Temporary exhibit from November 9, 2016 to February 1, 2017
Cut aquamarine in the "Corona" jewel created by Paula Crevoshay on the left, and rough aquamarine from the Mineralogy Museum MINES ParisTech collection on the right.
Exhibition overview
"Illuminations: Earth to Jewel" is a temporary exhibit presenting a selection of extraordinary creations of the jeweler and artist Paula Crevoshay juxtaposed wtih exceptional minerals in the collection of the Mineralogy Museum MINES ParisTech (Paris School of Mines). While Crevoshay invites the visitor on a contemplative journey through her creations, the Mineralogy Museum proposes to illustrate the transformation of rough materials by the expertise of artists and creators. The exhibition "Illuminations" is located at the confluence of the foundations of the museum: to present and explain to the public the relationship between minerals and manufactured goods. The museum’s collection was built to define resources that can be used for industry. Here the museum lends its collection to explaining jeweraly making, a luxury industry, which began in the heart of France, in Paris, the City of Light. It is therefore natural that these gems are exposed at the Mineralogy Museum, among the most fabulous minerals in the world.
Red spinel and moonstone making the "Octopus" created by Paula Crevoshay on the left, and a rough red spinel from the Mineralogy Museum MINES ParisTech collection.
Paula Crevoshay, an artist inspired by nature
Paula Crevoshay is a worldwide recognized artist, who creates opulent and beautiful jewelry. Her creations are inspired by nature and depict flowers, animals from the land, water and air. She uses the mineral diversity that exists in nature to give life to her jewels, sometimes created using unusual gems. For example, she knows how to use the intense sparkles of demantoid garnet and sphalerite, the subtle purples and pinks of kunzite and sapphire, and the extreme blues of chrysocolla, turquoise, aquamarine and azurite. She plays with the different ways of cutting stones, such as faceting, carving, or polishing as cabochon, allowing each method to enable light to be reflected, transmitted, sometimes refracted, and diffused into the gemstone in its own particular way. "Illuminations" is the term that defines how the artist plays with light and gemstones. The art of Paula Crevoshay is an ode to gems and minerals, and its place in the Museum of Mineralogy therefore seems obvious.
The artist and jeweler Paula Crevoshay is inspired by nature to created her jewels. Copyright: Crevoshay.
Discover part of our exhibit thanks to these pictures!
Overview of the exhibit room for "Illuminations - Earth to Jewel". Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
Rough spinel from Tanzania in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Ula" (with red spinel and moonstone from Myanmar) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Chrysocolla in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "Portuguese Man of War" by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Fire Empress" (with a 66.73 ct carved fire opal) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech et Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Opal in nodules in its ignimbrite in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "Fire Empress" by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Jingu in Regalia" (101.25 ct moss agate with a 3.86 ct yellow diamond) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech et Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Rough ruby from Vietnam in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "Jessie" (with yellow and pink sapphires, peridot and diamond) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Bonita Linda" (with a 12.97 ct turquoise as a central gemstone) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Overview of the exhibit room for "Illuminations - Earth to Jewel". Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
"Monet's window" (with a 39.10 ct Australian opal as a central gemstone) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Rough emerald in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "Serpent earrings" (with emerald and tsavorite) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Eden" (with a 15.52 ct kunzite as a central gemstone, rubellite and pink and purple sapphire) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Rough quartz in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "Maia" (with a 173.16 ct quartz) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Heliodore from Madagascar in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum. Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
"Ishtar's compass" (with a 60 ct rutilated quartz as a central gemstone, and a 1.90 ct tanzanite) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Magie Noire" (with 37.58 ct total of black diamond, as well as pink and yellow sapphire) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Overview of the exhibit room for "Illuminations - Earth to Jewel". Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
Rough chrysocolla in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum and "River Goddess" by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"River Goddess" (with a 61.86 ct carved chrysocolla) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Maia's gift" (with tsavorite, rubellite and pink sapphire) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Gift of the sun" (with a 8.25 ct sphalerite as the central gemstone, and with opal, demantoide and brown diamond) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
"Sweet Montana" (with pink and yellow sapphire from Montana) by Paula Crevoshay. Copyright : MINES ParisTech & Crevoshay, photo E. Gaillou.
Pink, yellow and blue sapphires in the Collection of the Mineralogy Museum. Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
Overview of the exhibit room for "Illuminations - Earth to Jewel". Copyright : MINES ParisTech, photo E. Gaillou.
And the articles related to the temporary exhibit here:
Capucine Juncker (2016). "Exposition Paula Crevoshay : Le Musée de Minéralogie des MINES ParisTech au coeur de sa vocation". Revue de Gemmologie, n° 198, pp. 29-31.
Daniel Fenoglio (2017) "Illuminations - de la Terre au Bijou". Rive Gauche, n° 392, p. 7.
