Spectacular Gems and Jewelry

A new exhibition at the Hillwood displaying the most beautiful jewelry of the twentieth century that once belonged Marjorie Merriweather Post

Marjorie Merriweather Post was one of the greatest jewelry collectors of the twentieth century, she acquired jewelry with the same discrimination that she applied to her acclaimed collections of fine objects from imperial Russia and eighteenth-century France. She was a connoisseur, commissioning commissioned great pieces from the most important jewelry firms of her time, including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, and Verdura among many others. Lady Marjorie left all her belongings for the benefit of future generations, transforming her mansion into a museum: "I want young Americans to see how someone lived in the twentieth century and how this person could collect work of art the way I have... I want to share this with the rest of the world," she said.

 

Cartier necklace with amethyst

 

 

From June 10, at the Hillwood Museum, in Washington, the exhibition Spectacular Gems and Jewelry will display the greatest examples from Hillwood’s collection, along with important loans of pieces once owned by Post but currently housed in other museum or private collections. An opportunity to examine the great quality and beauty of gems in the collection, their historical significance, and the evolution of twentieth-century jewelry design from the 1900s through the 1960s.

 

Harry Winston collier with turquoise