When the British luxury liner, Titanic, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, many of those who died were among the wealthiest people of their era. The new exhibition, "Jewels of Titanic," also proves that they didn't hesitate to travel with their very best jewelry.
The exhibition shares the story of the jewelry’s discovery, underwater recovery, mysterious lineage and the influence these artifacts have in today’s pop culture. It also reveals how first-class passengers would often enlist the help of the ship's purser, who would secure their valuables, including fine jewelry.
Amazingly, during a 1987 recovery mission, a purser's bag was found amidst the Titanic wreckage at a depth of 2 1/2 miles. The Gladstone bag contained a cache of precious contents, including a handmade platinum, 18-karat gold and diamond filigree ring; a gold ribbon brooch with diamonds; and a set of men's gold cufflinks and studs embellished with green enamel.
“The majority of the best-of-the-best, high-end pieces came from the Gladstone bag,” Alexandra Klingelhofer, vp of collections for RMS Titanic, Inc., told Forbes. “They’re beautiful, explicit, Edwardian pieces.”
“We thought it would be a fitting end to the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic and that the jewelry would be highlighted in a different way as a mini-exhibit,” she said.
"Jewels of Titanic" makes it debut this Friday at Atlanta's Premier Exhibition Center. The jewelry collection will share its time among the three permanent Titanic exhibition spaces that are owned and operated by RMS Titanic, Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. The schedule is below:
Atlanta: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Premier Exhibition Center, Atlantic Station
Nov. 16 – Jan. 6, 2013
Orlando: Titanic The Experience, International Drive
Jan. 11, 2013 – March 12, 2013
Las Vegas: Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Luxor Hotel and Casino
Mar. 22, 2013 – May 31, 2013
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