Jewelry Designers Recast 2,000-Year-Old Coins and Stones in Contemporary Pieces
Updated
Updated · British Vogue · Jul 22
Jewelry Designers Recast 2,000-Year-Old Coins and Stones in Contemporary Pieces
2 articles · Updated · British Vogue · Jul 22
Summary
Ancient artifacts are moving to the center of new jewelry designs, with houses using Roman coins, prehistoric arrowheads and carved gems as the focal point rather than decorative accents.
Bulgari’s latest example pairs a Roman silver coin dated 198-297 AD with a rose-gold secret watch worn by Anne Hathaway, extending a Monete line the brand first launched in 1966.
Designers say the appeal lies in preserving an object’s identity while giving it a modern setting; Hemmerle recently mounted prehistoric arrowheads, and Marc Auclert framed a Hellenistic amethyst intaglio dating to 3 BC.
The approach draws on a longer tradition of resetting antiquities, from Cartier’s Egyptomania-era pieces after Tutankhamun’s tomb discovery to current collections such as Van Cleef & Arpels’ Egypt-inspired high jewelry.