Following the Sputnik launch in 1957 and Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon 12 years later, jewelers looked to the sky for inspiration. A new exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, “Cosmic Splendors: Jewelry from the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” explores how space exploration impacted our collective creative spirit. All 70 gems included were pulled from the Van Cleef & Arpels archives for a celestial reason, whether mythological or scientific. On view will be a full moon in yellow gold with rubies dating back to 1969, alongside topaz star clips to scatter across a lapel. Astrological signs grace pendants that span the 1970s and find their modern counterparts in the brand’s current Zodiaque collection. If fate is in the stars, best to keep the cosmos close at hand. The exhibition will run until January 4, 2026. Above: Clockwise from top left—Van Cleef & Arpels pendant, 1969, and clips, 1947; Zodiaque necklaces, $22,900 each, vancleefarpels.com. Supernova wallpaper by Studio DB, calicowallpaper.com. Produced by Will Kahn. Styled by Miako Katoh. This story originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE