Seeing jewelry in museums seems natural enough, but that wasn’t the case for the longest time! Until the end of the 19th century, such institutions were dedicated to painting, sculpture or even goldsmithing. No museums, galleries or even showcases were  specifically dedicated to jewelry. The Victoria & Albert Museum (London) was the first to buy a jewel in 1851, during the world fair in London known as the Great Exhibition. Meanwhile, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris received its first jewel in 1878: a necklace donated by the jeweler Émile-Désiré Philippe. Jewelry was at last seen as heritage – better late than never!

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Cartier was not merely inspired by motifs from distant cultures: the jeweler’s new creations have also often incorporated elements from old jewelry or precious objects. So-called “apprêts” such as clasps, enamel plates, etc. Two pieces of jewelry not to be missed in the exhibition illustrate this approach perfectly. Firstly, this magnificent bracelet created around 1925, which was originally a shoulder ornament: it is composed of five Iranian chalcedony seals/amulets, engraved with a Koranic script dating from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Almost a century later, in 2017, this bracelet also features a a beautiful 18th-19th century Iranian nephrite jade amulet engraved with a surah from the Koran. Thanks to the designers and craftsmen, these Islamic elements have had several lives.

Together with Mathias Kiss, Ségolène Dangleterre has created three pieces of jewelry. Two square bronze rings, layered and shaped like a cornice. But a cornice with a difference: this one is deconstructed, broken with right angles, and extends over two fingers. It is reminiscent of Mathias Kiss’s “90 Degrees” installation at the Palais de Tokyo: like snakes, the cornices emerged from the ceiling, broke off, and extended to the floor. “We had to adapt to the constraints of miniaturization, so the cornice is devoid of any ornamentation, without acanthus leaves or scrolls. And there’s no stone,” says Ségolène Dangleterre. These “90 Degrees” artist pieces are numbered and produced in limited series, and bear Mathias Kiss’ name.

SHOP the rings

Photo  © Numéro – Photography @jair_sfez Styling @joysinanian Editor @timiletonja

Brands offering vermeil, gold-plating and gold-plated brass are flying high. This is due to their popularity with customers who are sensitive both to price (they’re less expensive than gold) and to all things ultra-creative. However, it’s important to be aware of the difference between the three. Used since ancient times, vermeil is silver covered with a layer of gold of at least 5 microns. It comes with a mandatory hallmark, a V (for vermeil) next to a diamond and an oval – hallmarks of the manufacturer and importer. Gold plating is brass coated with a layer of gold of between 3 and 5 microns or Pomponne, a copper and gold lining. It bears no particular hallmark, but some manufacturers include their logo along with the number of gold carats. Finally, gold-plated brass is an alloy, a mixture of copper and zinc, covered with a layer of gold of less than 1 micron. Of course, vermeil remains the most expensive of these metals because it is tied to the price of silver, but over time, thanks to silver’s adhesion, the gold is slower to disappear.

I simply fell in love with Tabayer’s bracelet, with its pure form and powerful volume, paved with diamonds that seem almost strewn at random. I was also surprised by its extreme lightness – to the point of wondering if it was really gold at all. “It’s hollowed out, with walls of varying thicknesses depending on their location, the aim being to find the ideal weight, making it super-comfortable to wear. That would have been impossible with solid gold,” explains the young founder of Tabayer Nigora Tokhtabayeva. Other designers (like Lauren Rubinski) have adopted this “trick” associated with affordable jewelry brands like Histoire d’Or and Maty. What a great idea – and one that marks the shattering of yet another taboo: here too, borders are shifting and minds opening up. With the price of gold reaching new highs – between 35 and 50 euros per gram, and higher still for fairmined gold (as in this piece) – this approach is likely to be a trendsetter.