GIA Museum Exhibit Celebrates Excellence in Jewelry

The GIA museum is showcasing a collection of gems and jewelry at the Institute’s Carlsbad headquarters. The exhibit, titled “Celebrating Excellence in Gems and Jewelry”, is showcasing items of historical significance, unique origin, outstanding design, or other feature.

According to GIA Museum Director Elise Misiorowski, each jewelry piece in the collection is exceptional.

“Celebrating Excellence” consists primarily of pieces on loan from museums, private collections, and design houses from around the world. Running through November, the exhibit will include the Hooker Emerald Brooch and the Bismarck Sapphire Necklace on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, a 1908 “Kokoshnik” tiara courtesy of Cartier International, and a fancy-colored diamond floral brooch by Bulgari circa 1960 that is on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Also on display are highlights from GIA’s newly acquired G?belin Collection of gems.

The exhibit opened as part of GIA’s Diamond Anniversary Gala, which kicked off the 4th International Gemological Symposium. On that evening only, a 108-carat, D color, flawless diamond, and a Formula One MP4-21 steering wheel with a diamond-studded Mercedes-Benz logo were on display courtesy of Steinmetz.

Other GIA Museum exhibits include the Eye for Excellence photo exhibition. It offers examples of excellence in gem photography through the acclaimed works of Harold and Erica Van Pelt, Tino Hammid, and GIA’s own Robert Weldon.