Events & AwardsJan 03, 2025
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Van Cleef & Arpels’ Astronomy-Inspired Jewelry to Land at AMNH
“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry From the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History.
The “Diane” clip from Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Bal du Siècle, Bals de Lègende” high jewelry collection, one of the pieces soon to be on display at the American Museum of Natural History. The piece depicts Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon, in white gold floating above a purple star sapphire in a cloud of blue and mauve sapphires with a diamond crescent moon in one hand and a diamond star in the other. (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
New York—The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York has announced that an exhibition of astronomy-inspired high jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels will open on April 11.
“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels” will feature nearly 70 celestial, mythological, and astrological pieces from the brand.
The exhibition is designed to celebrate the wonders and mysteries of the cosmos.
People have been captivated by the night sky and moved by the grandeur of space to create captivating works of art for a millennium, said AMNH.
The jewelry, timepieces, and precious objects showcased in the upcoming “Cosmic Splendor” exhibition include necklaces depicting rockets in flight, gem-set pendants inspired by distant nebulae, and watches with mechanisms that trace the transit of planetary bodies.
“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels” will feature nearly 70 celestial, mythological, and astrological pieces from the brand.
The exhibition is designed to celebrate the wonders and mysteries of the cosmos.
People have been captivated by the night sky and moved by the grandeur of space to create captivating works of art for a millennium, said AMNH.
The jewelry, timepieces, and precious objects showcased in the upcoming “Cosmic Splendor” exhibition include necklaces depicting rockets in flight, gem-set pendants inspired by distant nebulae, and watches with mechanisms that trace the transit of planetary bodies.
These clips were inspired by two galaxies in the “Virgo” constellation, nicknamed the “Butterfly Galaxies,” which astronomers predict will eventually merge into one. On the left is the “Doubles Galaxies” Saphir mauve clip and on the right is the Saphir rose clip. (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
A moon pendant in yellow gold with a ruby representing the landing spot of Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969. Three of these moon pendants were given to the astronauts who took part in the Apollo 11 lunar mission and one to President Richard Nixon, who welcomed them home. (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
The Van Cleef & Arpels “Spiral” clip from 1942 in platinum, yellow gold, and rose gold with rubies and diamonds (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
The “Lady Arpels Heures Filantes” watch from 2015 displays not only the time and date but also when a meteor shower is underway and how many meteors might be seen. The piece uses white gold, aventurine glass, mother-of-pearl, and diamonds. (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
The “Meteor” clip from 1951 depicts golden rays radiating from the diamond-studded core of a meteor in platinum (Image courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)
The pieces to be exhibited come from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Patrimonial Collection and private owners who lent their contemporary jewels for the occasion.
The museum will house “Cosmic Splendor” in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, a space for temporary exhibitions in the newly renovated Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals that opened in February 2021.
The space previously featured a collaboration between the museum and the jeweler in 2023, “Garden of Green: Exquisite Jewelry from the Collection of Van Cleef & Arpels.”
Most recently, the gallery exhibited “Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry.”
“Cosmic Splendor” is supported by the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation.
The exhibition is included with any admission to AMNH. Tickets can be purchased on the museum’s website.
More information on “Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels” will be available soon on the website.
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