Rare jewels worn by Pope Paul VI arrive in Museum District
Two stunning additions to the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault arrived at the Houston Museum of Natural Science this month. A pectoral cross and ring worn by Pope Paul
VI, Pope John XXIII and Pope Pius XII share a glass case.
Blink, and you’ll miss them. Joel Bartsch, president, curator of gems and minerals at the museum says visitors often do.
To be clear, the cross and ring are head-turners. “Like any kind of performative jewelry meant to be worn in a public setting has to be exaggerated and over-sized. Things that could be seen from 50 rows back at high Mass,” he says.
But the papal jewelry, meaning pieces worn by more than one pope, tend to fade into the glamour and glitz that is the Gem Vault, he explains.
“When you see visitors looking at the pieces — and usually, they’re older — people are like, ‘This used to belong to the pope!’ ” Bartsch shares. “That’s when crowds gather.”
The pectoral cross (c. 1920) is set with 12 large diamonds, 281 old-mine and rose-cut diamonds and 145 Colombian emeralds. It’s total weight is approximately 60 carats. Designs on the back feature Pope Paul VI’s papal seal, traditional crossed keys and a tiara above his coat of arms. To symbolize the Holy Trinity, there are also three fleur-de-lis and six mountains to represent the family name of Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini.
On the platinum ring (c. 1920), a 12.75-carat central diamond is surrounded by 14 oldmine diamonds weighing approximate 5.75 carats. The shank is set with 20 rubies that form two crosses on beds of 96 old-mine diamonds. There are cherubim and doves of peace holding olive branches on the ring’s rear.
Though Bartsch suggests a little blue pamphlet that accompanied the jewelry is most valuable of all.
“It has pictures of popes wearing it and a letter from the Vatican saying these pieces were donated, so there’s no question about the authenticity,” he says. “The copy of that little blue pamphlet is the key to the whole story. This isn’t some pawn shop guy. Or a great grandmother who says, ‘I got this from the Pope.’ ”
The pectoral cross and ring are the only known pieces of papal jewelry currently on public display. To have such pieces in museum possession is rare.
“When popes died, they would smash their signet rings,” Bartsch explains. “So you couldn’t copy the insignia, because every pope had their personal seal.”
The pieces were designed by Vatican ateliers. Experts speculate gemstones were used from the Vatican’s own collection.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI presented the cross and ring to the United Nations during an unprecedented visit of a reigning pontiff to the U.S. Under his instruction, the jewelry was auctioned off in 1967 by ParkeBenet Galleries; proceeds were designated to help alleviate human suffering.
Now they’re on public display for the first time. Though Bartsch isn’t sure how long the exhibit will run. It could be six months or one year — that’s up to the anonymous lender.
“For a museum director, it’s a dream come true,” he says.