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Window shopping for JewelryBy Madelyn Miller
While the stores are filling their windows with gorgeous jewels and expensive baubles, many top museums are displaying “collections” of famous jewels. View the best of the best, for the mere price of admission. While it is not exactly window shopping, you will see the baubles behind glass cases. And you might even find an affordable piece in the gift shops. My favorite gift shop is at the Museum of Arts and Design. I think the works by Abra will be collector’s pieces. I already have way more than one. Below are three New York City Museums that have great jewelry exhibits right now. If you want to go further, there is a fabulous pearl exhibit in Toronto. http://www.travellady.com/Issues/December04/990TorontoHeadToToe.htm A Century of New York Jewelry Design Museum Of Arts & Design Presents Centennial Retrospective Of One Of The Great Jewelry Designers Of The 20th CenturySeaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design
The New York Times (September 17, 2004) wrote: “[Seaman] Schepps's heyday, the 40's and 50's, was a time when fashions favored big and bold kinds of jewelry…Retro-minded viewers might enjoy the garish vitality of the Schepps work…a fine semi-minimalist installation of low cases in a grid formation, designed by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, makes it easy to study individual pieces. [Schepps] used unorthodox settings, including other materials like coral and fine woods, as if composing a modernist collage...the catalog and the exhibition make a useful contribution to American jewelry studies.”
The spectrum of Schepps’s work ranges from combinations of found objects with polished and carved stones, to fusions of precious and non-precious materials, such as gold and wood link bracelets or shell and diamond earrings. His work characterized a new approach to jewelry, one that reflected a society in which strong, independent women selected and purchased their own jewelry, not so much for its great value as for its bold personality and style.
Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design focuses on the development of a uniquely American sense of jewelry design, a break from the traditional approach to materials and a celebration of the style and independence of the 20th century woman. The exhibition also features a striking and memorable installation design, created by renowned international designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli, featuring gray-metal display vitrines that appear to float above a metal floor. The installation also includes a wall of contextual material with portraits of Schepps and his family, and many of his famous clients, as well as high-fashion illustrations from the mid-20th century from such magazines as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design is accompanied by a full-color catalog, published by Vendome Press, with essays by jewelry historian Janet Zapata and Seaman Schepps’s granddaughter Amanda Vaill. VISITOR INFORMATION Location: The Museum of Arts & Design is located
in midtown Manhattan at 40 West 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth
avenues, New York City. Masterpieces Of American Jewelry
The American Folk Art Museum began sparkling with the glitter of gold and glamour of gems when it hosted the exhibition Masterpieces of American Jewelry presented by the National Jewelry Institute, a new not-for-profit organization established to organize exhibitions and support research of important jewelry of the last three centuries.
The jewelry is presented in five major sections—Americana, Nature, Humor, Pastimes, and High Style—that highlight the spirit of American creativity in the jeweler's art. This is reflected in a sense of whimsy and an adventurous use of colored precious and semi-precious stones. In addition, in the second half of the 20th century, American jewelers emphasized a simplification of form that often resulted in works that became abstract sculpture to be worn. A During the 1930s and 40s Hollywood stars such as Joan Crawford wore high style, sophisticated, large, colored stone jewelry designed by Raymond C. Yard and Paul Flato. Also on view are a spectacular aquamarine necklace designed by Paul Flato for Cole Porter's wife Linda and a bold art deco emerald and diamond clip brooch commissioned by Irving Berlin from Cartier. A pair of wide gold cuffs from 1970, reflecting a classical Greek tradition, were made by Van Cleef & Arpels and worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Baseball, America's great national pastime, is represented in jewelry by forms such as rings and brooches on loan from the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Accompanying the exhibition is a book Masterpieces of American Jewelry, by Judith Price, published by Running Press. Following its presentation at the American Folk Art Museum, the exhibition will travel to London and Paris. About The American Folk Art MuseumFounded in 1961, the American Folk Art Museum is a leading cultural institution dedicated to the collection, exhibition, preservation, and study of traditional and contemporary folk art from the U.S. and abroad. Through its renowned permanent collection and an ambitious program of groundbreaking exhibitions, educational programs, and publications of exceptional artistic merit and scholarship, the museum has been introducing audiences to the story of folk art for more than four decades . As the only institution in New York City devoted to the field, it is home to one of the world’s preeminent collections of more than 4,500 works of art from the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, including paintings, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, furniture and decorative art. In December 2001, the Museum opened its new building—and first permanent home—at 45 West 53rd Street. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the 85-foot tall building is noted for its lustrous, sculptural façade clad in sixty-three lightly textures tombasil panels—a white bronze alloy. The 30,000 square foot, eight-level museum features galleries that vary in scale from intimate personal spaces to open areas for the display of larger works. Art is dynamically integrated throughout in an inventive plan that utilizes three different staircases, encouraging an architectural journey through the space. The American Folk Art Museum is the first new freestanding art museum built in New York City since 1966 and is highly regarded as "one of the most influential examples of modern architecture of the century" as well as "a vital cultural addition to New York City." It has been hailed as "a jewel-box museum that's a jewel in itself." American Folk Art Museum is located at 45 West 53
Street, New York 10019. Totems To TurquiseNative American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest are on display at the American museum of Natural History until July 10, 2005. It is a good thing that the exhibit is on for so long, because the waits to get in are not short. Since the Indian emphasis seems to interest children, many families are there are on the weekend. This landmark exhibit features a stunning array of some 500 historic and contemporary jewelry pieces and artifacts that celebrate the beauty, power and symbolism of Native North American arts. Totems to Turquoise honors the rich, complex and diverse art forms of the Northwest and Southwest—the foundations of which lie in thousands of years of heritage, and focuses on the cultural similarities and differences of the two regions, the role of mythology in design, and how artists incorporate images from their physical landscape into their work. And most thoughtfully, there is a special collection of one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces and art objects in The Shop. Many of these are priced for collectors, but there are some very nice affordable offerings. WARNING: GETTING IN IS COMPLICATED. Admission to the show includes museum admission. I had a City Pass, which included admission, but it took four different lines on three different floors to find someone who would help me get the right ticket. And then it was the wrong time for the show. Maybe I am not patient enough for jewelry. So I wandered around other exhibits, and hope to go back at a less crowded time. Admission: Tickets are $19 for adults; $14 for students
and seniors and $11 for children, and include Museum admission. Free for
members, Advance tickets are available by phone at 212-769-5200
Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm. A service charge might apply. American Museum of Natural History American Folk Art Museum Helpful websites Interested in New York Theatre? GREAT DEALS New York City Pass www.citypass.com NEW YORK PASS is www.newyorkpass.com Save on meals www.cityshuffle.com MOST UNUSUAL THING FOR WOMEN TO SEE IN NEW YORK Ticklebomb’s Mantasia MADELYN’S FAVORITE CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCES Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity Anything Chocolate by David Burke at DavidBurke and Donatelle MADELYN’S FAVORITE RESTAURANTS DavidBurke and Donatelle. Their prix-fixed lunch is a
tremendous value BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND NEW YORK RESTAURANTS See the film Eat This New York. It is the story of a few restaurateurs who have made it, and two hopefuls trying to beat the odds. From the outset, viewers are warned that over 1,000 New York restaurants open every year and only one in five survives. DVD is available from www.organicpictures.com MADELYN’S FAVORITE NEW YORK HOTELS FOR VALUE 1. Hampton Inn Manhattan. Great deal and neighborhood filled with bargains and markets. Free breakfast and internet access and chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon. 108 West 24th Street. 2.Mansfield Hotel. Just off Fifth Avenue and halfway between Saks and Lord and Taylor. Free business office and friendliest staff in town 3. Park Central New York. The Park Central New York is located at 870 Seventh Avenue at 56th Street, New York, NY 10019-4038. For reservations and information, call 1-800-346-1359 www.parkcentralny.com. Washington Square Hotel. Funky and fun, this almost-historic hotel has been family owned for two generations and is now lovingly renovated. 103 Waverly Place. 800-222-0418 or 212-777-9515 BEST BIG SPLURGE ELEGANT HOTELS Kitano. Japanese owned, it offers an aura or oriental serenity. Yet it is conveniently located on Park Avenue in mid-town. 66 Park Avenue Hyatt Stanhope. A haven for culture mavens, this elegant hotel is just across the street from the Metropolitan Museum Great Guidebooks ZAGAT Survey New York Nightlife New York City Theatre Guide New York City Restaurants New York City Marketplace New York Shopping Brooklyn (which is now some people’s favorite part of New York City) You can even vote at www.zagat.com Native's Guide To New York The Girlshop Guide To NYC Shopping Museums And Galleries Of New York City Nosh New York Fodor's See It New York Eyewitness Travel Guide New York Moon Metro Knopf City Guides New York City New York City New York from A to Z New York City Official NYC Guide The New York Times Guide To New York Sleep Cheap in New York: High-Quality Lodgings at
Rock-Bottom Rates Manhattan New York with Kids Where To Go IF YOU WANT TO VENTURE FURTHER Where To Weekend Around New York City Long Island Alive New York State The Thirteen Colonies TASTE OF NEW YORK AT HOME COOKBOOKS The New York Restaurant Cookbook Balthazar Cookbook Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie Little Italy Cookbook Welcome to Juniors Second Helpings from Union Square High Heat BEST WAY TO FIND YOUR WAY AROUND Wear your favorite city on a scarf! Tasaram's 100% silk
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Beautiful
women through the ages have been showered with priceless jewels. If a Sultan
or Prince or millionaire has not fallen in love with you, at least you can
look and see what the other girls got.
The
Museum of Arts & Design presents Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York
Jewelry Design, a retrospective of the development of one of America’s most
innovative 20th century jewelry firms. Featuring approximately 150 pieces
of vintage jewelry from private collections in the United States, the
exhibition will include design renderings, images from fashion publications,
jewelry molds, samples of raw materials used in the Schepps workshop, such
as ebony, rock crystal, coral, turquoise and pearls to establish an
atmosphere for the viewer, a sense of the development of the work and its
artistic and social context In the 20th century. 
Seaman
Schepps, after many years as a dealer of jewelry and art objects, began to
design his own pieces around 1926, which he gradually introduced in his
Lower East Side showroom. Early success allowed Schepps to move uptown to
various Upper East Side locations throughout the first half of the century,
before settling into the current 485 Park Avenue location in 1959. Schepps,
whose production studio exemplified the Arts & Crafts Movement, served as
designer and employed a small number of highly skilled craftsmen to create
one-of-a-kind works of art. 
Shepps’s
striking jewels have graced the covers of leading fashion magazines like
Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country. A stellar roster of clients
including the Roosevelts, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Rockefellers,
Marlene Dietrich and the British royal family, and particularly his work for
many White House families led to Schepps’s designation in the mid-20th
century as “America’s Court Jeweler.” 
In
its September 2004 issue, the fashion journal W said, "The Museum of Arts &
Design retrospective brings to light the glitter, glamour and polish of a
century of jewelry design and innovation."
David
Revere McFadden, chief curator of the Museum of Arts & Design, says, "Great
jewelry design depends on the dynamic interplay between imagination and
skill. In his jewelry designs that combined precious and non-precious
materials, ranging from diamonds to wood, exotic carvings in coral and
turquoise and, of course, his signature sea shells, Schepps transformed an
imaginative vision into wearable works of art. For over a century, the name
of Seaman Schepps has been synonymous with vibrant design and excellence in
craftsmanship."
Jewelry,
like all true art, can be a remarkable expression of an entire culture. The
Masterpieces of American Jewelry Exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum
until January 23, 2005 celebrates the unique attributes of American jewelry
and its creators, providing a stunning visual history of the values,
traditions and pleasures of our society over the past two centuries.
More
than 150 dazzling pieces of American jewelry from the end of the 18th to the
end of the 20th centuries were selected by Ralph Esmerian, noted fourth
generation colored stone dealer, folk art collector, vice-chairman of the
National Jewelry Institute, and chairman of the American Folk Art Museum.
Drawn from private and corporate collections, the show highlights the
artistry of jewelry designers whose unique creations were made in workshops
and retailed in America by firms such as Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Van Cleef &
Arpels, Harry Winston, Bulgari and JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal who was born
in New York and works in Paris). 
"It
is a pleasure to welcome the National Jewelry Institute to the rich cultural
mix of New York City and to provide the gallery space that this new
institution requires to present its inaugural exhibition. I know that the
museum's visitors will find this splendid presentation to be a fascinating
introduction to an overlooked art form," commented Gerard C. Wertkin,
director, American Folk Art Museum.
mong
the masterpieces is an extraordinary group of fifteen delicately rendered
Tiffany flowers from the turn of the last century. Enameled and embellished
with gold and diamonds, they display the amazing workmanship of American
jewelers. These orchids and other plants strongly influenced the work of
the famous French designer Lalique.
Symbols
of national pride are seen in gem encrusted Flag brooches, such as the 1927
example from Cartier, New York. In the section devoted to Humor are several
Disney charm bracelets created by Cartier in the early 20th century.