Most eye miniatures were exchanged between lovers, though they were also given to close friends and family members.
Jewelry
Posted inIn Brief
A “Sorcerer’s Treasure Trove” Uncovered in Pompeii
The wooden box full of amulets, trinkets, and gems is believed to have belonged to a Roman sorceress, according to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
Posted inArt
The History of Jewelry, from Ancient Mesopotamia to Today
While the pieces on display are beautiful, The Met’s Jewelry: The Body Transformed exhibition is lacking in curatorial vision, dividing the objects into blandly-broad thematic sections.
Posted inIn Brief
Beyoncé Donates Bejeweled Butterfly Ring to Victoria & Albert Museum
The superstar’s scintillating Glenn Spiro ‘Papillon’ ring is now on view in the V&A’s jewelry galleries.
Posted inArt
The Pulsing Patterns of Traditional North African Jewelry
PARIS — Wearable Treasures: Maghreb Jewelry and Ornaments is a pointed consideration of the psychic powers interlaced throughout North African women’s jewelry.
Posted inArt
A Hands-On Experience with Harry Bertoia’s Sonic Sculptures
After his death in 1978, Harry Bertoia was interred beneath one of his most impressive sonic works: a 2,000-pound, 10-foot-in-diameter silicon bronze gong.
Posted inArt
The Meaning of the Ring, from Memento Mori to Marriage
Rings are one of the most personal and oldest human adornments, evolving in complexity with metalwork techniques and the gemstone trade.
Posted inOpinion
Flapping Wings Perched on Your Finger
LOS ANGELES — Most of us want to fly. And while we’ve generally figured out that human beings best fly through a gliding mechanism, Leonardo Da Vinci famously tried to mimic the way so many other animals fly but he never did get off the ground.
Posted inArt
The Precious Gems Art History Forgot
Imagine strolling through clean, bright halls, surrounded by immaculate display cases filled with baubles and trinkets, the steam-polished precious metals and gems coruscating in the glare of spotlights. Hear your feet clacking on the white floors, stopping to look closer at the jewelry on display, but not close enough to stir the ire of the security guard peering over your shoulder. Imagine wanting everything you see, from diamond diadems to neon-tubed necklaces. No, you’re not in Tiffany’s or Cartier, you’re in the Museum of Arts and Design, gazing at their new show, Picasso to Koons: The Artist as Jeweler.