Gems Unearthed opens at the Zeeuws Museum on 14 June. It is the first exhibition to bring together so many pieces of jewellery found in the Dutch soil. They were made and worn by people who lived here over a period of thousands of years, from the Stone Age until the recent past. The exhibition is part of Among Us, a project in which treasures from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden are loaned to provincial museums. In addition to the large number of items from this impressive collection, the exhibition is supplemented with loans from museums and private collections across the country. Gems Unearthed can be seen until 1 March 2026.

MEANING AND BEAUTY

Each excavated piece of jewellery adds something to how we look at ourselves and our past. People have always worn jewellery. One of the oldest pieces in the exhibition is a boar’s tooth pendant from around 9000-4000 BCE. Some of these pieces are surprisingly timeless and wouldn’t look out of place on a contemporary outfit. They tell us something about taste and fashion, but also about trade networks, cultural contacts, social status and religious faith. While exploring their meanings and materials, Gems Unearthed also celebrates the sheer beauty of the pendants, chains, rings, bracelets, brooches, buckles and hairpins, some of which are thousands of years old. We can only show those items that have survived. Metals such as bronze and gold, and glass and gemstones have been preserved, whereas most organic materials such as seeds and plant fibres have decayed. There is a relatively large number of items from the early Middle Ages because in this period it was customary to bury people in their finest clothes.

FiligreE

Part of the exhibition is devoted to the materials and techniques used to make jewellery, including a section on the ancient filigree technique. Filigree is a feature of many archaeological finds and has also played an important role in Zeeland’s regional jewellery. Visitors can try their hand at this technique, guided by goldsmiths and filigree experts Eva van Kempen and Cor Kuijf, and jeweller Piet Minderhoud who specialises in Zeeland’s regional jewellery.

Gems Unearthed is designed by HuismanvanMerode.

FeSTIVE opening AND PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES

Everyone is welcome to the festive opening on 14 June! Entry is free the whole day and there will be a fun-packed programme of activities.

There are also various activities for young and old during the exhibition’s run, including lectures by experts and children’s workshops. More details will be available on the website soon. 

GEMS UNEARTHED Magazine

A special magazine about Gems Unearthed is included with issue 58 of Vind magazine. The magazine can be purchased separately from 14 June in the museum shop for €6.95.

Gems Unearthed is part of Among Us, a project of the National National Museum of Antiquities in which items from the national archaeological collection are loaned to museums across the Netherlands. With thanks to the VriendenLoterij.