As you make your summer travel plans, be sure to check out the museums and auction houses in the cities you are visiting for their fine jewelry exhibitions and auctions. Spending an hour or two in an air-conditioned museum or exhibit space is a great way to beat the heat of summer sightseeing, while adding to your knowledge of and passion for fine jewelry. Here is a list of some important summer exhibits, plus a schedule of fine jewelry auctions, many of which you can also view online as an armchair traveler. Bon voyage!
Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography
Museum of Arts & Design, New York, NY
Through January 18, 2015
Gilded New York
Museum of the City of New York, New York, NY
Through January, 2015
Unique by Design: Contemporary Jewelry in the Donna Schneier Collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Through August 31, 2014
& Diamond Pendant-Brooch
Cartier: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Dazzling Gems
Hillwood Museum, Washington, DC
Through December 31, 2014
Gold and the Gods: Jewels of Ancient Nubia
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
July 19, 2014 – May 14, 2015
The Beauty of Science: Gems & Gemology Celebrates 80 Years, Featuring the Artistry of Harold and Erica Van Pelt
Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, CA
Through December, 2014
Fabergé: Jeweler to the Czars
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada
Through October 5, 2014
Femmes Berbères du Maroc
La Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, France
Through July 20, 2014
Coming this Fall:
Hollywood Glamour: Fashion and Jewelry from the Silver Screen
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
September 9, 2014 – March 8, 2015
Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century
Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
November 16, 2014 – March 15, 2015
Auctions through September:
Bonham’s
(www.bonhams.com)
Jewelry, London, Knightsbridge, July 16
Jewelry, Oxford, July 22
Jewelry, London, Knightsbridge, Aug. 13
Jewelry, Oxford, Sept. 2
Jewelry and Silver, Edinburgh, Sept. 3
Jewelry, London, Knightsbridge, Sept. 10
Fine Jewelry, London, New Bond Street, Sept. 17
Salon Jewelry, San Francisco, Sept. 29
Christie’s
(www.christies.com)
Brilliant Jewels, online only, through July 1
Jewelry, London, South Kensington, July 17
Jewelry & Watches, London, South Kensington, Sept. 1
Freeman’s Auctioneers & Appraisers
(www.freemansauction.com)
Jewelry & Silver, Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, July 9
Estate Jewelry, Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Sept. 17
Heritage Auctions
(www.ha.com)
2014 Jewelry Signature Auction, Beverly Hills, Sept. 22
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
(www.lesliehindman.com)
Fine Jewelry, Chicago, Sept. 7–8
Sotheby’s
(www.sothebys.com)
Fine Jewels, London, July 16
Important Jewels, New York, Sept. 23
For tips on how to pack and care for your fine jewelry click here.
Sources: The American Society of Jewelry Historians, which is celebrating its 27th year as one of the nation’s pre-eminent jewelry organizations: jewelryhistorians.org; The Gemological Institute of America (GIA); Town & Country magazine.
