Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels

Cosmic Splendor

April 11, 2025 — January 4, 2026

Now Open

Included with any admission.
Floor 1, Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, Meister Gallery

A dazzling showcase of more than 60 jewelry creations that celebrates our enduring fascination with the cosmos.

For millennia, people have been moved by the grandeur of space to explore the workings of our universe—and to create captivating works of art.

From the early astronomical observations of Galileo to iconic space missions such as Apollo 11, along with new findings made possible by cutting-edge tools like the James Webb Space Telescope, discoveries about the universe have influenced and inspired artistic expression. A stunning assemblage of astronomically inspired jewelry is the focus of the new exhibition Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels.

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Included with any admission.

In Cosmic Splendor, visitors can view dozens of jewelry creations, timepieces, and precious objects from the collections of Van Cleef & Arpels.

A pendant charm shaped like the moon with pockmarks and a single ruby stud marking the 1969 Moon landing spot.

To celebrate the 1969 Moon landing, Van Cleef & Arpels created this pendant depicting the lunar landscape, with a ruby marking the landing spot. A variation of this pendant was gifted to all three astronauts who boarded the Apollo 11’s flight to the Moon and to the U.S. President Richard Nixon, who welcomed them home.
Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

Two clips with colorful sapphires, rubies and diamonds set in a swirling design, evoking stars in a spiral galaxy.

In these two clips, pink and mauve sapphires, rubies and diamonds are set in a swirling design, like stars in a spiral galaxy.
Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

A watch with a jewel encrusted bezel, a cloud behind the hands and small stars around the dial.

This watch shows not just the time and date, but when a meteor shower is underway and how many meteors might be seen.
Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

A clip with a diamond-studded core surrounded by three rows of rays made of gold.

Golden rays radiate from the diamond-studded core of this clip evoking a meteor—a flash of light that appears when a particle of rock from space enters our atmosphere.
Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

This exhibition will be on view in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery within the Museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Hall of Gems and Minerals, and is included with any admission.