Have you ever walked into an exhibition and immediately thought, “OMG, where do I even begin? My heart beating, my adrenaline racing, I stepped forward.
That was me when I visited the Cartier Jewellery Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, in Melbourne.
As a jeweller, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful jewellery over the years, but this was something else entirely. With hundreds of extraordinary jewels, watches and precious objects, along with sketches, drawings and archival material, it was a wonderful opportunity to see not only the finished treasures, but also some of the creative thinking behind them.
For me, this is where the real inspiration lies.
I found myself looking closely at the details, the way stones were combined, the unexpected use of colour, the shapes, the craftsmanship and, of course, the sheer scale and ambition of some of the pieces. Cartier has this incredible ability to take gemstones and transform them into something that feels almost alive.
The exhibition also reminded me that great jewellery isn’t simply about the value of the materials. It’s about design, imagination, craftsmanship and the story that unfolds when those things come together.
I particularly loved seeing the original drawings and design material. As someone who designs jewellery myself, I know that the finished piece is only part of the journey. There is always that moment when an idea exists only in your head (or scribbled on a piece of paper!) and somehow has to make its way into the real world.
Even the exhibition itself was beautifully considered. Colour, light and materials were used to create spaces inspired by the gemstones themselves. It felt as though I wasn’t simply looking at jewellery, I was stepping into its world.
I came away feeling incredibly inspired and, perhaps not surprisingly, with my head full of ideas!
That’s one of the wonderful things about being a jeweller. You can visit an exhibition celebrating work created many decades ago and still come home buzzing with new possibilities.
I purposely did not include images of jewellery from the exhibition. There really are no images/photos that can capture the remarkable beauty of the hundreds of masterpieces. However, here is a link from the gallery website to peek at some of the masterpieces: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/cartier/
If you love jewellery, design, colour, history or simply beautiful things, I highly recommend taking the journey to see CARTIER at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Now, excuse me, I’m off to my studio, as I have a few ideas to play with! In the meantime, here’s the link to my website with the latest and greatest Renée Blackwell Design: https://www.reneeblackwelldesign.com/
Cheers,
Renée
PS I took a friend who is NOT a jeweller or really into jewellery in any way. When we were finished with the exhibition sitting having a coffee, she paid me such a lovely compliment: She said: “I’m so glad I went with you, I would never have seen it the way I did without you. Seeing this remarkable exhibition through your eyes, was a real gift!”
