Event Schedule
Saturday, June 26, 1 p.m.-5 p.m EDT
—Ulysses Grant Dietz, Julia’s Jewelry: Julia Dent
Grant, from the Frontier to Fifth Avenue
Born on the western frontier to a prosperous slave-owning farmer,
Julia Boggs Dent would marry her brother's West Point roommate
and set out on a journey as unexpected as it was emblematic of
America in the second half of the 19th century. Julia's peripatetic
life with Ulysses S. Grant would take her from a log cabin to the
White House to a mansion in New York City. All along the way, Julia
would aspire to the jewelry that suited her place in the American
dream.
—Elyse Zorn Karlin, Queen Marie of Romania, Extraordinary Woman,
Extraordinary Jewels
Queen Marie of Romania or Marie Alexandra Victoria (1875-1938)
also known as Marie of Edinburgh, was the last Queen of Romania
as the wife of King Ferdinand I. She was the daughter of Prince
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Queen Victoria, and the former
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, the daughter of Emperor
Alexander II. Marie was known as a great beauty, a Royal who got
involved in politics, and the owner of some fabulous jewels, especially
tiaras, She had an interesting relationship with the Maryhill Museum
in the state of Washington which she visited in 1926.
—Jan Krulick-Belin, Collecting Jewels: Three Women's Stories
As the saying goes, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” and the
desire to adorn one’s self with beautiful things is universal.
A
magnificent jewel provides the perfect complement to the fashion
of the day, but more importantly, reflects its owner’s taste, lifestyle,
wealth, and status. This lecture will examine the jewelry collections
once belonging to three trend-setting, 20th-century socialites--Daisy
Fellowes, Barbara Hutton, and Doris Duke.
—Megan Martinelli, From Custom Cartier to Collecting: The Spectacular
Jewelry Collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) was the one of the most
influential female collectors, philanthropists, and businesspersons
of the twentieth century. As the daughter of American businessperson
CW Post (1854-1914), she became the largest shareholder of his
company, Post Cereal Company, at 27 years old upon her father’s
death. Under Post’s tutelage, the company flourished and evolved
into the major conglomerate, General Foods, making her one of the
wealthiest women in the country. After a move to a Fifth Avenue
residence in New York in 1915, Post became a serious jewelry collector,
developing a friendship with Cartier New York sales representative,
Jules Glaezner. Her regular presence at glamorous philanthropic
events fueled her need for fine, fashionable jewelry and her taste
for objects with royal provenance. This lecture will explore her
collection of fine jewelry acquired over a lifetime of a passion
for distinctive craftsmanship. Particular examples from the collection
will highlight Post’s studious
approach to gemstones and history.
Sunday, June 27 at 1 p.m. EDT to
5:30 p.m.
—Caroline Perkowski, Suzanne Belperron: Modern,
Before the World War.
In this lecture, Caroline will discuss the
research behind the book, Jewelry
by Suzanne Belperron, revisiting
Madame Belperron`s youth and exploring the pivotal influences that
helped shape her as one of the greatest jeweler designers of the
20th Century.
—Cindi Strauss with Helen Drutt, Women on the International Stage:
Jewelers from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston acquired the Helen William
Drutt Collection of contemporary jewelry. Drutt, a pioneering gallerist,
scholar, and collector assembled the works over a 40-year period.
From the very beginning she collected jewelry by women artists,
whose work comprises a significant part of the collection. In this
talk, Strauss will discuss these artists and their role in international
jewelry. She will be joined by Helen W. Drutt English at the end
of the talk for a discussion about Drutt's experiences as a leader
in the field.
—Collector Karen Rotenberg, interviewed
by Yvonne Markowitz
Yvonne Markowitz, Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator Emerita
of Jewelry, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will interview Boston collector
Karen Rotenberg, a former gallery owner, museum benefactor, and
connoisseur of the contemporary art jewelry scene. Her interests
in this area are wide-ranging and among her holdings are ornaments
composed of precious metals, unusual stones, an assortment of plastics,
and all things curious and zany. Karen is impeccably fashionable,
delightfully upbeat, and always willing to share her thoughts on
jewelry.
—Beth Wees, The Marvelous Millicent Rogers: Icon and Iconoclast
Heiress to the Standard Oil Company, Millicent Rogers (1902-1953)
is most often remembered as a wealthy socialite and fashion icon,
a client and muse of such influential twentieth-century designers
as Charles James and Elsa Schiaparelli. The jewelry she wore was
no less original, featuring work by Cartier, Boucheron, Chaumet,
Verdura, Schlumberger, and René Boivin. Later in life she fell
in love with the American Southwest and amassed quantities of silver
and turquoise jewelry created by Native American jewelers. She
also became a jeweler herself, designing and even fabricating some
of her own creations. In this talk, Beth Carver Wees will explore
the life and legacy of this highly intelligent, extravagant, restless,
and philanthropic woman and her extraordinary sense of style.
—Bella Neyman, The Jewelry of Sah Oved
British jeweler Sah Oved’s career took a back
seat to that of her eccentric partner, Mosheh Oved, an antiques
dealer and proprietor of the store Cameo Corner as well as an advocate
for London’s Jewish émigré community. However, Sah’s hand left
an indelible mark not only on Mosheh’s work but also on British
jewelry design pre-World War II. Theirs was a tale of jewelry,
love, and intrigue. This is Sah's fascinating story and the speaker's
quest to learn all she can about this fascinating and somewhat
forgotten figure.