For the "Jewels of the Jet Set" exhibition and sale , collector Olwen Forest offered a journey through the history of glamour via spectacular jewelry. Presented at the Marché Serpette, in the heart of the Saint-Ouen flea market, this selection brought together celebrity jewelry , designer creations, film props, and costume pieces that have become collector's items.
The exhibition was based on a simple conviction: a piece of jewelry is never defined solely by its material or its signature. It retains the trace of an era, a silhouette, and sometimes a personality. Between references to the cosmos, surrealist inspirations, and Hollywood glamour, each piece contributed to a larger story: that of couture jewelry in the 20th century.
Editorial note updated 2026: "Jewels of the Jet Set" was a landmark exhibition that has now ended. This page preserves its memory and places Olwen Forest's selection within its artistic and cultural context.
Olwen Forest, celebrity jewelry collector
A unique figure at the Saint-Ouen flea market, Olwen Forest specializes in vintage luxury jewelry and collections associated with film stars. Her world deliberately lies at the intersection of fashion, entertainment, decorative arts, and popular culture.
Far from solely prioritizing the value of metals or stones, the collector is interested in the narrative power of objects. A brooch, a cuff, or a necklace might thus capture her attention because of its provenance, its design, its use in film, or the personality of its former owner.
This approach explains the exhibition's title. "Jewels of the Jet Set" didn't just refer to expensive jewelry. It evoked a world of parties, film studios, Mediterranean villas, and instantly recognizable figures. Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo , and Tony Curtis formed the cultural horizon of this Hollywood jewelry.
Olwen Forest's official profile published by Paul Bert Serpette still presents her as a specialist in vintage luxury jewelry and jewelry collections worn by stars.
Jewelry crafted for light and camera
In Hollywood, jewelry must be seen. Creations intended for film sets therefore often favor generous volumes, pronounced contrasts, and surfaces capable of capturing light.
This relationship between jewelry and image is particularly evident in the creations of Joseff of Hollywood. The American manufacturer became famous for its accessories designed for film, characterized by theatrical shapes, historical inspirations, and a patina designed to limit unwanted reflections under the spotlights.
Among the exhibition's presentation materials was a "Sun God" brooch, associated with the actress Pier Angeli. Sun, moon, stars, and deities formed a visual vocabulary perfectly suited to adventure stories as well as sophisticated studio portraits.
Olwen Forest thus brought together vintage film memorabilia whose value lay not only in its aesthetic appeal. These pieces also testified to how Hollywood constructed its characters through costumes, props, and lighting.
Chanel: when jewelry becomes an element of the silhouette
For Gabrielle Chanel, jewelry is not merely ornamentation. It contributes to the overall balance of the garment. Long necklaces, cuffs, chains, pearls, and brooches introduce rhythm and movement to the otherwise simple lines.
From the 1920s onward, Chanel deliberately combined fine jewelry with costume jewelry. This freedom allowed for wearing multiple necklaces, mixing materials, and subverting traditional jewelry codes. Jewelry became a statement of style rather than a social display.
In 1932, Gabrielle Chanel presented "Bijoux de Diamants," which the House considers its first high jewelry collection. Comets, stars, and diamond fringes form a constellation around the body. This celestial imagery echoes the cosmic motifs found in the "Jewels of the Jet Set" selection.
The Chanel jewelry brought together by Olwen Forest illustrated another facet of this story: that of designer costume jewelry, imposing, unconventional and designed to instantly transform an outfit.
To delve deeper into the designer's world, Luxe Daily also traces the history of Chanel and its main codes.
Elsa Schiaparelli, surrealism focused on the body
Another major presence in the selection is Elsa Schiaparelli. The couturier helped to abolish the boundary between clothing, jewelry and artwork by collaborating with figures of surrealism such as Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray.
Her creations transform unexpected elements into accessories: insects, eyes, hands, padlocks, astrological signs, or anatomical fragments. Precious materials may be combined with glass, metal, resin, or colored crystals.
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs highlights this freedom of form and material in the jewelry designed or created for Schiaparelli, notably by Jean Schlumberger and Jean Clément. In 1973, the designer also donated thousands of drawings and several works to the Union Française des Arts du Costume (French Union of Costume Arts), whose collection is now held by the museum.
In "Jewels of the Jet Set," the pieces attributed to Schiaparelli served as a reminder that surrealist jewelry never merely serves to beautify. It surprises, unsettles, and reveals a personality.
Hattie Carnegie and Kenneth Jay Lane: American audacity
The exhibition also featured the creations ofHattie Carnegie, whose world blended ethnic references, bold colors, animal motifs, and decorative materials. Her costume jewelry helped establish a spectacular aesthetic in mid-20th-century American fashion.
An enameled cuff and a tiger brooch attributed to the designer were among the pieces included in the historical selection. These items reflected the era's taste for sculptural forms and stylized animals.
A few decades later, Kenneth Jay Lane continued this tradition with jewelry that fully embraced its theatrical character. Inspired by Art Deco, ancient Egypt, or big cats, his creations appealed to an international clientele drawn to instantly recognizable accessories.
Panthers, leopards, snakes and geometric patterns become the elements of a language where the jewelry affirms the temperament of the woman who wears it.
Couture jewelry or fine jewelry: what's the difference?
The pieces presented in "Jewels of the Jet Set" belonged to various categories. Therefore, not all of them were high jewelry in the strict sense.
High jewelry generally relies on the use of precious stones and metals, demanding craftsmanship, and extensive workshop work. Couture jewelry, sometimes called costume jewelry when it uses non-precious materials, is more closely linked to a fashion collection, a silhouette, or an artistic intention.
This distinction does not constitute an absolute hierarchy. A piece of jewelry made of glass, gold-plated metal, or resin can become a collector's item because of its rarity, its origin, its creator, or its importance in the history of fashion.
This evolution explains the growing interest in second-hand and vintage jewelry. Collectors are now looking for a signature and a story as much as material value.
The Serpette Market, a haven for vintage fashion and design
The choice of the Serpette Market was not insignificant. The Saint-Ouen Flea Market has been a privileged territory for antique dealers, collectors, decorators and fashion professionals since the end of the 19th century.
The official founding of the Flea Market is set at 1885.The Serpette Market, a covered market founded in 1977, has enriched this area dedicated to antiques, furniture, decorative arts and 20th century objects.
In this context, Olwen Forest's jewelry is not isolated behind a glass case like in a traditional museum. It engages in a dialogue with antique clothing, accessories, photography, furniture, and objects that have been passed down through generations.
This close relationship between disciplines gives the Flea Market a unique identity. People come to buy, but also to learn how to look, compare different periods, and recognize the details that distinguish an original creation from a more ordinary production.
An exhibition that has become an archive of fashion heritage
"Jewels of the Jet Set" reminded us that the memory of luxury is not only found in the archives of major fashion houses. It also survives among antique dealers, collectors, and specialists capable of identifying, documenting, and passing on fragile objects.
Through her selection, Olwen Forest offered a different interpretation of the 20th century. The jewelry simultaneously told the story of the rise of cinema, the freedom of fashion, the influence of surrealism, and the birth of an international celebrity culture.
These creations were not designed to disappear discreetly. On the contrary, they assertedextravagance, colour, personality and the power of staging.
To discover other houses, signatures and know-how, consult the Luxe Daily dossier dedicated to jewelry and exceptional jewelry.
Historical information about "Jewels of the Jet Set"
- Exhibition venue: Marché Serpette, Saint-Ouen Flea Market, 110 rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine.
- Location given at the time: aisle 3, stands 5 and 7.
- Period: from September 2013 to the beginning of 2014.
- End date: the still accessible archives do not agree. Some indicate February 3, 2014, while one version of the article mentions March 3, 2014.
- Status: Exhibition ended.
Current information regarding Olwen Forest's presence and access conditions to the Serpette Market should be verified directly with official websites before any travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the "Jewels of the Jet Set" exhibition still open?
No. This is a historical exhibition and sale, organized between 2013 and the beginning of 2014. The item is kept as an archive dedicated to celebrity jewelry and fashion heritage.
Which designers were featured?
The selection notably included pieces signed or attributed to Joseff of Hollywood, Elsa Schiaparelli, Gabrielle Chanel, Hattie Carnegie and Kenneth Jay Lane.
Is it still possible to discover Olwen Forest's collections?
Paul Bert Serpette currently lists Olwen Forest as a specialist in vintage luxury jewelry and celebrity jewelry collections. It is still recommended to check their official contact information before visiting the flea market.
Official French sources
- Paul Bert Serpette – Olwen Forest's Official Profile
- CHANEL – High Jewelry and the “Diamond Jewelry” collection from 1932
- Museum of Decorative Arts – “Shocking! The surreal worlds of Elsa Schiaparelli”
