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Transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry: a slice of history.

Transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry is an exceptionally niche subset of antique jewelry – and a particularly fascinating one!

I’m betting most of you haven’t seen one of these before…but don’t worry, I’m going to tell you allllllll about them.

Here are the examples of transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry we'll be discussing in this article

Transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry: a slice of history.

What even is transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry? To adequately answer this question, we need to talk about the history of the world’s first transatlantic cable.

For most of human existence, the only way to communicate across distance was to have a message delivered by hand. That’s why it was so revolutionary when the telegraph was invented in the early 1800’s: suddenly you could send messages all over the country!

But even this miraculous technology was limited by where you could lay a wire. No telegraphs could be sent across the vast Atlantic ocean.

In 1853, American Cyrus West Field began raising money for an ambitious project: to lay the world’s first transatlantic cable between New York City and London, England. The project faced many challenges, from finding ships and engineers for the project to figuring out how to build a cable durable enough to survive being laid across the ocean floor (see this excellent video for more details).

The first two attempts at a transatlantic cable failed, but on August 16, 1858, Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan used the completed cable to successfully exchange pleasantries from across the Atlantic ocean.

People were so excited by this groundbreaking feat of technological accomplishment that they wanted to celebrate in a time honored way: by buying souvenirs!

Tiffany & Co. advertised in the New York Times on August 21, 1858 that they purchased the entire stock of spare cable from the USS Niagara, a ship that helped lay the cable, “in order to place it within reach of all classes, and that every family in the United States may posses a specimen of this wonderful mechanical curiosity.”

Tiffany & Co. sold thousands of brass-bound cable samples as souvenir objects, but they also made silver dishes, walking canes with handles made from spare cable, scrimshaw tributes, snuff boxes with cable slices set into the lid – as well as wholesaling the cable to other manufacturers who then made their own products. You can see examples here, on this excellent website dedicated to the subject.

But of course, our focus is on transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry! Distinctive and extraordinarily rare, I have only ever seen a few examples still intact, and only ever online…at least until recently, when I had the good fortune to acquire a piece for my own collection (!!!!).

Let’s look at a few examples, including my own.

Rare transatlantic cable souviner pendant in yellow gold, from Velvet Box Society

Here’s a piece of transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry with a provenance as impressive as its lovely details: this pendant was reportedly a Gift from Queen Victoria to Isaac Toucey, Secretary of the Navy under President James Buchanan. Toucey was the person who actually received the first transatlantic telegraph sent by Queen Victoria in 1858.

As if that weren’t cool enough, the pendant is thicker than most and beautifully detailed, with an anchor shaped bale and a detailed hand-engraving of the U.S.S. Niagara (one of the ships that laid the cable) on the reverse side.

The best thing about this jaw-dropping treasure? It’s the only piece of transatlantic cable souvenir jewelry I can find that’s currently available for sale!! Find it at Velvet Box Society.

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The WJA DEI dissent: what’s happening & why it matters.

Why do the board members of regional chapters of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) keep resigning in protest, and what are they objecting to? Let’s discuss.

Posts from chapters of the Women's Jewelry Association who have stepped down

The WJA DEI dissent: what’s happening & why it matters.

If you’re also on jewelry social media, you might have witnessed the recent avalanche of resignations from the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA). The reason behind the movement is important, and we’re going to take a look at the facts of the situation today.

This isn’t my usual sort of post: there won’t be any pictures of jewelry, and if you decide to skip it, that’s okay. But if you’re in the jewelry industry, please consider at least reading the “what happened” section so you know what’s going on.

This article is written from publicly available information, since I am not a WJA member.

What is the Women’s Jewelry Association?

Founded in the 1980’s, the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) is a professional organization for women in the jewelry and watch industries. According to their website, the WJA defines its mission as follows:

To support women in the jewelry and watch industries’ advancement and professional development through networking, education, leadership development, and the provision of member services and to be the premier business networking and community-building organization dedicated to enriching and advancing the professional lives of women in the jewelry and watch industries.”

Since its founding, the WJA has seen enormous growth, spreading across the country with the launch of individual chapters in different cities as well as developing mentorship programs, WJA Masterclasses, Jewelry’s Night Out, the WJA Awards for Excellence, and the WJA Jewelry Loupe Project for emerging designers.

I’ve always admired the WJA and believed in its mission. I was a member for several years, and I have been a featured speaker at events for the Philadelphia Chapter and the DC, Maryland, & Virginia WJA Chapter and also attended the WJA Awards for Excellence Gala in the past.

What happened?

During the December 10th, 2024 Annual Membership Meeting, WJA President-Elect Gabrielle Grazi made an end-of-year speech that announced a shift in priorities for WJA.

You can read the entire speech at this link, but here is the relevant section:

We exist to help women thrive and we pride ourselves on building a culture of inclusion and belonging.

In our efforts to support DEI and highlight underrepresented communities in our industry, it was recently brought to our attention and I wish to acknowledge here, today, the many in our industry who have felt excluded the past few years.

In hindsight, our content did not always reflect the complexion of our membership and that of our broader industry. Our sincere efforts to be inclusive created a perception of exclusion by many long standing and founding members of the jewelry community.

We sincerely apologize for this misstep. Everyone is welcome in our community. Every individual is diverse.

As a women’s business organization with a 501 c6 designation, we will be focused on diversity of thought, and not comment or create content around social justice issues.”

I didn’t witness this firsthand because I’m not a WJA member anymore, but it only took a couple of days for murmurings of discontent to reach me.

Then the resignations began.

  • As of today, the entire board of Chicago's Women's Jewelry Association will be stepping down
  • This is in response to the remarks made in December 2024 by the incoming national president-elect Gabrielle Grazi at the 2024 National Annual Membership Meeting. Grazi seemed to make clear to us that in order to appease certain factions of the industry while also reifying the status quo, she has chosen to take WJA in a direction away from diversity and inclusion and away from addressing any social justice issues.
  • The WJA Chicago Chapter board members were shocked to hear Grazi's remarks. As a diverse board composed of women from various cultures, creeds, races, and nationalities, we were deeply disheartened by her statement and the implications they carry for our organization's future
  • The assertion that WJA's "sincere efforts to be inclusive created a perception of exclusion" misrepresents the purpose and values of this organization. WJA's marketing reflects the faces of our membership and industry colleagues - individuals who have worked tirelessly to be seen, heard, and valued. Their presence in our materials is not exclusionary; it is representative and necessary.
  • The commitment to avoid "creating content around social justice issues in the future" contradicts the very foundation of the WJA. As the WJA website highlights, founders Toni Lyn Judd and Cindy Geller created this organization to give women a voice in the industry where there previously was none. The founding principle is inherently tied to social justice.
  • In its 40 years since WJA's founding, many other social justice issues have arisen, but only recently has the organization begun to address these problems. Since 2020, WJA has made efforts to truly address the lack of diversity in the industry and include and highlight the voices of our BIPOC and LGBTQ+ sisters. The discomfort of those resistant to this progress should not dictate the direction of our organization. Success for diverse members does not equate to a loss of opportunity for others.
  • In a follow-up explanation provided by the WJA National staff, they stated that the remarks in question were to address some of Jewish members of WJA's dissatisfaction with the national board's lack of response to the events of October 7th and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We feel that this rationale is inadequate.
  • On Grazi's remarks regarding that "WJA's content did not properly reflect the complexion of its membership," we find this comment especially troubling. While today's membership may not resemble the original founding members, this evolution is a testament to progress and inclusivity, not a point of contention or shame.
  • In this instance, avoiding "social justice issues" as means of fostering unity in WJA is merely a veneer on advancing some groups' interests and offenses as neutrality. There is not a necessary link between WJA's DEI initiatives and its response to October 7th. Not only does it fail to address the concerns of inclusion and the visibility of both our Jewish and Palestinian sisters, it is furthering division among WJA. Instead of choosing to have a robust healing discussion or create programs that celebrate all members, the national leadership has used this as an excuse to become "color blind," declaring that we are "all diverse." This is a cheap and easy fix.
  • Those of us who are minorities are familiar with this rhetoric and recognize it for what it is, the results of which will further alienate members who no longer feel safe, seen, or valued under WJA's incoming leadership.
  • The Chicago Women's Jewelry Association board is a diverse group of dynamic women, unified by a shared mission. In solidarity, we will all be stepping down from our positions. The National board will not use our images or likenesses to promote a false sense of inclusion in an organization that claims not to see us.
  • As one of our Jewish board members, Myriam Tashey eloquently stated: "I was raised with the belief of Tikkun Olam, a Hebrew phrase that translates to 'repairing the world' or 'mending the world.' This (re)action does not follow that belief. I am very disappointed that some members took this stance. May this be a learning moment for all of us."
  • In all solidarity and love to the sisters in our community, it has been a true honor to serve you. While our time as a board has come to an end, out commitment to fostering connection and collaboration will continue. Follow us individually on socials to stay engaged - we'll continue creating spaces that celebrate and uplift the vibrant voices in our industry.


On January 14, 2025, the entire WJA Chicago board resigned in protest and shared an open letter on the @WJAChicago Instagram account giving their reasons.

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Paris, City of Pearls opens at L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts

I don’t know yet if I’ll have a chance to see Paris, City of Pearls in person, but this exhibition is too spectacular not to share with you! Let’s take a look.

Exhibition Paris, City of Pearls - Photo Dylan Dubois

Exhibition Paris, City of Pearls – Photo Dylan Dubois

Paris, City of Pearls opens at L’ÉCOLE School of Jewelry Arts

There’s an exciting new jewelry exhibit in town! Paris, City of Pearls has opened at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (the jewelry school supported by Van Cleef & Arpels) and it sounds like a can’t miss for any jewelry lovers in the area.

What makes Paris the city of pearls? According to the exhibition materials:

From the late 1860s to the late 1930s – a period corresponding to France’s Third Republic – a majority of the pearls fished in the Gulf were gradually brought to France, sold in Paris and mounted by the top jewelers of the Place Vendôme. Account books, telegrams, archive documents and period photographs testify to the scale of this trade.

Routes across land, sea and then sky were opened, major figures emerged in both the Gulf and France, fortunes were made, and the pearl trade sparked an unprecedented economic boom. As new trade routes were developed, links were forged between people and cultures – from the France of the first third of the 20th century to the Gulf countries, referred to by the French at the time as the “pearl coast.”

As well as celebrating almost a century of shared history, this exhibition sets out to show the extent to which both natural pearls and the cultured pearls that arrived in France in the 1920s inspired not only Parisian jewelers but also artists in the broader sense. They all seem to have been driven by the same passion for pearls, whatever their means of artistic expression – opera, painting, photography, poster design, illustration or cinema – to the point that the pearl became one of the symbolic forms of the Roaring Twenties.

Seeking to penetrate the final mysteries of these biominerals, the exhibition embraces a crossover of history, art and science. This wide-ranging vision of knowledge is at the heart of L’ÉCOLE’s mission. Founded in 2012 with support from Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE invites the public to learn about the history of jewelry and the skills involved, and about gems, through classes, talks, publications and exhibitions, in Paris and elsewhere in the world.”

The exhibtion flyer and book cover for Paris, City of Pearls


Paris, City of Pearls presents a hundred pieces of jewelry as well as documents and drawings from prestigious lenders like the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts, the Petit Palais – Fine Arts Museum of Paris, heritage collections of the Maisons Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Fred, and the exceptional Albion Art private collection.

I don’t have photos of all of the treasures of the Paris, City of Pearls exhibition, but L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts was kind enough to send me some images to share with you.

Necklace, 1890, natural pearls, diamonds, gold, silver. Paris, City of Pearls exhibition.

© Albion Art Jewellery Institute

This necklace is pretty much perfect, in my humble opinion. It’s simple, glamorous, and dramatic in the best way. I absolutely adore the contrast between the smooth, curvy, oblong pearls with the crisp geometry of the middle element that suspends them.

The shape makes me wonder if this beauty might have been fitted to an optional tiara frame at one point in history, but the Paris, City of Pearls exhibit doesn’t mention this, so perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

This pearl necklace was made in 1890 and features natural pearls and diamonds set in gold and silver.

René Lalique ring, c. 1910, natural pearl, diamonds, enamel, yellow gold. Private collection. Paris, City of Pearls exhibition.

© Photo L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts – Benjamin Chelly

A strong contrast to the elaborate pieces above, this light-as-air pearl dragonfly ring from the Art Nouveau era dates to 1910 and is the work of the famous René Lalique ring. It features a natural pearl, diamonds, and enamel in yellow gold.

Loaned to Paris, City of Pearls exhibition by a private collector.

Owl pendant, c. 1880, baroque pearl, diamonds, rubies, gold. Private Collection, courtesy of Albion Art Institute.

© Albion Art Jewellery Institute

One of the coolest subgenres of pearl jewelry is when oddly-shaped baroque pearls are transformed into tiny sculptures by the addition of creative elements.

This owl pendant, circa 1880, is a fantastic example of the technique at its finest: that’s a natural pearl in the middle, transformed from anonymous lumpiness by the addition of the owl’s feet and head. I especially love the rose cut eyes, the details on the branch, and the owl’s features.

This piece features a baroque pearl with diamonds, rubies, and gold. Loaned to Paris, City of Pearls from Albion Art Institute.

Van Cleef & Arpels evening bag, 1924, platinum, pearls, onyx, diamonds. Collection Van Cleef & Arpels


I don’t mean to pick favorites, but BONJOUR to this utterly spectacular Art Deco era pearl bag. Look at the tiny onyx details along the frame of the bag, the lovely links of the chain, the woven seed pearls!

Made by Van Cleef & Arpels and currently in the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection, this exquisite evening bag dates to 1924 and is made from platinum with woven pearls, onyx, and diamonds.

George Barbier, “The Fountain of Shells. Paquin Evening Gown,” Gazette du bon ton, no. 3, plate 27, 1914.


I mentioned above that Paris, City of Pearls exhibition also contains a number of drawings and documents including a number of delightful jewelry editorials and ads.

Titled “The Fountain of Shells. Paquin Evening Gown,” and drawn by George Barbier, this page appeared in the Gazette du bon ton, no. 3, plate 27, in 1914.

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