Design at the Museum

A packed luncheon debut of a jewelry exhibit took place this week at The Forbes Galleries in New York. Fashion journalists and jewelry artists alike crowded the 2008 Designer Showcase, a product of the six-year-old nonprofit National Jewelry Institute. The group aims "to preserve, research, and exhibit fine jewelry from all over the world," according to its mission statement, and already has held jewelry exhibitions in London, Paris, and New York. Previous shows have singled out specific designers and periods of craft, but this latest display thrusts an international range of contemporary designers—from brands to studio jewelers—into a well-deserved spotlight.

New York–based Tanya Farah was invited to participate by NJI and sponsor World Gold Council (AXA Art serves as a second benefactor), as well as Paris's Lorenz Bäumer and Fabio Salini of Rome. A total of 40 jewelry designers are participating in the show, which highlights selections of artists' current work in an effort to exemplify their unique tools, materials, and ideas

.The event opens to the public today, is free (yes, that's $0), and runs until June 28. At that time, all the treasures, which are on loan from respective designers, relocate to Pittsburgh for a six-month stint, starting July 19, at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Ultimately, NJI president Judith Price hopes the venue will create more interest in jewelry, more often—as in increased sales. "Jewelry is a fashion purchase," she says.

For more information, log onto www.forbesgalleries.com.