Rebecca Rau Jewels Debuts the THEN & NOW Collection at NYC Jewelry Week with Newly Added Historic-to-Modern Masterpieces

Rebecca Rau Jewels, Pietra Communications.
Rebecca Rau Jewels, Pietra Communications.

Rebecca Rau Jewels Debuts the THEN & NOW Collection at NYC Jewelry Week with Newly Added Historic-to-Modern Masterpieces

A rare fusion of provenance, preservation, and contemporary design will be exhibited in New York this month, designed by Rebecca Rau Jewels.

New York, NY -- Designer and fourth-generation art and antique dealer Rebecca Rau will officially debuted her inaugural fine jewelry collection, THEN & NOW, during NYC Jewelry Week (NYCJW), accompanied by the introduction of newly added one-of-a-kind pieces that merge ancient cultural artifacts with contemporary gemstones, precious metals, and modern design. The collection was unveiled at a launch reception at Jill Newhouse Gallery on Thursday, Nov. 20,.

“As a longtime fine art gallery owner, we are committed to exhibitions that connect the historical and the contemporary, combining fresh perspectives with a nod to the past. Rebecca Rau’s innovative collection does exactly that we are pleased to being showing this work alongside our gallery’s important drawings and paintings,” says Jill Newhouse.

THEN & NOW combines ancient artifacts dating from 1200 BC to 1880 AD with modern gemstones, lustrous pearls, and precious metals. Each piece is a celebration of human history and craftsmanship, designed to be worn today while carrying forward the stories of the past. The collection ranges from Phoenician gold pendants and medieval Fede rings to Anglo-Saxon fittings and nineteenth-century Italian micromosaics, each transformed into unique contemporary pieces through meticulous preservation, engineering, and gemstone setting.

THEN & NOW marks the official debut of Rebecca Rau Jewels. The brand draws its lineage from her family’s legacy at M.S. Rau, the celebrated New Orleans gallery renowned for museum-grade fine art, exceptional antiques, and historic jewelry. Raised among centuries-old treasures, Rebecca developed an eye for design and beauty that is at once academic and instinctive. After completing her master’s degree at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, she spent years traveling through Europe and Asia, sourcing rare jewels and objets d’art while refining her curatorial voice. With THEN & NOW, she channels a lifelong devotion to history into visionary, wearable artworks that exist beyond era or trend.

Among the newly added works premiering in New York are the Hand-in-Hand Ring, an exceptionally rare medieval single-hand Fede ring reimagined and reset within an 18 karat gold band with green garnets and an old mine diamond held by the Fede hand; the Granulated Goddess, a Phoenician ceremonial gold votive pendant framed by a large pink sapphire and tourmaline accents; the Charm of the Hexagon, which centers a 1,500-year-old hand carved Sasanian amethyst surrounded by platinum geometry and gems; the Green Flame Necklace, built around a Saxon warrior’s bridle mount and lit with a Lightning Ridge black opal and exceptional mint garnet; and The Good Pope, featuring an Italian micromosaic portrait of Pope Pius VII encircled by spinels, and enhanced by a South Sea pearl and peach sapphire.

Rebecca Rau says, “It’s thrilling to finally introduce these special pieces to the public after slowly dreaming them up and meticulously bringing them to life. I am continually inspired by the creative challenges that come from working with rare historic artifacts—striking a balance between preserving their unique character and crafting jewelry that feels both wearable and unexpected. The collection is a marriage of my passions: history, gemstones, objects, and design. I hope visitors will find a renewed sense of wonder and connection to civilizations of the past with THEN & NOW.”

Rebecca Rau Jewels, the eponymous brand launched by 4th generation antique and jewelry dealer Rebecca Rau, is a celebration of human history, craftsmanship, and the legacy of spirituality within bodily adornment. It dissolves the distance between museum and wearer, transforming artifacts once kept behind glass into intimate, living works of art. Through her pieces, Rau reminds us that the impulse to create and ornament the body is as timeless as humanity itself.

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