How do we look at a painting or a jewel to reveal the stories hidden within? Professional Jewelry Detective (museum and art consultant and jewelry and art historian) Jan Krulick-Belin illustrates the process of discovery she follows when researching an object, sharing the story uncovered when she investigated a mysterious piece from her own jewelry box…an 1840s gold and painted miniature necklace from India. Jan’s tale will inspire the Jewelry Detective in all of us and will have you eager to find out more about your own treasured items.
Jan is a museum and art consultant and an art and jewelry historian with more than 40 years’ experience at institutions including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Denver Art Museum, Beaumont (Texas) Art Museum, and Smithsonian Institution. Retired as Director of Education for the Phoenix Art Museum, she continues to work with museums, arts organizations, and private collectors, in addition to serving as guest curator at the Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum in Phoenix. She is also author of the award-winning book, Love, Bill: Finding My Father through Letters from World War II. Jan lectures widely on a variety of art and jewelry topics, as well as about her book and the process of writing memoir. She has a bachelor’s degree in art history from the State University of New York, Binghamton and a master’s degree in museum education from George Washington University. She grew up in New York City and currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.