Bedazzled

Yesterday, I went to see Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry at the El Paso Museum of Art. I was amazed by the number of pieces from the Walters Art Museum jewelry collection that were included the exhibit. The EPMA store had a catalogue from the Walters Art Museum for sale; flipping through it, I began to see that most of the pieces in the catalogue were included in the exhibit. In fact, the exhibit contained additional pieces, such as an adorable, miniature gold bear that dated to Egyptian or pre-Egyptian times. 

The exhibit truly spans approximately 5,000 years. In the first section of the exhibit, the pieces are from the Mediterranean, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman eras. These pieces sometimes show a wearer's social status, but people from these time periods tended to wear necklace or pendants because they believed that the jewelry protected them from evil or bestowed some sort of blessing. For example, one of the pieces in the exhibit, a pendant in the shape of a ram's head, has a dual purpose: it is believed to have functioned as a fertility symbol and as a protector.

The next portion of the exhibit focuses on the Roman/Byzantine era and migrates into the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. The jewelry of this period has more to do with showing one's social status although the "magical" element of jewelry remains an undercurrent. During these time periods, religious motifs emerge; Crucifixion scenes and portraits of the Madonna are particularly popular. The jewelry also reveals the cultural exchange that was occurring. Many of the pieces combine Greek and Roman traditions with Oriental influences.

The final portion of the exhibit focuses on jewelry from the eighteenth century to the present. The exhibit includes a Tiffany and Co. necklace from around the turn of the twentieth century. The necklace is exquisite; it features 265 round old cut diamonds. Other pieces in this section of the exhibit include Native American jewelry and items that reflect the public's interest in archeology during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, such as an Egyptian-style necklace with scarabs and Egyptianizing brooches.  

I spent over an hour in the exhibit and still feel that I need to return for another visit so that I can absorb the beauty of and the information about the jewelry. While I did not have time to view the video portion of the exhibit, I am sure that the information provided in the video is excellent. I suppose one of the facts that I found most interesting was how jewelry was thought to have a protective quality. I am not so sure that we have escaped that idea. We may not think that the jewelry we wear has the power to protect us from evil, but we still seem to believe that a piece of jewelry can act as a good luck charm. We wear a certain pair of earrings or a ring to a job interview or a first date. While the "luck" we perceive the jewelry to have may only be a placebo effect, I can attest to the fact that wearing my favorite pair of earrings to a job interview seems to bolster my courage.

The Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry exhibit will be on display at the El Paso Museum of Art through July 25, 2010. Admission for non-members is $10 for adults and $5 for children, ages 12 and under. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Hours on Tuesday through Saturday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays, the museum is open until 9 p.m. Sunday's hours are from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.