Last weekend M French and I exercised his Christmas present, an annual pass to the Grand Palais and the exhibitions of the Réunion des Muséees Nationaus to walk past all the Parisians standing in the cold and waiting up to 2.5 hours to the jewels of Cartier.

Entering the opulent hall, a jewel-toned kaleidescope projected on the ceiling nearly took our breath away. Which was a pretty impressive feat given the astonishing jewels that sparkled as far as our eyes could see.   You’d think that an exhibition dedicated to jewels wouldn’t interest a man, but a certain maharajah was one of the jewelry house’s biggest clients and they certainly mastered the art of pleasing men, creating an entire series of magical clocks that hide the mechanics in the most mysterious and elegant way. I still don’t understand how they do it, and I read the explanation twice, in both French and English! There were gorgeous pieces, astounding stones and lots of history with the tiaras and parures of women like Wallace-Simpson, Princess Grace and Elizabeth Taylor. A dress woven in gold and silver threads, illustrations from BonTon fashion magazine and the chronology of the displays put everything in the context of the fashion of the time.

And then there were the tiaras. Simply stunning.

More on the exhibition and how to get (highly recommended) tadvance tickets… click here

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