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Spectacular Jewelry on Display at Hillwood

Through January 7, 2018, visit Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens for Spectacular Gems and Jewelry and discover exquisite examples of historic gems and the most beautiful jewelry of the twentieth century.

Left by Marjorie Merriweather Post for the benefit of future generations, the exhibition affords the opportunity to examine the great quality and beauty of gems in the collection, their historical significance, and the evolution of twentieth-century jewelry design from the 1900s through the 1960s.

When changes after World War I added powerful figures to the ranks of the wealthy, the world’s most exquisite jewels passed into new hands and revolutionary changes in fashion led to innovation in jewelry design. Marjorie Post was among the new elite and she acquired jewelry with the same discrimination that she applied to her acclaimed collections of fine objects from imperial Russia and eighteenth-century France.

Marjorie was not just interested in wearing jewels, but was a connoisseur. Her resulting collection represented the finest assemblage of gems and historical and twentieth-century jewelry in America. She commissioned great pieces from the most important jewelry firms of her time including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, and Verdura among many others.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens is located at 4155 Linnean Avenue NW