Slide show-Pattern making in the African Diaspora.

Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermes Collection

Now on view in Washington, DC:
Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection

Organized by the Museum for African Art, New York and sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Desert Jewels presents spectacular jewelry from Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, and late 19th- and early 20th-century historical photographs of North African cities, landscapes, and people adorned in jewels.

“From simple ornaments that would be worn by a child to elaborate jeweled necklaces for women of wealth, the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès Collection is a treasure that reflects the richness of the cultures of North Africa.” —Elsie McCabe, President of the Museum for African Art
Desert Jewels will be open to the public daily from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. (except Christmas Day) through January 11, 2009 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Location: 950 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20024. National tour to follow.
For more information, see www.africanart.org and africa.si.edu