Bijoux Parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris

Sparkling gems, luxurious materials, elegant designs, and superb craftsmanship distinguish works by the great Parisian jewelry houses. Exploring the intersection of French art, fashion, and history, Bijoux Parisiens presents 75 glorious pieces of jewelry by Cartier, Lalique, Van Cleef & Arpels, and others.

Featuring jewelry from the 17th through the mid-20th centuries, the exhibition traces changing styles from lavish Baroque adornments through stately Neoclassical pieces to modern Art Deco designs. Additional decorative objects, design drawings, and prints illuminate the jewelry’s place and significance within French history and culture. Drawn from the collection of the Petit Palais, one of Paris’s greatest museums, these brilliant creations reflect the work of dozens of talented artists, designers, and entrepreneurs who collaborated to create extraordinary works of art.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.

Whether you go or not, the catalog, Bijoux Parisiens. French Jewelry From the Petit Palais, Paris -- published in 2013 and possibly hard to come by -- may be of interest.