MORRISON HECKSCHER: Displayed here are glorious examples of the Met’s collection of American jewelry. Take a look around while I tell you more. The earliest pieces, often small forms like little lockets, date from the early eighteenth century. American silversmiths, who also served as jewelers, often typically made them. But as the country prospered, small workshops gradually grew into large factories, where increasingly mechanized production replaced handcraftsmanship. By the mid-nineteenth century, jewelry included gold and silver medals, brooch-and earring sets modeled after European designs, or and elaborate hair jewelry created as a memento of a loved one. Cameos were especially prized, as were imported seed pearls, particularly as gifts to brides. The jewelry also represented a variety of techniques, such as enameling, engraving and casting. And materials ranged from precious and semi-precious gems to wood, imported tortoiseshell, or its less costly substitute of Vulcanite, which was invented in 1836. Exotic materials – such as coral and diamonds –were always imported. But a watershed for the history of American jewelry occurred in 1849 when gold was discovered in California. And with the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada, silver also became more available. By the late nineteenth century, such well-known manufactories as Tiffany & Company and Gorham were joined by lesser known but highly regarded firms and designers. These included Marcus & Company, Riker Brothers and Florence Kohler. Designs reflected a range of historical revival styles – as well as the asymmetrical forms of Art Nouveau and the handcraftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement.