"Gems" exhibition, at the French National Museum of Natural History, in Paris

Nurturing the dialogue between science and art, the exhibition brings together some 500 minerals, gemstones and objets d'art from the Museum's collection with more than 200 jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels.

 

Prepare your visit

Earth's history, stories of savoir-faire

Meteorites, rocks, crystals, fossils, and more: all bore witness to the birth and evolution of our planet. Formed from cosmic matter, then bombarded by meteorites, and subject to underground movements such as continental drift, the Earth holds an immense variety of minerals. 

 

In this first part of the exhibition, emphasizing the close links between mineralogy, gemology and jewelry, Gems invites visitors to discover some 30 exceptional objects and jewelry pieces, most taken from the Museum's collections. Spanning diverse tastes, fashions, and artistic currents, the lapidary arts powerfully illustrate the history of cultures, from their origins to the present day. 

From mineral to jewels

Some 36 showcases present minerals or precious metals, gems and jewelry side by side, while seven jewelry cases highlight pieces from the Maison's collection. This exhibit sheds light on gemology as a link between science and artistic creation.

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    Raw aquamarine, "Gems" exhibition, Van Cleef & Arpels