Space Age Jewelry Creations

Tampa Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, white and yellow gold, diamond, sapphire, garnet, spinel and beryl. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Lately, my inbox has been filling up with jewelry inspired by the heavenly bodies in the universe. As if aliens entered my e-mail, dropped off these images and left just as mysteriously. Why this is happening at this time I can’t say for sure. But these beings left behind some interesting jewelry as well as a notice of an upcoming exhibition at Forbes Galleries featuring jewelry influenced by outer space.

Pair of earclips by Tiffany & Co., 1962, gold, red coral. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The exhibition titled, Out of This World! Jewelry in the Space Age, at the gallery on 60 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street) will open March 16 and run through September 7. Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, It will include objects from more than 100 designers and lenders.

The Love that Moves the Sun & the Other Stars ring by Donna Distefano, 22k gold, meteorite and diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The images in this story include items that are part of the Forbes Galleries exhibition along with other pieces that have crossed my desk under the same theme. 

Moon landing pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1969, yellow gold, ruby. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Covering a variety of space-related themes through the context of materials and design, the exhibit includes vintage memorabilia and art objects relating to space. Jewelry with space motifs from the Georgian period through contemporary work as well as jewelry made from materials that come from outer space, such as: tektite, meteorite, pallasite, moldavite and moissanite. It will include works by Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co., along with established jewelry artists. 

Time Traveler Constellation cuff by Jason McLeod, 14k yellow, 18k yellow gold, platinum and turquoise. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Among the exhibition highlights is the Van Cleef and Arpels’ Tampa Necklace, featuring detachable space-themed component parts, from a private collection. Another item from the famed Parisian luxury jewelry house is the Lunar Landing pendant, which was made to commemorate the first walk in space. Sputnik, Halley’s Comet, moon, star and planet-themed jewelry will also be seen, with abundant examples in fine and costume jewelry.

Horizon Pendant by Jacob Albee, 18k gold, 24k gold, ibeon meteorite, Tahitian pearl, white diamond, champagne diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There also will be other items that straddle the boundaries of art, jewelry and thematic objects. Among them is an an 18K gold Lunar Landing Module replica created by Cartier, designed to celebrate the first walk by man on the moon. Three of them were created for the astronauts that flew on the Apollo 11 mission and were gifts from Le Figaro newspaper. The one in this exhibition was given to astronaut Michael Collins. 

Rocket ship brooch, unknown maker, 1960s, platinum and diamonds. Lang Antiques, San Francisco. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There will also be a unique watch on display made for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which tells the time on Mars. 

Shooting Star by Parulina, champagne diamond pave and 18k gold.

Jewelry that has been flown in outer space includes Ed White II’s West Point ring, worn in space, which will be donated to West Point after the exhibition ends. White is the first person to walk in space. Jewelry worn and flown in space by astronaut Cady Coleman will be on view. Coleman has flown in two space missions, which includes spending 159 days on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 27. 

Milky Way Collection pendant by Nina Basharova, 18k gold. $2,150 retail.

On loan from Beads of Courage, will be "flown in space" beads. The organization is dedicated to providing programs and support for children coping with serious, life-threatening illnesses. 

Stargazer Pendant by What's Your Sign? 12 diamond "starz" surrounded by a universe of brilliant sapphires (2.2 ctw.) on a sapphire strand. $2,849 retail.

Other items include Donald Claflin’s Man in the Moon clip earrings for Tiffany & Co., which once belonged to Gloria Vanderbilt, as well as Bjorn Weckstrom’s “Princess Leia Necklace,” named because Carrie Fisher wore the same one in the awards ceremony scene in the first Star Wars movie. There also will be jewelry fashioned from materials created for the space race, including pieces made of: polymer, nitinol, dichroic glass, titanium and fiber optic glass.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

Early 20th Century Art Jewelry at Forbes Galleries

Morning Glory Brooch/Pendant, Marcus & Co., American c. 1900, Plique a jour, gold. Photo coutesy of Siegelson Inc.

Art jewelry, which differs from the mainstream jewelry of the late Victorian/early 20th century period, had diverse influences and styles in each country, yet there is also a thread that links them together. An exhibition to open at The Forbes Galleries, New York, on October 29 will show examples of the various movements side by side. The exhibition will run till March 17, 2012.

International Art Jewelry: 1895-1925 will include almost 200 pieces of jewelry and related decorative arts objects by 75 artists that illustrate the connection between the jewelry movements to each other and to the corresponding decorative arts during this period.

The exhibition will include work from Great Britain, United States, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and the Scandinavian countries.

The exhibition will explain why there was a global interest in creating art jewelry at this time and point out the differences and similarities between the influences and the styles of jewelry executed in various countries.

“This exhibition will focus on the broader subject of the relationship of a number of early 20th century art jewelry movements rather than zero in on work in one particular style or country,” said Bonnie Kirschstein, Forbes Galleries managing director.

The guest curator is Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of the Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts and the publisher/executive editor of Adornment Magazine. She is a noted lecturer and author whose publications include Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts & Crafts Tradition and Imperishable Beauty Art Nouveau Jewelry (co-authored with Yvonne Markowitz, Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan). Her most recent curatorial project was Jewelers of the Hudson Valley at The Forbes Galleries, April 9-June 25.

Jewelers of the Hudson Valley at Forbes Galleries

Lapis Wave Bracelet by Tom Herman, lapis lazuli,18k gold, platinum, enamel and diamonds.  Photo credit: Allen Bryan

Living within the immediate vicinity of the New Paltz area in upstate New York are a number of important studio jewelry artists whose work will be the focus of an exhibition at The Forbes Galleries in New York, April 9 – June 25.

Jewelers of the Hudson Valley, will feature the work of seven prominent jewelry artists: Jennifer Trask, Tom Herman, Pat Flynn, Jamie Bennett, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Arthur Hash and Sergey Jivetin. In addition, there will be pieces from the collection of the Samuel Dorsky Museum, State University of New York/New Paltz on display and selected works by students and graduates of the metals’ program at SUNY/New Paltz.

The guest curator is Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of the Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts, Post Chester, N.Y., which is sponsoring the exhibition.

The Forbes Galleries are located within the lobby of Forbes magazine headquarters in New York, 62 Fifth Ave. The Galleries are open free to the public 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays.

A curator’s tour of the exhibition is schedules for June 18 at 2 p.m. for anyone interested in signing up or one can be booked for groups of 10 or more by contacting Elyse Karlin at ekarlin@usa.net. There is no charge for a tour.

The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, LLC is dedicated to the advancement of jewelry studies by individuals and in schools, museums, and institutions of higher learning. AJSRA publishes Adornment Magazine, a weekly newsletter, runs an annual fall event, numerous additional special events, and offers a number of other benefits.