Over 500 specimens of Fantasy Jewelry on display. But perhaps the most surprising aspect is that this jewelry army comes from a single owner, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, which besides being an expert and lovers of arts, is also collectionist of necklaces, brooches and bracelets. The exhibition organized at Palazzo Mazzetti Asti, which also preserves collections of carvings, ancient textiles and ceramics, and it’s titled Jewels Fantasy. American dreams. It is an opportunity to look at the evolution of Costume Jewelry, from classical to pop jewelry creations of the fifties and sixties, created by designers such as Trifari, Marcel Boucher, Coro, De Rosa, Eisenberg, Miriam Haskell, Eugene Joseff, Kenneth J. Lane, Pennino, until Wendy Gell and Iradj Moini. The costume jewelry is a socio-cultural phenomenon born in the United States after the great crisis of 1929-1939: since the scarce money, luxury products have been replaced by jewelry with non-precious materials. A choice that stimulates the imagination and led to new techniques. The Hollywood fiction also had a hand in the creation of large jewels with metals less noble than those of high-end jewelry. For example, those worn on the costumes from movie stars like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis and Vivien Leigh. Joseff, designers who invented jewelry for hundreds of successful films (such as Gone with the Wind), has also signed jewelry worn by the first lady, as Mamie Eisenhower and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
According to Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo these fancy jewels “represent a cultural heritage that brings us back to difficult times and great social changes.” In short, she says, they are “poor but beautiful”, accessible and affordable for all.
Fantasy jewelry. American dreams
16 April to 2 October 2016
Palazzo Mazzetti, Corso Vittorio Alfieri 357, Asti
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 19:30 (last admission 18:30), closed on Mondays with the exception of 25 April and 15 August.
ticket € 5.00, reduced € 3.00
www.palazzomazzetti.it
