{"id":34617,"date":"2026-01-08T11:16:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T05:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=34617"},"modified":"2026-01-14T16:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T11:23:15","slug":"rebecca-rau-honouring-the-past-curating-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/rebecca-rau-honouring-the-past-curating-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebecca Rau: Honouring the Past, Curating the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carrying a legacy forward means always learning, experimenting, and keeping pace with how the market evolves. Meet\u00a0<\/span><\/i>REBECCA RAU,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>the fourth-generation antiquaire, jewellery dealer and designer at M.S. Rau Antiquaires, the renowned New Orleans gallery known for its world-class art collection, rare antiques, and jewellery. Having grown up among art and artefacts, Rebecca has a natural scholarly bent of mind and a keen eye for beauty. She earned her\u00a0Master\u2019s\u00a0degree from Sotheby\u2019s Institute of Art in London and has travelled extensively across Europe and Asia,\u00a0acquiring\u00a0rare jewels and\u00a0objets\u00a0d\u2019art for M.S. Rau, while cultivating her curatorial sensibilities, carrying the past forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also explored jewellery design, including a special collaboration with the distinguished jewellery house Oscar Heyman to celebrate the 110th anniversary of both companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The New York-based designer continues to channel her experience into jewellery design. Her creations are\u00a0refined yet playful, inviting collectors into a world of distinctive ornaments that bridge past and present. With her latest collection, THEN & NOW, she translates her fascination with the past into wearable works of art that transcend time. Rau believes her work dissolves the distance between museum and wearer, transforming artefacts once kept behind glass into intimate, living works of art.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a fourth-generation jeweller and antiquaire leading M.S. Rau\u2019s jewellery division, you have been surrounded by art,\u00a0history\u00a0and rich culture\u2026 what core value from your great-grandfather continues to guide you today?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We like to say, \u201cBuy the best and only cry once.\u201d It truly pays to invest in quality, whether\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0your team, inventory, or your legacy. I try to keep this motto in mind and work with the most interesting artefacts, gems, and jewellers I can find\u2014and trust that there will be reward for these efforts!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Was there a defining moment in your early years\u2014\u00a0perhaps a\u00a0particular piece or client\u2014that made you realise antique jewellery was your calling?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To be frank, it was an evolution. But, as someone who values proximity to art, I slowly decided that wearable art is the most compelling and personal. Plus, I just adore that jewellery is man\u2019s collaboration with nature and incorporates some of the most beautiful riches of the earth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Blushing Spinel ring crafted with brushed platinum spotlights a vivid 2.03-carat, unheated Vietnamese pink spinel, framed by two D\/VS diamonds totalling 0.32 carats.\u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
The Butter Me Up 18-karat white and yellow gold ring exudes warmth. The central attraction is the 3.20-carat fancy emerald-cut yellow sapphire, while 0.69 carats of Cadillac-cut diamonds complement it accentuating the radiance of the yellow sapphire. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Getting your\u00a0Master\u2019s\u00a0at Sotheby\u2019s, and then curating exhibitions across jewellery, art, and design must have been quite an engaging experience. Tell us about your learnings from that period that continue to shape your eye for exceptional pieces today?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research and curating have enabled me to look for unexpected connections between diverse sets of objects. It taught me to tease out stories found between two gems, objects, or artworks, which very much has informed how I work today. It also shaped my love for immersive spaces that evoke a certain mood or period. If a museum ever decides to make an exhibit about my jewels,\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0have plenty of ideas on how to stage it!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The fiery Sun King 18-karat white gold ring glows with a 6.48-carat emerald-cut orange sapphire with a surround of over 2.5 carats of sparkling white diamonds. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your collaboration with Oscar Heyman marked a brilliant meeting of two historic legacies. How was\u00a0that creative exchange, and how did it influence your appreciation of\u00a0craftsmanship\u00a0or design storytelling?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I was particularly inspired by their archives of about a quarter million historic designs. There was something so intimate about these humble yet beautiful drawings. Despite the large reach of their brand, and the collaborative nature of jewellery manufacturing, you can envision a single artist dreaming up their magical ideas, putting them onto paper and slowly, over time, seeing them come to life. It certainly contributed to my interest in thoughtfully pursuing my own design concepts and narratives, in a slow and studied way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Top view of the 18-karat Loop de Loop ring. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When did you first feel drawn to designing jewellery yourself, and how would you describe your creative process\u2014from the first spark of an idea to the final piece?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0actually made\u00a0some form of jewellery or wearable art throughout my life! Though, when I was younger, they\u00a0were more of craft projects than high art. For me, ideas tend to first\u00a0emerge\u00a0from a material \u2013 a glittering gem or an interesting artefact. From there, I sketch and play with the objects in my vault to work on potential designs. Sometimes though, I may\u00a0immediately\u00a0visualise a design in my head for a completed piece, without needing to study it at length. But I enjoy the learning process, as it helps me to intimately understand something, which then enables me to really bring it to life.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Primavera earrings crafted with 18-karat white gold feature 4.43 carats of vivid pink sapphires, complemented by 3.56 carats of lush green tsavorite garnets. Two leaves articulated with 0.53 carats of marquise-cut diamonds complete the floral look. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Your haute\u00a0joaillerie\u00a0pieces blur the line between adornment and art. What drives you to create such statement works\u2014is it the character of the gemstones that lead the design, or a vision you aim to bring to life through them?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the gem-forward haute\u00a0joaillerie\u00a0pieces,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the gemstones themselves that drive the designs. I look for stones that metaphorically jump out of their display cases, even if\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0exhibited\u00a0amongst hundreds of other gemstones. My eye has always been drawn to ultra rich hues,\u00a0and the THEN & NOW collection enables me to work with some of nature\u2019s wildest creations. It is my humble attempt to do them justice when transformed into something wearable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The 18-karat white gold Think Pink ring spotlights on an oval 2.53-carat pink sapphire surrounded by a halo of 1.64 carats of white diamonds. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many collectors now discover antique jewellery through Instagram. What are three common myths you like to clear up when meeting a new client?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jewellery production is incredibly labour-intensive, with vast amounts of specialised talent and time\u00a0required\u00a0for each step in the process. Jewellery is not expensive because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0arbitrarily classed as luxury;\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0so much\u00a0expertise\u00a0and labour poured into it in addition to the material value of the gems and metals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reworking antique or ancient jewellery or artefacts is a tradition\u00a0as old as time; reinventing a piece does not mean destroying it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Carved scarab pendant brooch from the THEN & NOW collection adorned with pearls and trillion-cut morganites. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is your take on lab-grown diamonds?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The lab-grown diamond market is not destroying the natural diamond market!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you could add one dream masterpiece to the M.S. Rau collection\u2014no matter the cost or ownership\u2014which\u00a0would it be, and what would it mean for the gallery\u2019s legacy?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is truly an impossible question for me! However,\u00a0here\u2019s\u00a0a past inventory item I wish we had kept. We love Napoleonic history given the Louisiana\u00a0connection, and\u00a0once had a full 34-volume first edition set of the\u00a0<\/span>Description de\u00a0l\u2019Egypte,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Napoleon\u2019s comprehensive study of ancient and modern Egypt. It began during Napol\u00e9on’s Egyptian campaign in 1798 and took over 20 years to complete. The set features over 800 large scale engravings and the case is stored in a custom-fitted cabinet. I adore this painstaking study of history,\u00a0in spite of\u00a0Napoleon\u2019s\u00a0perhaps questionable\u00a0motives in Egypt.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Description de l’\u00c9gypte, First Edition. \u00a9 M.S. Rau Antiques.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With big auction houses leading the top-tier jewellery market, how does M.S. Rau continue to stand out and keep clients loyal?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m\u00a0certainly biased, but\u00a0I think we\u00a0provide a more personalised and memorable experience. If you are visiting a jewellery preview, you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0always\u00a0have the opportunity to\u00a0immerse yourself in collections of antiques and art as well. Plus, we spend more time\u00a0researching each object in the collection since we\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0on a tight sale-schedule\u00a0deadline, and\u00a0hence can really tell each collection piece\u2019s story properly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The Renaissance-inspired Reimagined Jasper necklace from the THEN & NOW collection centres on a 1st-2nd Century AD cut brown-jasper fragment, framed by unheated orange zircons and Umbalite garnets. The five Tahitian grey pearls lend quiet depth, while the pendant hangs from an 18-karat yellow gold French \u201cbook\u201d chain, circa 1865. \u00a9 Rebecca Rau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, when the next generation takes over, what one line of advice would you leave behind for them inside the vault?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t\u00a0be afraid to create something unconventional! There is so much jewellery in this world, and we need more designers taking risks and trying the unconventional.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carrying a legacy forward means always learning, experimenting, and keeping pace with how the market evolves. Meet\u00a0REBECCA RAU,\u00a0the fourth-generation antiquaire, jewellery dealer and designer at M.S. Rau Antiquaires, the renowned New Orleans gallery known for its world-class art collection, rare antiques, and jewellery. Having grown up among art and artefacts, Rebecca has a natural scholarly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":34618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,104],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-34617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRebecca Rau: Honouring the Past, Curating the Future - jewellery magazine India<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meet Rebecca Rau, fourth-generation antiquaire, jewellery dealer and designer at M.S. 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