dedicated to the tiara to capitalize on the coronation of King George V.\u00a0 The exhibition features 350 objects, some of which are directly related to the English branch: the Scroll tiara worn by Elizabeth II at her coronation and by Rihanna on the cover of W magazine (2016), or the Manchester tiara (1903) belonging to the V&A collection. For royal family afficionados, King Charles III is lending a number of pieces, including the tiara worn by Kate Middleton at her wedding to Prince William. A sentimental jewel not to be missed among all these statutory pieces: the amethyst and sapphire brooch, made in accordance with Jacques Cartier’s wishes for his wife Nelly.<\/p>\n April 12, 2025 – November 16, 2025, Victoria & Albert Museum<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0Dessins de Bijoux\u00a0\u00bb, Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n The Petit Palais is unveiling its vast collection of jewelry designs for the first time, bringing together 5,500 sheets from the 19th to the 20th century. At the heart of this collection, the Charles Jacqueau collection, designer for the Cartier house, stands out with 4,400 works. The exhibition presents books, ornament collections, photographs and objects to delve into the psyche of the designers. It also shows the essential role of preparatory drawings in the design of jewelry: they guide the artisans (jewelers, setters) but also help with marketing. We discover numerous face-to-face comparisons between the preparatory drawings and the jewelry. Creations by Cartier or Georges Fouquet are displayed alongside their original sketches, as well as gouaches, which are generally more highly valued. Made to full scale with extreme meticulousness, these drawings are true works of art.<\/p>\n Until July 20, 2025, Petit Palais<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00ab\u00a0D\u2019or et d\u2019\u00c9clat\u00a0\u00bb, Toulouse<\/strong><\/p>\n The jewel of the Renaissance has so far only had one dedicated exhibition in Europe… in 1980 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This one, organized by the Mus\u00e9e de la Renaissance in \u00c9couen and the Bemberg Foundation, finally sheds light on these very refined pieces. With a scenography by Hubert le Gall, it explores the evolution of jewelry between the 16th and 17th centuries, the golden age of ornamentation. While the manufacturing techniques remain close to those of the Middle Ages, the forms are inspired by the arts such as painting and sculpture. Gold is crafted, colored enamel (which has not yet been dethroned by the diamond, whose cutting is still in its infancy). Baroque pearls arrive from the other side of the world thanks to the discovery of new sea routes. Cameos, for their part, bear witness to an unprecedented infatuation with Antiquity. Beyond its decorative function, jewelry also served as currency. It symbolized power, faith or commitment. The exhibition notably presents a set of four cupid pendants brought together for the first time. The issue of fake Renaissance jewelry manufactured in the 19th century, at the height of the revival of this period, is also addressed. Today, it is estimated that they represent three quarters of the specimens exhibited in museums.<\/p>\n Read the article Cupid pendants, iconic Renaissance jewelry, explained by Julie Rohou<\/a><\/p>\n Until July 27, 2025, Fondation Bemberg<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHook Hand Heart Star\u201d, Munich<\/strong><\/p>\n Read the article on TFJP<\/a><\/p>\n Until June 15, \u00a02025, Pinakothek der Modern<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cParis, Capital of Pearl\u201d, Paris\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This chronological exhibition focuses primarily on natural pearls. Among the hundred pieces of jewelry on display are splendid Belle \u00c9poque necklaces formed by strands of perfectly matched pearls, i.e. virtually identical in size and color, as well as a sheep’s head brooch by Joel Arthur Rosenthal from 2006, whose strands of micro-pearls mimic curly fleece. The main purpose is to recall that, at the end of the 19th century, Paris became the center of international trade. Pearls fished in the Arabian Gulf were sold by three hundred Parisian traders. In addition to the exhibition, the richly illustrated book written by L\u00e9onard Pouy is a must-read to learn more about this story, which came to an end in the 1930s.<\/p>\n