Around 13.8 billion years ago, when the Big Bang gave birth to the universe, stars were formed. Then, time after time, substances that are known as primordial minerals — what make up the stellar bodies — are believed to have travelled to the Earth in the form of meteorites. One of the minerals was carbonado, or black diamond, a type of diamond speculated to hail from space.
The exhibition at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
However, it’s not only just this rare type of the toughest natural diamond that boasts a fascinating story of how nature came to leave the blue planet with a mineral that billions and billions of years later would be something mankind is after for the sake of ornamentation.
Diamond of other types, as well as other minerals and gemstones, from gold and ruby to sapphire and emerald, through their own distinct formation processes, all reflect the evolution of the Earth.
This subject is extensively explored at an exhibition at ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
One of the museum’s highlights this year, “The Art And Science of Gems” is a collaborative effort between Van Cleef & Arpels, a century-old jewellery maison that has recently opened its first store in Bangkok, and the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the world’s leading institution on the Earth’s treasures and human activities in the scopes of geology and biodiversity.
With ArtScience Museum being well-known for dealing with the links between art, science, culture and technology, the exhibition can certainly be expected to go beyond a mere eye-popping display of more than 450 pieces from the maison’s private collection. Set alongside these featured pieces, which are displayed in seven different themes, are more than 250 natural treasures and scientific artefacts from the Minerals and Gems Collection of the French National Museum of Natural History, arguably the world’s richest collection of its kind.
The accompanying collection delves into seven topics associated with the formation of minerals and gemstone including pressure, temperature, transport, water, oxygen, life and metamorphism.
“What is completely different to any other presentation of an exhibition of this kind is the marrying of art and science,” said Honor Harger, executive director of ArtScience Museum. “We are the only art and science museum in the world and so if we are going to create an exhibition that looks into a field that is completely reliant on both artistry and science and geology, it makes sense if we actually look at the two things together under one roof. So the two together, this is the unique thing about this exhibition.”
All of the showpieces are exhibited on a vast platform of 1,500m² designed by famous architectural and design agency Jouin Manku. The exhibition is designed on a theme of a natural world and boasts an enigmatic atmosphere, offering an immersive experience for visitors.
One of the key pieces is the Bird Clip and Pendant, a bird carrying a briolette-cut yellow diamond of 96.62 carats on its beak. The work originally existed as an individual piece of diamond when owned in the 1930s until a new owner asked the Maison to assemble it with a flying bird made of yellow gold, emeralds and sapphires in 1972. The result is the current striking form.
Another piece whose beauty will leave many in awe is the Zip Necklace, a 1954 avant-garde piece made of platinum, gold, rubies and diamonds.
The person in charge of handpicking all of the shown pieces and directing where each one gets a spot in the exhibition is Catherine Cariou, the heritage director of the maison.
Cariou’s job is to enrich the maison’s private collection through keeping an eye on auction sales, dealers and private collectors around the world to search for old items she thinks are worth purchasing back. Asked whether it’s hard to convince the owners to let go of their beloved pieces, she joked it depends solely on the budget.
“Private owners love to sell to us for our private collection because they know very well that the pieces will be in good hands,” Cariou said. “They know the pieces will get a second life. They know their jewellery will be printed in catalogues. They love this idea. Sometimes, when they sell their pieces of jewellery elsewhere, they will never know where they go afterwards, but with us they know their pieces will be well taken care of.”
The exhibition also features a behind-the-scenes glimpse for visitors to observe the making of a jewel and short films centring on Van Cleef & Arpels’ jewellers and gem setters, as well as expert gemstone buyers.
To make sure that an exhibition of this nature, with content that normally would not be appealing to younger demographics, is a place where adults can take their children, the ArtScience Museum also creates an exclusive platform where young visitors can participate in interactive workshops.
The Bird Clip and Pendant features a 96.62 carat yellow diamond.
The Zip Necklace, a 1954 avant-garde piece made of platinum, gold, rubies and diamonds, can also be worn as a bracelet.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.