Throughout history, jewelry and watches have played a vital role in the visual arts, imbuing the wearer with power, wealth, and status. From ancient times, the inclusion of jewels, and later watches, in portraits of royalty and significant figures served to highlight their importance. These items were also chosen for their deeper meaning—jewelry for its symbolic, talismanic, and political importance, and watches for technological advancement/superiority and philosophical concepts of time. This tradition continues today in 20th and 21st-century movies and television.

This illuminating and sparkling lecture will explore how the visual arts utilize jewelry and watches to define characters and convey specific traits. The lecture will analyze significant works of art, ranging from paintings by old masters to modern and contemporary artists. The discussion will also cover examples from popular culture, including films such as Sunset Boulevard, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the new adaptations of Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights as well as tv shows like The White Lotus. 

This event will be held at the Mitchell Room at the CHS at 17 School Street. RSVP encouraged due to limited space. This event will be livestreamed on our Youtube channel.

Sacha Grippando has over 25+ years of experience in the auction and art industry. She has worked for Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Freeman’s and Hindman Auctioneers.  Her areas of expertise include: Asian works of art, furniture & decorative arts, silver, and rugs & carpets, but her passion has always been gems and jewelry. In 2018, she received her graduate gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).  She established her own jewelry advisory and appraisal business called Bellwether Advisory & Appraisals LLC in February 2021. Sacha works with individuals and banks to appraise and evaluate their jewelry and timepieces. She is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA) and has written articles on jewelry and watches for Antique Jewelry University and the Appraisers Association of America. She is a frequent lecturer and has given talks on jewelry from the Victorian period to present day. She is always furthering her education having recently returned from a week long jewelry trip to Rome where some of the highlights included a trip to the Bvlgari high jewelry workshop, a day trip to Todi to see master goldsmith Giovanni Corvaja’s studio as well as trip to the National Etruscan Museum to see the amazing collection of micromosaics.