While French museums, from the Louvre to the Grand Palais via the Quai Branly, have been highlighting fashion since the start of the year, the world of jewelry also enjoys its moment of glory this spring through various exhibitions. Let's explore three of them, showcasing three different periods: the splendor of the Renaissance, the backstage of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and finally, the blue-tinged explorations of the 20^th century.

An exhibition on Renaissance jewelry? "The format is unprecedented in France," said Ana Debenedetti, a specialist of the period and director of the Fondation Bemberg in Toulouse, which offers the exhibition in partnership with the Musée national de la Renaissance – Château d'Écouen (located in Val-d'Oise). The two institutions have gathered some 100 works (jewelry, drawings, paintings, sculptures, engravings, or molds) from their collections from about 30 lenders: the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the British Museum in London, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, etc. They are being shown at the Foundation's headquarters, in the Hôtel d'Assézat, built between 1555 and 1562.

After the conditions of production of these objects in the 16^th century and the art of goldsmithing are explained, the visit details the characteristics of Renaissance jewelry. Its enamel pendants, often ending with typical baroque pearls, its rings, or its more unexpected pieces (such as an engraved pomander) may favor gold and stones, but they are primarily figurative, alternating between ancient inspirations, religious references, chivalric orders, and sentimental symbols.

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