A Tapestry Set with 26K Gemstones Is Making Its US Debut
Its display at the University of Tucson’s gem and mineral museum has been a long time coming.

Even if the logistics seemed to present challenge after challenge.
One look at the piece or the specifics behind it, though, and it’s not hard to see why she and the museum’s team fought so hard for it to get there and then worked so hard to get it ready.
Created by Parisian jeweler Cristofol for a royal family in the 1980s, the “The Royal Tapestry,” as it has recently been dubbed, features 26,649 total gemstones—yellow, pink, and blue sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.
Each gemstone is calibrated to match in size and weigh about 0.5 carats each. The tapestry also features more than 100,000 hand-fabricated 18-karat gold prongs, set so smoothly “you can run silk over it, and it won’t snag,” Sergent told National Jeweler.
At 42 inches by 24 inches and weighing just over 40 pounds, it took five master artisans working for 18 months to complete it. Five years were spent sourcing and cutting the gems.
And so too did it take plenty of time to get it to its current, and temporary, home in Tucson—the University of Arizona’s Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum.
It was this owner who got in touch with Sergent in 2010, initially just to show her the piece.
Then, a few years ago, the owner again came to Sergent and Eric Fritz, the manager of the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum, with interest in temporarily displaying the tapestry in the new museum.
They eventually agreed to a one-year display before COVID-19 came and wrecked the plans, as it did for many others.
Amid myriad issues stemming from trying to safely get the tapestry from Geneva to Arizona during a pandemic, the collaboration took a backseat, though Sergent said they kept working to make it happen.
The delay from the pandemic ended up being fortuitous, she noted, because then a donor came forward who wanted to help, donating thousands of dollars for a showcase, shipping, and logistics.
Originally, the plan included multiple flights and stops, resulting in a days-long trip for the tapestry.
But then Swiss Air started offering direct flights from Zurich to L.A., which meant the piece needed to take one flight from Switzerland to the West Coast before being delivered in an armored vehicle to Tucson.
So the plan came together, involving a lot of paperwork, multiple countries, and two continents—not only through Sergent, Fritz and the museum staff, the donor, and the tapestry’s owner, who is based out of country, but also the state of Arizona for insurance underwriting, the London office of logistics company Malca Amit, and customs in L.A.
After receiving it, the museum staff worked hard to prepare it for display, giving it an updated condition report and creating a special new case just for the tapestry, flooding it with light for maximum brilliance.
Needless to say, after all that, the owner realized one year on display wasn’t enough.
The tapestry will now be at the Tucson museum, where it’s officially making its U.S. debut, until at least March 2024, with the possibility of extending beyond that.
For more information about its temporary home, the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum, visit its website.
The Latest

Acquired in 2021, the brand’s high jewelry sales have doubled and its new “Lock” collection was an instant hit.

Executives from Fred Meyer Jewelers and Riddles Jewelers have filled the roles.

The Victorian-inspired design is a functional lock and key.

De Beers Institute of Diamonds provides the very best in diamond verification, education and diamond services.

For over 100 years, JA New York has played an integral role in facilitating the evolution of our industry, while also honoring past traditions.


The trend forecaster and her guests explored unconventional jewelry designs, NFTs, AI art, and more during her Trendvision presentation.

The Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative provides diamond credit and mentorship to young brands helmed by BIPOC designers.

De Beers is sharing over 130 years of experience and expertise through the De Beers Institute of Diamonds with a selection of courses.

It will be located in San Antonio’s Alamo Quarry Market and will be Lee Michaels’ third location in the city.

Stephanie Gottlieb, Jewelers Mutual’s Mike Alexander, and Craig Rottenberg of Long’s Jewelers are among the new board members.

Rolex remained No. 1 while a brand known for its pilot watches slipped into the No. 5 spot.

Luxury retail executive Frédéric Levy has taken on the role.

Jewelry designers have until early February to apply to take part in Couture's Diversity Action Council program.

Morgan P. Richardson joins from La Perla.

The new portal will share information on responsible platinum sourcing and how it’s used beyond jewelry.

Sherry Smith breaks down retailers’ performance last year, including how natural diamonds fared vs. lab-grown.

The AGS Ideal Report by GIA is a digital-only addition to GIA diamond reports.

The seven newcomers include executives from David Yurman, De Beers, and GIA.

The designer finds the modernity in classic motifs and family heirloom jewels.

She has more than 20 years’ experience in watches and jewelry, and says sustainability is the “greatest single issue” facing the industry.
Its focus are words like “sustainability,” “ethics,” and “responsible sourcing.”

Another “Designer to Watch” and Kim Kardashian’s auction purchase were among our most-read stories.

Herco President Reuven Itelman is retiring and selling the company, which will relocate to Ohio from California.

She was previously the executive director of sales and marketing for the De Beers Group-owned company.

It’s from a new collection of charms designed to go in the brand’s signature lockets.

Lonnie Iannazzo of Vincent Anthony Jewelers is the 2022 William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award recipient.

The revised Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report-Dossier still includes the four Cs but doesn’t list growth method or post-growth treatments.