Connections/Jewelry

My name is Debbie Kuo and I am the administrator of the Greek and Roman department. I am completely passionate about jewelry.

It runs through every culture. It's not only something that is worn to

beautify, but it's also worn symbolically.

And I actually learned how to make jewelry. Whenever I go around the galleries,

I'm always looking at how pieces are made, and what materials are used,

whether it be actual jewelry pieces or jewelry that is found in paintings or sculpture.

I love making earrings more than I do anything else. I just think that they're little jewels, little works of art. This pair of Greek earrings epitomize every technique in jewelry you can think of.

There is inlaid stones. There are glass beads

fused together and cut. There is filigree. There's wire wrapping. It's so interesting how many different materials and how

many different colors are in this. It works so well and the design is so harmonious.

Perhaps, antiquity's first chandelier earring? The scene of Zeus, who took on the form of an eagle. And to think that the designer had to think, 'what are we going to use to make these earrings move?' Because obviously, the eagles are in flight.

I read that this beautiful portrait could perhaps be a marriage scene. She is dripping with jewelry. There's

gold thread that's woven into her dress, and there are pearls that are studded over her wrist, spelling out 'loyalty' in Italian, which I find fascinating and appropriate for a marriage portrait.

Buddhas are typically unadorned but Bodhisattvas are beings who have reached enlightenment but haven't gone to heaven yet because they want to teach. And they are completely draped in jewelry and it's almost as if they want to tie in the things of this world and I find that really interesting.

I'm most drawn to Byzantine jewelry. It's really the ultimate in luxury. I look at these bracelets and I'm completely overwhelmed by the size of the pearls, and the sapphire in the central panel is enormous. I mean, I would imagine it's like the Byzantine bling of the present day.

The Indonesian people thought that gold was the symbol of the sun, and that gold was only meant to be worn by men, but how fascinating that they have these ear ornaments that symbolize female genitalia.

One of my favorite jewelry pieces is such a basic, simple form, but yet I feel like it really tells a story. These people lived on an island. You don't have the luxury of accessing precious metals or gemstones, so what the Marshallese people did was, they went to the ocean, and they found a giant clam shell and that's what this is made from.

Obviously, gold is very prized but you also have

jade that is not an expensive material, but it

is precious. My grandmother actually left me a jade bangle and

whenever I miss her, I put it on. And I automatically feel connected with her, and I will give that to my daughters who didn't necessarily know my grandmother, but in telling them about her, I feel they do know her.