HERMES | North African Jewelry Collection At Arab Museum

Gay Paris

Noble Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection presents never-before-exhibited pieces of stunning North African jewelry and late 19th- and early 20th-century photographs by some of the period’s most prominent photographers.

Collected over three decades by Xavier Guerrand-Hermès, Noble Jewels illuminates the diversity and beauty of traditional North African jewelry design. Ornate necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings show the inventive compositions and dazzling creations of North African jewelry designers and silver workers. Crafted from combinations of silver, coral, amber, coins and semi-precious stones, the exquisite collection includes wedding necklaces, hair ornaments, bracelets, earrings and fibula used to keep veils in place. The jewelry featured in Noble Jewels shows the common threads that run through North African societies, and also local variations in materials and motifs.

“From simple ornaments that would be worn by a child, to elaborate jeweled necklaces for women of wealth, the Guerrand-Hermès collection is a treasure that reflects the richness of the cultures of North Africa as well as the collector’s superlative taste,” says Elsie McCabe Thompson, president of the Museum for African Art.

North African jewelry came to the attention of Western collectors in the 19th century, the period when archaeological monuments in North Africa were being explored, visited, and, in some cases, pillaged. The most important photographers of the day, including the Scotsman George Washington Wilson, the Neurdine brothers from France, and the Turkish photographer Pascal Sabah, visited the region and photographed landscapes, architecture, markets, and people adorned in their jewels. Many of the images were used in postcards, while others remained hidden in little-known collections.

Xavier Guerrand-Hermès is a director and vice chairman of Hermès of Paris. He represents the fifth generation of the family to be involved in the ownership and management of the Paris-based firm. Guerrand- Hermès has founded the renowned Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace, which actively supports inter- religious dialogues.

The exhibition of jewelry and historic photographs, from the North African nations of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, opens to the public on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, with complimentary jewel-themed desserts from 5:30-7 p.m., at the Arab American National Museum.