See Bunny Mellon’s Jaw-Dropping Jewelry Collection

Before her death in 2014, the philanthropist, garden designer, and tastemaker Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon left rare jewelry and art objects to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. At the heart of the collection are the nearly 150 pieces she commissioned from renowned French jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co., Jean Schlumberger, many of which were inspired by her gardens and estate in Upperville, Virginia. A traveling exhibition, Jewels of the Imagination: Radiant Masterworks by Jean Schlumberger from the Mellon Collection runs December 15 through March 2019 at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, before the treasures return home to VMFA for ongoing display. A new exhibition book also shares background and images of the sparkling pieces. Click through for a preview.