Well... I really felt as though the universe was saving the best for last in meeting the wonderful Caroline Volovci of Objet rare Atelier and Galerie.
Object rare to me has an underground feel and encourages close inspection and dialogue . well suited to the Monika Bruggers Fly aria show these works may have been small and delicate but still packed a little punch!  
this gallery is a vibrant and working studio which is small in size but big in welcome and warmth. Caroline hosts curated exhibits and represents glorious work from both french and European artists. the Gallery life affords Caroline autonomy and freedom and a platform to support art jewellery in Paris. It is not long before we discover to our great surprise the Jeweller is a French, New Zealander and having trained in Dunedin under Georg Beer and Kobi Bosshard is also a keen follower of NZ contemporary jewellery and the handshake project. Hugs and laughter all round! Carolines shows us her hollow form rings which are beautiful and poetic in their simplicity.

​It was a great pleasure to meeting you Caroline and a perfect way to wind up my travels in Europe 
Nga Mihi
 Jen xo

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At each triennial, two European countries are invited to join the inaugural exhibition in Belgium. The 2017 triennial features Belgium alongside French and Swedish contemporary jewellers I was really lucky to have had the chance to see this exhibit in its final few days showing The Ateliers de Paris, Altogether the show exhibits forty artists of contemporary European jewellery who have been selected three representatives from each country being, 
Françoise Vanderauwera - Commissioner for Belgium, Brune Boyer - jeweler/visual artist and for France-Sofia Björkman , owner and curator of the PLATINA Gallery in Stockholm

I think this kind of exhibit is a brilliant concept and really great in terms of building relations and networks between communities. not only for the makers but for the organizations who sponsor and help fund the project.  

Delights from the Musee des Arts Decoratif

Voile!! Joaillerie Par Mazlo.
Such an elegant gallery,I enjoyed an excellent and enlightening discussion with Celine Robin Author jewellery. Par Mazlo is unique as it is not a dealer gallery as such but instead holds selected and curated exhibitions for international jewellery. This decision marks the deliberate and passionate goal of raising the level of Author jewellery in Paris. The term author jewellery defines and describes a unique ownership according to Robin, when the Author/Maker the sees the process through from inception to creation thus leaving the imprint of the psyche in the work for the final encounter with the viewer.
Robin believes Parisians struggle with semantics, and expressed that the term joaillerie already focuses on precision and staging also France is overwhelmed with big jewellery Houses and in this way often the contemporary jewellery is confined to and labled as Costume. (this was something i had noticed at MAD where works like a stuffed animal necklace of Lisa Walkers had been labeled as costume jewellery). So french are not so open to blurring the boundaries and combining the disciplines that are pulling jewellery into the art realm. Robin believes that the problem with definition is not with institutions but that it is the responsibility of the curator to accurately define and bring professionalism to the field. later in conversation I mentioned how in NZ makers often have a bread and butter line to which Robin commented that this is not helpful to the author jewellers cause, Stating that here the responsibility is with The Artist as making to make money will equal a loss of credibility for the maker, and in the end collectors need to see art not a consumable. 

​The newest wing of the Louvre holds 3000 examples of fine Islamic art and artifacts dating from the 7th to 19th century. The architecture of the specially design wing deserves a mention as the ceiling of glass is engineered emulate flowing silk veil. The gallery is spacious and airy and the works are displayed on tall glass plinths so the viewer can look closely at these beautiful objects from all angles.

Bonjour!
here are a few shots from an insightful impromptu studio visit with the gorgeous Sophie Hanagarth.  Currently Working in both pure iron and precious metals Sophie's work conveys ambiguous messages about the body, gender and human connection. Swiss born Sophie is an esteemed teacher and trained jeweller who has been awarded the most prestigious contemporary awards. both the Herman Hoffmann prize and the Francoise van den Bosch Award. her work is found in many museum collection around the world. Sophie's practice when it comes to working with the Pure iron is one of a sculpture, models and Marquette are made with Plasticine as the texture and mark making can be relayed in a similar way to the iron (given enough heat and pressure) I was lucky to see some new work in progress and noticed a large collection of Mexican milagros in her home. Sophie spoke of it as a collection that was no longer her own and how these interests often spiral when others join in to help the collecting.
I left that evening with a new mission to visit the work of hanagarth's peers Atelier de Paris and Objet Rare the next day.
Sophie also gave me a copy of her beautiful book Fers & Traquenard (Iron and Trap) for our studio library. 

I found the museum very enjoyable. Highlights at the Musee de Orsay for me were this small picasso, parody of an ex voto. painted in 1901 which was very similar to one in the Kahlo exhibit. and this extrodinary Rodin.

the biggest thing I have learnt or the thoughts that have affected me the most are to do with the depth of european history in comparison with home. The evidence of this is always present in the everyday environment the architecture,cobblestones. There are layers and layers of this history stuff, ancient historical events of incredible magnitude right there underfoot. and so I see why the souvenir of Death, Momeneto mori in its many forms present in every historical jewellery collection I have visited.
the Catacombs in Paris where incredible the decent down took us back in time to rock that is over 45 million years old. the catacombs were created in ancient limestone quarrys which date back to the 15th century. from the late 1700's up until the 1860 theses quarrys became the home to the bones of all of the cemetaries of central Paris. Its hard to believe there are the remains of more than 6 million bodies down there.
far more than the entire population of New zealand!