Masterpieces of French Jewelry Exhibition

Necklace of platinum, sapphires, and diamonds, by Cartier and De Sedles, 1936 - 1937Jewelry is a funny thing: it's beautiful, valuable, portable, wearable, historical, fashionable, and a liquifiable asset. People buy it, steal it, obsess over it, lock it up in vaults, flee countries with it stuffed into socks, and wear it on only the most special occasions. They also put it in museums. Some of my favorite rooms in the museums of the world are those that showcase the jewelry of different ages. In the Louvre, for instance, blissfully distant from the crowds surrounding La Giacconda, there are vast rooms full of the golden accoutrements of Ancient Rome. Even today the designs could be worn without hesitation - their weight, their delicacy, their form, their finishings - all of it is remarkably modern and functional despite the age. Who knows what woman of the Roman court wore them, or how they were ever found, (if only I could find half of the earrings I've lost over my lifetime,) yet here they are, good as new, and almost three thousand years old.

This past weekend the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco opened its newest exhibition at the Legion of Honor Museum.  The Masterpieces of French Jewelry show gathers an eye-popping array of magnificent jewelry pieces spanning the Twentieth Century. The names synonymous with the Rue de la Paix and Place de la Concorde have been brought together to illustrate how jewelry design interpreted the varied artistic movements of the past one hundred years. The popular aesthetic sensibilities of Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque, Art Deco and Moderne are here interpreted in the language of Cartier, Boucheron, and Van Cleef & Arpels, among others. The show literally spans the entire century, beginning with the Exposition Universelle de Paris 1900, and ending with some of the most recent pieces from the past decade. Although the scope is broad, it is focused succinctly by presenting pieces owned only by American collectors. Many items are dignified by the simple "private collection" moniker, while others denote the ownership of Iris Cantor, Ann Getty, and even Dame Elizabeth Taylor, among others.

Yes, the neckwear seen at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party has nothing on this exhibit! As I took an overview of the many treasures I couldn't help but thinking: "I wonder what the insurance must cost..."

Like all shows visiting the Legion of Honor, this one is tucked into the intimate rooms on the lower level of the museum, and this may be the first time the work truly befits the space. Jewelry is intimate; it is worn on the most tender, erotically charged parts of the body, and while a single piece may be passed from one generation to the next, it is rare that multiple people wear the same jewelry item. Jewelry is also traditionally given as a romantic gesture, and it is therefore charged with all kinds of overtones of relationship, occasion, and promise. With this intimacy in mind, the show is set up to invite the viewers into very close proximity to the pieces - jewelry items are small, detailed, and decadent, so the privacy invited in the display is entirely appropriate. (While this voyeuristic set-up is correct for the exhibit, it is slightly, excitingly, unnerving - it feels that you're watching a beautiful woman accessorizing for an evening out, without her knowledge.) Equally appropriate is the jewel-box coloration of the walls and display pieces. The walls are deep mauve, dark sage, and velevety grey in color, matched by luxurious silk dupioni displays. For extremely intricate pieces of complex engineering the items are displayed on a piece of slanted plexiglass, allowing viewers to see the rarely-viewed reverse side of the settings.

The jewelry houses featured in the exhibition are likewise shown to their best advantage, highlighting their respective design expertise: Cartier's haute joaillerie and garland style, Boucheron's diamond engraving, the invisible "mystery" settings of Van Cleef & Arpels.

This enlightening view is part of the overall jewelry education provided by the show. Due to my former profession, I am lucky to have been well-trained in the technical aspects of fine jewelry: the four Cs, basic settings, cut styles, properties of gold alloys, etc., yet even I learned a few things at the exhibition. Such as the fact that prior to the Edwardian-Belle Epoque era when platinum became the metal of choice for jewelers due to its lightness and tarnish-free lustre, silver was the choice for "white" settings with diamonds. Or, that decidedly modern jewelry trends such as sautoirs and pendant earrings derived from the streamlined fashions of the Art Deco period - the dresses offered a new bareness to the neck, shoulders, wrists, and arms, and this alluring display needed to be balanced by a simple adornment.

In this tradition, the sexiest piece shown was a diamond and platinum necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels from 1928. The front of the piece looks like a basic necklace set with brilliant-cut stones, yet where one would think the necklace would close with a simple clasp, the artistry continues down the back with additional Art Deco-styled diamond tassels. In its description the piece is described as being "meant to be worn with a backless evening dress..." Irresistible.  

Vanity Case of platinum, diamonds, lapis, coral, onyx, & black enamel, by LaCloche Freres, c. 1920s - the ring was worn on the finger, while the case was tucked into the cuff...The early Twentieth Century is my favorite era of art and design history. I find it to be modern, yet still maintaining an organic aesthetic especially in the complex, romantic, and often anthropomorphic, natural forms of Art Nouveau. Indeed, the items created by René Lalique I found to be among the most compelling of the show. Intricate, modern forms, that are also wholly inseperable of their era. Lalique trained as a sculptor, using the more "humble" materials of opals, moonstones, and enamel to develop a more industrial, artistic sensibility for his jewelry. (Although not explored in this show, this same "humility" was seen again between the World Wars with the designers of the Weiner Werkstatte, when it was considered unseemly to wear expensive jewels.) One such humble Lalique item featured in this show is an umbrella handle made of carved gold and horn, with obvious influence from Rodin. Imagine toting your every-day umbrella with a miniature masterpiece in your hand! Another one of my favorites from this era is brooch of 18K gold, diamonds, ivory, and enamel simply titled Belle de Nuit. While the maker is unknown, the central ivory carving is by Edmond Becker, but the entire work is a pure confection of fantasy. A sensual woman with blue-webbed bat wings rises through a spray of stars and a crescent moon. While this is not the kind of classic piece that one could wear in any time, it is beautiful and decadent in the best tradition of high jewelry.

Conversely, many pieces featured were indeed perfectly attuned to today's jewelry trends: a large cuff designed by Coco Chanel and executed by Verdura in 1935 features and elaborate cross made of silver, 18K gold, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and other stones. Another bracelet and ring set by Jean Fouquet from 1930 follows this same large-scale trend, with large amethysts, moonstones, and rock crystals set into a smooth 18K white gold form. These designs are pure punk-rock, and clearly inspired some of last fall's giant cuffs from Juicy Couture and Betsey Johnson.  Even the gold-mesh evening bag from Husson in 1908 is remarkably similar to those produced today by Whiting and Davis.

While the exhibit is beautifully arranged and concise, I found an opportunity in the visual reinforcement of the show. My companion to the exhibit prompted me with: "There's a lot of 'dress clips' here - what's a 'dress clip'?" He was right. Many jewelers in the 1930s & 1940s produced brooches that would split apart into two pieces known as matching "dress clips," yet what they did exactly, I could not tell him. Embarassed at my own lack of this kind of infinitesmal knowledge of accessory history, I confessed that I didn't know, but that I'd look it up. (Little did he know that this is code for "I'm going to call my mom and ask her.") Mom said: "Oh, they're what you'd put onto those draped jersey dresses during the War - you know a v-neckline could be changed into a square neckline by strategically placing your dress clips." It seems that mother knows best, as I found this definition in The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers: dress clip - Fashion item which first appeared around 1930. It consisted of two jeweled clips attached to each side of a dress or blouse, just below the shoulders. Often made of diamante, the dress clip remained an important accessory in the 1930s and 1940s, worn mostly on evening and cocktail dresses.

Yet this is my point, it would have been wonderful to have seen an image of a woman wearing a dress with dress clips, (or even wearing the very same dress clips) right next to the ones in the museum case. An image of Sarah Bernhardt with one of her treasured Lalique jewels, or one of those young ladies of Whartonian New York with their garland-style Cartier bows, bought so stylishly in Paris during the Grand Tour. Jewelry is art, but it is meant to be worn - images of the jewelry being worn would have provided the exhibition with a more complete understanding of the pieces as they were originally intended to be seen: outside of a musem.

Most mere mortals will never own this kind of jewelry, so it is indeed a treat to see it in person, so beautifully presented, in such quiet intimacy. Jewelry is an approachable form of art and design, it is easily understood, appreciated, and desired by most every audience. This exhibition gathers some of the most-covetable pieces from the most prominent collections, pieces that have been celebrated and adored by their collectors and afficionados for generations. With jewelry, a thing of beauty truly is a joy forever.

Masterpieces of 20th Century French Jewelry from American Collections is at the Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum until June 10, 2007. Admission cost is $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors, $6.00 for youths 13 - 17, and children under 12 are free. A special Sunday brunch may be reserved for "Jewels and Jazz" - a prix fixe brunch with live jazz and museum admission - adults $40.00, children under 12 $16.00.The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30AM to 5:15PM.

The accompanying exhibition catalog entitled Masterpieces of French Jewelry, is by Judith Price, President of the National Jewelry Institute, and features all of the main pieces from the exhibit in beautiful photography, and may be purchased in the museum store for only $29.00.