The holidays are fast approaching, and we’re here to help you celebrate the forthcoming festivities in style. As always, this season’s artful—and giftable—adornments are inspired by a selection of treasures in The Met collection, from an ancient Greek ring to a 16th-century Turkish textile. Below, preview what’s new at The Met Store.
Byzantine Openwork Statement Jewelry
This sumptuous statement jewelry reimagines an opulent Byzantine bracelet (500–700) in The Met’s medieval art collection. One of a pair, the Museum’s intricate adornment was probably made in the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), and bears lavish ornamentation reflective of the Byzantine taste for color and detail. The original bracelet’s interior features exquisite opus interrasile craftsmanship—a pierced metalwork technique used by goldsmiths between the 3rd and 7th centuries—while the exterior showcases lustrous stones and pearls. Pearls were especially prized for their luminous beauty in the Byzantine world. As such, our designs are elevated with cultured freshwater pearls.
Holiday Birds Jewelry
This festive jewelry recalls a charming trade card in the Museum’s collection of drawings and prints. Issued in 1889–90 by Kinney Brothers as part of the New Years 1890 series, The Met’s commercial color lithograph depicts birds gathering on a snow-covered pine branch outside a window revealing a heartwarming holiday celebration inside.
Turkish Amethyst Jewelry
The amethyst starring in this intricate collection pays tribute to the unusual purple detailing on a Turkish textile fragment in The Met’s Islamic art galleries. The Museum’s woven work, probably crafted in Istanbul during the late 16th century, bears an ogival lattice design (derived from the term “ogive,” which refers to a pointed arch) and serves as an outstanding example of the luxe Ottoman fabrics known as kemha. These silk fabrics were highly valued throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, and many of them were used to make Christian vestments across Europe. The shape of this particular textile indicates that it was probably part of a chasuble, a garment worn by a member of the clergy.
Bella Donna Jewelry
In Giovanni Battista Gaulli's (Il Baciccio's) (Italian, 1639–1709) striking Portrait of a Woman (ca. 1670s), a doe-eyed subject is decked out in splendid jewels. They wrap around her luxurious garment and she plays with one that's fastened to the front of her dress, lending a sense of immediacy and movement to her picture. Gaulli is said to have encouraged his subjects to move around naturally so that he could more accurately breathe life into their likenesses—a practice adopted from the great Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Made in collaboration with the label Ben-Amun, founded by jewelry designer Isaac Manevitz, we've evoked the unknown sitter's marvelous jewelry for the modern-day bella donna, or "beautiful lady."
Classical Carnelian Jewelry
An ancient ring crafted during Greece’s Classical period is transformed into contemporary carnelian jewelry. Our inspired designs adapt the original ring’s fiery carnelian centerpiece, which is enveloped by a setting accented with gold filigree. This timeless adornment from the 5th century B.C. is part of The Met’s Greek and Roman art collection.
Spanish Baldric Lapis Jewelry
This timeless collection is inspired by a spectacular Spanish baldric (first half 17th century), a type of crossbody belt or chain often worn to support a sword. Much of the scholarship around jewelry fashions throughout history is informed by portraits in which the sitters wear a certain style of adornment. An enameled example very much like the one displayed in The Met's Vélez Blanco Patio, dedicated to the decorative arts of Spain between 1450 and 1700, is worn diagonally across the chest in an early 17th-century portrait of a young man. We've translated the eye-catching blue detailing on the original, which features champlevé enamel, into semiprecious lapis and enamel elements.
Amaryllis Jewelry
The bold red blooms defining this jewelry come from Hybrid Amaryllis Regina Vittata (1824), a print engraved by William Say (British, 1768–1834) after Barbara Cotton (British, active ca. 1810–30) and published by the Horticultural Society of London. Today, it's housed in The Met's archive of drawings and prints, one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world with approximately 1.2 million prints—among other works on paper—in its collection.
Algerian Cluster Jewelry
This statement-making collection focuses on the central medallion on a head-turning necklet (date unknown) attributed to Algeria and now in The Met's holdings of Islamic art. The original adornment, with its vibrant red, orange, and green stones, is likewise embellished with crescent-shaped pendants that hang from the base. These suspended elements would have made a sound with the wearer's movement, lending an auditory dimension to this striking piece.
Shop what’s new for fall in-store and online.
