JEWELRY AND THE COSMOS


Cosmos in Greek means both universe and jewelry.
Museum collections testify the presence of jewelry since prehistoric times. Precious or non-precious jewelry serve both as an ornament and a con- nection to nature, society and civilization. Jewelry is a status symbol or carry the traces of former owners or reminds us of the person who gave it to us or even becomes a fetish. Thus jewelry artists occupy a very special place in the history of art and in the life of the wearer. This double meaning of the word cosmos reveals the substance of jewelry: it is an ornament which links the social microcosmos with the cultural macrocosmos.

Dr. Georgia Kakourou Chroni, Curator of the National Gallery
of Greece