Brilliance : Jewelry Art and Fashion

From large necklaces from ancient Egypt to contemporary pieces created in workshops, jewellery has been used as a powerful communication tool throughout the millennia and around the world. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts collection showcases human ingenuity across the globe through an incredible variety of jewellery designs, materials and techniques. Each object has its own story, but when placed side by side, they engage in dialogue with one another, inviting us to view this art form from a new angle and discover new perspectives.

This book analyses jewellery as a messenger, decorative art and ornamental object throughout four thousand years of history. It presents more than 100 works from the MFA collection, their creators, uses and meanings, and includes works by Alexander Calder, Art Smith, Elsa Peretti, René Boivin, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and many others.