Editor’s Note
“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History, showcasing nearly 70 celestial-inspired pieces—from rocket-shaped necklaces to nebula pendants and planetary watches.
“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The exhibition will feature nearly 70 celestial, mythological, and astrological pieces from the brand, including jewelry, timepieces, and precious objects such as necklaces depicting rockets in flight, gem-set pendants inspired by distant nebulae, and watches with mechanisms that trace the transit of planetary bodies.
– The “Diane” clip from Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Bal du Siècle, Bals de Lègende” high jewelry collection 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.
– Clips inspired by two galaxies in the “Virgo” constellation, nicknamed the “Butterfly Galaxies,” which astronomers predict will eventually merge into one.
– 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.
– The “Spiral” clip from 1942 in platinum, yellow gold, and rose gold with rubies and diamonds.
– 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, using white gold, aventurine glass, mother-of-pearl, and diamonds.
– The “Meteor” clip from 1951 depicts golden rays radiating from the diamond-studded core of a meteor in platinum.
The pieces come from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Patrimonial Collection and private owners who lent their contemporary jewels for the occasion. The exhibition is housed 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.
“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.
