Ancient & Modern Cyclades Craft Jewelry Dazzle on Mykonos

A new show featuring craft jewelry from the 6th century BCE to the ’70s takes center stage at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos, casting the spotlight on ancient Greek jewelry design and how it has inspired artists through time.

Titled “Vanity: Stories of Jewelry in the Cyclades”, the show is organized by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades and features more than 230 pieces of jewelry as well as 12 specially-commissioned pieces from contemporary Greek craftsmen.

The striking creations have come to light from excavations carried out on 19 Cyclades islands, including Amorgos, Andros, Delos, Santorini, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Sifnos, Syros, Schinoussa and Tinos.

Focusing on the “fashions” and trends of times past many of the objets d’ art are being displayed for the first time. Center pieces including exquisite detailed earrings, gold bracelets and signet rings, pendants, brooches, bronze and silver items inlaid with semi-precious stones, glass and coral, as well as the more “common” varieties of jewelry made of beads, shell, bone and ivory.

“Vanity: Stories of Jewelry in the Cyclades” runs through to September 2017 at the Archaeological Museum of Mykonos and will then begin to “tour” the other Greek islands. The show comes within the Ephorate’s plans to renovate the archaeological museums on all the Cycladic islands in efforts to promote Greek cultural heritage in Greece and abroad.