Van Cleef & Arpels Exhibition Shines Bright at the American Museum of Natural History

In an intimate gallery within the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals and the Hayden Planetarium,  the exhibition has been designed to evoke the velvety darkness of outer space, where groupings of breathtaking jewels inspired by celestial phenomena shine under the bright spotlights. A vibrant collision between art and science, the pieces are both poetic interpretations as well as literal interpretations of the galaxies and stars.

The exhibition is organized thematically, with sections dedicated to everything from the moon and sun to distant galaxies, meteorites, and the Zodiac. Highlights include the Tampa necklace, which pays tribute to Jules Vernes’s novel Earth to the Moon; the Trappist transformable necklace from 2021, which is inspired by the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1; a pair of pink and mauve Double Galaxies clips that recall the swirling galaxies in the universe, a collection of pieces that pay homage to the sun, and a group of jewels depicting the signs of the zodiac.

For ten days only, the museum also displayed the Van Cleef & Arpels’ Planétarium Automaton, which has never before been shown in the U.S. The stunning object features a bejeweled depiction of the Sun, Moon, and six inner planets, each rotating in real time according to their actual orbits.

“From fiery mandarin garnet to vivid green tsavorite and rich blue lapis lazuli, the exhibition showcases stunning, astronomy-inspired jewelry that incorporates an incredible diversity of gemstones,” said Kate Kiseeva, curator of the Museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals. “Formed through the geological forces deep within the Earth, the exhibition’s dazzling creations are a fitting tribute to the beauty of the cosmos and the worlds beyond our own.”

“Van Cleef & Arpels: Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” is on view at the American Museum of Natural History through January 2026