FROM LONDON TO TOLEDO, BEAUTIFUL BAUBLES TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT IN DAZZLING DISPLAYS FILLED WITH DESIGNS BY VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, CARTIER AND MORE
By Rhonda Reinhart | June 17, 2025
What do a pink diamond brooch commissioned for a queen, a pendant donned by Hollywood royalty and an 18k gold mask made by Man Ray have in common? Besides being wearable works of art, each of these jewels is a featured object in one of this year’s jewelry-focused museum exhibitions. Taking place around the world, the seven shows we’ve rounded up below highlight the importance of jewelry as an art form, inviting visitors into life-size jewel boxes filled with cutting-edge contemporary creations, vintage designs from prestigious brands and unexpected adornments by some of the world’s most significant artists.
Spiral clip, 1942. Platinum, yellow gold, rose gold, rubies, diamonds. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Photo courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.
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Moon pendant, 1969. Yellow gold, ruby. Van Cleef & Arpels Collection. Photo courtesy Van Cleef & Arpels.
Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels
American Museum of Natural History
New York City
The wonders of the cosmos have long served as inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels. From pendants adorned with Zodiac symbols and clips inspired by shooting stars to a bejeweled wristwatch that captures the path of the planets and a pendant that celebrates the 1969 moon landing with a golden lunar landscape, celestial motifs abound in the acclaimed designs of the fabled French jewelry house. Van Cleef & Arpels’ fascination with the inner workings of the universe is on full display in Cosmic Splendor, now on view at the American Museum of Natural History. The exhibition features more than 60 astronomically inspired creations by Van Cleef & Arpels, including the aforementioned items plus dozens of other jewels, timepieces and precious objects that take their design cues from the sun, moon, meteors and more. Through January 4, 2026; amnh.org.
Patiala Necklace, Cartier Paris, special order, 1928 (restored 1999–2002). Commissioned by Bhupinder Singh, Maharajah of Patiala. Diamonds, yellow and white zirconia, topaz, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz, citrine set in platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier.
Rose clip brooch, Cartier London, 1938. Diamonds and platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier.
Cartier
V&A South Kensington
London
Dubbed “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers” by none other than Edward VII, Cartier has a client list that stretches from royals and aristocrats to stars of stage and screen. For nearly 180 years, the Paris-based firm, which also has branches in London and New York, has captivated jewelry lovers with its dedication to craftsmanship and unbridled creativity. The V&A’s Cartier exhibition follows the jewelry house’s evolution from its 1847 beginnings until today, displaying more than 350 objects that showcase the brand’s vision, ambition and inherent elegance. In addition to a spectacular collection of Cartier’s iconic panther jewels, a display of mystery clocks and a set of previously unseen design drawings, the exhibition features a multitude of jewels with royal connections. Highlights include a 1938 rose clip brooch that once belonged to Princess Margaret, a 1928 necklace and choker commissioned by the Maharaja of Patiala and a 23.6-carat pink diamond brooch commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II. Through November 16; vam.ac.uk.
Man Ray, Optic Topic, 1974. Mask, 18k gold. Edition 79 of 100, GEM Montebello. 3 13/16 x 7 1/16 in. (9.7 x 18 cm). Diane Venet Collection. © Man Ray 2015 Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY / ADAGP, Paris 2025. Photo: Alain Leprince.
Pablo Picasso, Le Grand Faune (The Great Faun), 1973. Pendant, 23k gold. Edition 3 of 20, Françios Hugo. 3 3/8 x 4 3/4 in. (8.5 x 12 cm). Diane Venet Collection. © 2025 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Sherry Griffin.
Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection
Norton Museum of Art
West Palm Beach, Florida
Born in Paris to a family of avid art collectors, Diane Venet inherited her parents’ appreciation for fine art. But in her own collection, she added a bit of a twist. Over the past 40 years, Venet has amassed a remarkable array of jewels created by some of the most famous artists of the 20th and 21st centuries – a trove she likens to “an intimate museum that I can take everywhere with me.” Among her prized possessions – 150 of which are on view at South Florida’s Norton Museum of Art – are jewelry pieces by the likes of Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, Jeff Koons, Kenny Scharf, Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, Jean Cocteau and Alexander Calder. The featured jewels, which are crafted from materials ranging from hammered metals to precious stones, are displayed alongside companion artworks from the Norton’s collection. Through October 5; norton.org.
Ring owned by Mae West (American, 1893–1980), 1930s. Platinum, aquamarine and diamond, 1 × 1 5/8 in. (2.54 × 4.13 cm). Collection of Neil Lane. Photograph © Lendon Flanagan.
Giacinto Melillo (Italian, 1846–1915). Ruvo necklace, about 1870–80. Gold, 13 1/2 × 2 3/8 in. (34.29 × 6.03 cm). Collection of Neil Lane. Photograph © Lendon Flanagan.
Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane
Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo, Ohio
Neil Lane might be best known as the go-to jeweler on ABC’s The Bachelor and for red-carpet looks worn by Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie and a bevy of A-list Jennifers (Lopez, Garner, Lawrence and Hudson among them), but he’s also a passionate collector of vintage jewelry. This fall, for the first time, his impressive collection will get its chance to shine during Radiance and Reverie at the Toledo Museum of Art. Featuring more than 150 jewels from Lane’s collection, the exhibition spans almost 100 years of jewelry design and spotlights celebrated names such as Boucheron, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. Exhibited alongside red-carpet footage, period costumes and vintage photographs, the featured items include 19th-century revival styles, early designs by American makers and glamorous jewels worn by Joan Crawford, Mae West and other Hollywood legends. October 18-January 18, 2026; toledomuseum.org.
Unidentified designer, for Cartier Paris, ‘Chimera’ bracelet, 1928. Graphite pencil, ink and gouache on translucent wove paper. Cartier Archives, Paris. © Cartier.
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Fannière frères, Neo-Renaissance brooch pendant, between 1839 and 1900. Graphite pencil and gouache on white paper. 8.6 × 5.2 cm. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. Purchase, 2010. CCØ Paris Musées / Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.
Jewellery Designs: Secrets of the Creation
Petit Palais
Paris
In 1998, Paris’ Petit Palais quietly began amassing drawings for jewelry designs. Since then, the museum has collected more than 5,500 drawings – some by respected Parisian designers such as Charles Jacqueau and Pierre-George Deraisme and others by renowned jewelry houses including Lalique, Boucheron and Cartier. Spanning the second half of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century, the expansive collection has remained little known, as the drawings have been tucked away in the museum’s reserves. Earlier this spring, the Petit Palais decided to change that, moving the collection from behind the scenes and into its own dedicated exhibition. Ranging from quick sketches to colored gouaches, the 200-plus drawings on view – some of which are accompanied by the completed jewels they preceded – trace the start-to-finish creative process of jewelry design. Through July 20; petitpalais.paris.en.
Genevieve Howard, Gleo neckpiece, 2023. Japanese linen paper, Fabriano paper and elastic cord, promised gift of Deedie Potter Rose. © Genevieve Howard. Photo by Chad Redmon, courtesy Dallas Museum of Art.
Bruno Martinazzi, Goldfinger bracelet, 1969. Editioned: no. 9 of 12. 18k white gold and 20k yellow gold, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Edward W. and Deedie Potter Rose, formerly Inge Asenbaum collection, Galerie am Graben in Vienna, 2014.33.353. © Bruno Martinazzi. Photo by Chad Redmon, courtesy Dallas Museum of Art.
Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art’s contemporary jewelry holdings began small, with the 1950 acquisition of three enamelware pendants by San Diego-based artist Ellamarie Woolley. Today the collection contains nearly 1,400 pieces by both emerging artists and established masters and represents one of the most comprehensive assemblages of its kind in the United States. In November, the DMA will showcase more than 350 jewels from its permanent collection in an exhibition that spans close to a century of jewelry design. Highlights include a 2023 sculptural paper neckpiece by Irish artist Genevieve Howard, a 1969 hand-inspired bracelet by late Italian artist Bruno Martinazzi and an eye-popping beaded necklace from 1986 by Baltimore’s Joyce J. Scott. November 9-May 3, 2026; dma.org.
Carl and Irene Clark (Diné, b. 1952/b. 1950), silver bracelet with micro mosaic inlay, c. 1990. Silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, shell, jet. 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 inches. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.
Larry Golsh (Pala Mission/Cherokee, b. 1941), 14k gold chain necklace with tufa-cast satellites and charoite pendant, c. 1980s-1990s. 14 1/2 x 2 inches. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.
Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art
Heard Museum
Phoenix
For its second exhibition dedicated to the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art, the Heard Museum turns its attention to Native jewelry. A lifelong collector, Eddie Basha began acquiring art in 1971 and eventually amassed one of the world’s largest private collections of contemporary Western and American Indian art, including a notable assemblage of bracelets, necklaces, rings and more by some of the most gifted Native jewelers. Carl and Irene Clark (Diné), Duane Maktima (Laguna Pueblo/Hopi), Verma Nequatewa (Sonwai) (Hopi), Larry Golsh (Pala Mission/Cherokee), and Terry and Joe B. Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo) are just a few of the Native artists whose works are on display in Adorned with Memory, an exhibition that is as much a tribute to Basha’s collecting legacy as it is a celebration of exceptional jewelry design. Through March 8, 2026; heard.org.
