Tellus Exhibit Features Items Transformed From Ordinary To 'Jeweled Treasures'

Photo: Master jeweler Sidney Mobell at Tellus Science Museum. Credit: Tellus Science Museum

The Tellus Science Museum has opened a new exhibit for Cartersville and Bartow County residents to enjoy.

The museum on Saturday hosted an opening reception for Jeweled Objects of Desire, an exhibit from the Smithsonian. The exhibit will be in Cartersville through Nov. 1, 2015.

Nearly half of the jeweled objects on exhibit were designed by master jeweler Sidney Mobell, “a renaissance man with a Midas touch,” Tellus said in its news release.

Once an actor who performed with Jayne Mansfield, and a songwriter whose songs were made into chart-topping hits, Mobell is most notably known for his exquisite jewelry design.

“Sidney Mobell is recognized around the world for his remarkable recreations of common household items,” the museum added. “Much like King Midas, Sidney Mobell turns everything to gold. Mobell, however, does it with purpose. He commemorates some of the most iconic everyday objects into beautiful, unique jeweled treasures refashioned using gold and precious gemstones.”

Mobell’s pieces on exhibit were donated by him to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and are on loan to Tellus as part of the Jeweled Objects of Desire exhibit.

The exhibition features gems and jewelry from other artists represented in the Smithsonian’s collection such as Aldo Cipullo and John Sinkankas. Tellus has been a Smithsonian affiliate since opening in 2009.

Jeweled Objects of Desire is the first special exhibit to be on display in the Weinman Mineral Gallery as a result of the museum’s completion of its Vision for the Future capital campaign.

The conclusion of the capital campaign has allowed Tellus to open two special exhibit spaces and purchase a new, super-resolution digital planetarium projector, among many other things.

For more information about Tellus Science Museum call 770-606-5700 or visit its website or Facebook page.