And the winner is...

The HRD Awards is a two-yearly international design competition for diamond jewelry. The purpose is to support talented designers, to extend the boundaries of modern jewelry and to promote creativity and avant-garde design. Every year from 1996 to 2013 the Silver Museum expressed its belief in contemporary silver-smithing by setting aside part of its purchasing budget for an item commissioned from a silversmith wor...

Everybody loves a good story

Literature and the visual arts have influenced each other since time immemorial. Objects such as jewelry regularly play a key role in stories and these in their turn are an inexhaustible source of material for artists. Just think of all those enchanting fairytales about princesses in distress and hidden treasure.

Flower power

Real flowers are beautiful to look at, but they are over so quickly... The solution? Imitate them in metal and precious stones and you can enjoy their splendour for ever. Floral motifs have always been popular in art across continents and cultures. Different meanings were ascribed to the individual sorts of flower. But be careful when interpreting these motifs because their meaning often varied according to the regio...

In name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost

In the past the Church was a very influential institution. Many churches had a large budget at their disposal, which made them important clients for the arts. As well as the church buildings being richly decorated, the priests and members of the congregation regularly commissioned something for themselves to endorse their faith.

Jewelry as a token of love

Giving gifts as a token of our affection is a long established ritual, and jewelry has always been one of the most popular gifts to give and to receive. However, our ancestors sometimes gave each other what may seem to us rather strange mementos. In the nineteenth century a lover’s lock of hair might be integrated into a piece of jewelry.

Lunden collection

Ardent collector, member of the Committee of the Royal Museums of Art and History, accomplished pianist, plant buff, ‘jonkheer’ by rank… Pierre Lunden (1887-1975) was all of those things. He started off collecting Chinese porcelain, but around 1955 it was domestic, eighteenth-century silver from the Southern Netherlands that began to draw his interest. On his death in 1975, he bequeathed his considerable collec...

Men's jewelry

Men and jewelry, it may sound like an unusual combination but there is also another side to the story. Historically men were the first to wear diamond jewels, which stood for invincibility and immortality. The nineteenth-century was dominated by the dandy, who recently made a come-back in the form of ‘the metrosexual’.

Movers & shakers

Moving elements give objects that little extra something. They immediately attract attention and arouse fascination, particularly when the parts are decorated with precious stones or diamonds, which provides a dazzling spectacle whenever the wearer moves. A frequently used method introduced in the second half of the eighteenth century is the en tremblant technique where parts of jewels were mounted on a little sprin...

Multifunctional

Versatile. That’s one way to describe these jewels which could be worn not in one but in two, and sometimes even in three different ways. That meant you only needed to invest in one new accessory which was of course easier on the wallet. It also took up less room in the jewelry box.

Objects for daily use

Without giving it a second thought, every day we use a large number of objects which we would find it hard to do without. We have carried a number of these commonplace objects with us for centuries, even though they were always subject to trends and customs. Some of the objects have become more important than ever, while others have died a silent death. For example, the snuffbox was an essential accessory in the eigh...

Our DIVA's

Every museum is proud of its collection. But there are invariably a number of works which stand out above the rest because of their rarity, the way they illustrate a certain period or artist, or because they are so impressive technically.

Patronage of the King Baudouin Foundation

The collection held in funds administered by the King Baudouin Foundation consists of chefs-d’oeuvre and works which have a special significance for the Belgian heritage. They are examples of great historical importance or artistic value and are often reference works relating to a particular artist, style or period. The large and varied collection includes some 10,000 culturally significant items from a variety of ...

Silver Triennial

The Silver Triennial is a three-yearly international competition organized by the German Association for Goldsmithing (Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst) and the German Goldsmiths’ House Hanau (Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau). No fewer than 123 artists from 19 countries took part in the 19th edition. Belgium is represented by David Huycke and Helena Schepens.

Over the last 55 years wha...

The animals went in two by two

Courageous as a lion, faithful as a dog, sly as a fox… Over the centuries many animals have been anthropomorphized on the basis of stereotypical traits commonly associated with particular species. However, the symbolism can be changeable, ambiguous or even contradictory, which makes things complicated. For instance, the owl stood for wisdom, but also for foolishness. Make sense of that if you will!

To the stars and beyond

For centuries a link has been made between the star-spangled sky and the brilliance of precious stones. Both fire the imagination. So no wonder they are often combined in silver objects of all shapes and sizes. Celestial bodies are a favourite theme, particularly in jewelry.