The Secret Language of Jewellery in Art

Stella Grace Lyons is at Goldsmiths' Hall on Monday 2 November, talking about the symbolism of jewellery in Western art from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. The talk grows out of her new book, The Secret Language of Jewellery in Art, which she says exposes a forgotten visual language hidden within early modern painting.

Lyons is an art historian, writer and Arts Society accredited lecturer. Her central argument is that jewellery in these paintings is too often dismissed as merely decorative, when it actually shaped how people were seen and judged. She describes it as a way of proclaiming power and lineage, advertising fertility, signalling desire, enforcing virtue and betraying private anxieties. The talk takes in queens, courtesans, merchants, lovers and enslaved children, so it's not just about the high-end stuff — it's about how jewellery functioned across different lives and roles.

It's a good fit for the venue, too: Goldsmiths' Hall is the home of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the livery company that has looked after the craft for centuries. Having a talk on the history of jewellery inside the hall that represents the trade feels right.

Doors open at 18:00, with a prompt start at 18:30, and the whole thing runs until 20:30. Tickets are £15 per person, which includes a drinks reception. Signed editions of the book will be available to buy afterwards, so if you're interested, you can take a copy home with you. The hall is on Foster Lane in the City, EC2V.