Bracelet, ring, necklace, earring, jewel, gem, pearl… these are the protagonists of some beautiful tales in Vicenza’s Jewelry Museum. The word “jewel” itself has an interesting story to tell: some say it comes from the Latin ‘gaudium’, joy, others ‘iocus’, jest… two equally promising etymologies with a beautiful happy ending.
The curators of the refined museum located inside the wonderful Palladian Basilica – jewels inside a jewel, one might say – have pinpointed nine different pathways leading to the discovery of every precious item that might be called a jewel. They have labeled them: symbol, magic, function, beauty, art, fashion, design, icon, and future.
Amulets, jewels, ancient fibulae, high-couture custom jewelry, wedding bands, and souvenirs can have apotropaic or religious value, symbolize power or be everyday use objects, or even be designed by fashion gurus or artists.
Take any one of the nine pathways before you, and find out for yourself the joy and jest of a tale sparkling with jewels.
Photos via:
http://www.museodelgioiello.it
The nine pathways of Vicenza’s Jewelry Museum
