The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Jewelry Gallery, which will house the entire collection in accessible study drawers, is a unique study center dedicated exclusively to contemporary jewelry. According to Wikipedia, a jewelry box is a receptacle for trinkets and jewels. It may take a very modest form, covered in leather and lined with satin, or it may reach the monumental proportions of the jewel cabinets which were made for Marie Antoinette, one of which is at Windsor, and another at Versailles, the work of Schwerdfeger as cabinet maker, Degault as miniature painter, and Thomire as chaser. They are often made in precious materials, such as gold, silver or ivory. In ancient East Asia, jewelry boxes were often made in wood, china, or covered with silk.
Lovers of all things jewelry, we have good news. A brand new jewelry resource center at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) opened last week with its inaugural show, *Elegant Armor: The Art of Jewelry*. The exhibition explores the inspirations for contemporary jewelry, including the fine arts, links bangles, the human form, and the natural world. Featuring over 130 works from 1948 to the present, pieces are drawn from the museum’s collection of approximately 450 modern and contemporary selections and will be on display until March 2009.
Located on the second floor of the new MAD building, the center also presents a rotating series of jewelry exhibitions and provides additional resources on the history of jewelry design through MAD’s online database. Construction of MAD’s Columbus Circle location was a controversial topic for New Yorkers over the past few years, but it’s clear the City is now excited to add yet another artistic destination for both New York natives and out-of-town visitors. Mayor Bloomberg was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and voiced his full support.
(Note: The sentence "Ladies with wheat tint would look better" seems out of context and may need clarification or correction.)