Goal
- See how jewelry has communicated status, culture, and identity across 4,000 years.
- Compare materials and design choices from ancient makers to contemporary artists.
Beyond Brilliance: Jewelry Highlights from the Collection (Gallery 104, Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation Gallery)
Starfish brooch, René Boivin, 1937
Ancient Egyptian broad collar necklace (check gallery label for exact date/materials)
19th-century jewelry by Castellani and Carlo Giuliano; 20th-century designs by Marcus & Co., Tiffany & Co., and Bulgari; contemporary pieces by Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle, Wallace Chan, Anna Hu, and Feng J
If you could keep only one piece of jewelry to tell people 100 years from now who you were, what would you put on it?
Activity
Object hunt — find the oldest and the newest piece of jewelry in the gallery, and compare what materials and symbols each uses.
At-home project
Design and build a small wearable piece (bracelet, pin, or pendant) from found materials at home that represents something true about you — a memory, a hobby, or a place you love.
Sources
Source: Beyond Brilliance · MFA Boston