“In 2014, I wanted to work on couture jewelry, like Gabrielle Chanel‘s seashells,” says Ligia Dias. Through an association of ideas, the designer (who has worked alongside Nicolas Ghesquière, Jonathan Anderson and Rei Kawakubo of “Comme des Garçons”) thought of Belgian artist Marcel Broodthaers’ mussels – and then chips. The result was this gilt brass jewelry set, “half-figurative, half-abstract, because the rectangular chips remind me of a César compression”. The latest pieces in this collection, which are collectors’ items, are on sale at the bookstore of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris during the “Medusa” exhibition.

Some jewelry pieces exhibited in the “Medusa” exhibition are quite affordable, like this glass cocoon by Agathe Saint-Girons. The artist designed it for a rather unconventional wedding proposal: the one who receives it must smash it into a thousand pieces to gain possession of the gold ring it contains within. “The gesture symbolizing acceptance is much more of a commitment than opening a jewel box,” explains the designer, Agathe Saint-Girons, who provides a manual along with it. “Offer it as is, then break the glass and free the feelings”. Any glass cocoon that remains intact does not promise a good future …

On sale at the Elsa Vanier Gallery.

The term “DIY” is often associated with the work of Lisa Walker, a New Zealand artist who loves to collect, glue and paint items such as these foam cigarette ends. Here they are attached to a braid reminiscent of those used in Maori stone and shell jewelry, giving the necklace a magical, talismanic feel, as if it is intended to exorcise this deadly addiction.

Here we see a necklace, bracelet and ring cut out of an ordinary sheet of polythene. “This object, in the guise of a jewelry set, created a dialogue between jewelry and art,” says designer Carole Guinard, who produced it in 1987 for the first Biennale du Bijou in Paris. “The ultra-clean design provided a simple answer to the ambiguous questions posed by multiples, endless reproductions and copies with no originals.” The stock remaining from 1987 is now on sale at €25 a piece in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs bookstore. A splendid collector’s item.

The word “jewelry” doesn’t necessarily mean a necklace or a bracelet, and so the “Medusa” exhibition is presenting a set of false nails in diamonds created in 1953 by Mellerio. The beginnings of nail art. “They fit into the fashion of the time for small objects related to beauty like combs and compacts,” explains the jeweler. “But we haven’t yet discovered in our archives for which grand figure of elegance they were created.”

“This pendant didn’t come about after a great deal of consideration, but from a simple find in 1975 among the shelves of the BHV store,” explains its creator Gilles Jonemann whose work is based on basic and ordinary materials. “I hung this pretty chrome-plated eleven-centimeter wrench, just one of many, on a leather lace. It became obvious when a client asked me to mount her diamond and seeing both on my workbench, I detected the clash of symbolic references between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.” This jewelry piece, one of the first to emerge from the idea of altering an object’s meaning, won De Beers‘ “Diamonds International Awards” aimed at modernizing the use of diamonds. It is today considered a major piece in jewelry history.

I firstly featured the setting up of this exhibition along with the views of its curator, Anne Dressen, and its scientific advisors, Michèle Heuzé and Benjamin Lignel. Now I’ll present to you a rundown on the collectors, lenders, artists, jewelers and others from the world of the jewel who were present at the opening. An eclectic bunch all enthusiastic about this exhibition-event.

One of the videos featured in the “Medusa” exhibition echoes the current inauguration ceremony of France’s new President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. We see Vincent Auriol, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Mitterrand all receive the large gold chain and medallion of the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honor. Created by Napoleon to reward soldiers and civilians serving the nation, it is composed of the Legion of Honor star and sixteen links recalling the sixteen major activities of the nation.