Men's Jewellery

Rachel Church is a Curator in the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum with a special responsibility for the rings collection. She has published and lectured on jewellery and worked on the re-display of the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery. She has contributed to a number of V&A publications, including writing on gold boxes in The Gilbert Collection at the V&A (2009).

Rings are powerfully evocative pieces of jewellery, traditionally worn as symbols of love, loyalty, remembrance and faith. Focusing on the V&A's world-famous collection, Rings tells the story of their evolution from sculptural gem-set bands worn in medieval times to Art Deco masterpieces, dramatic gemstone 'rocks' of the 1950s, and innovative works of art created by contemporary jewellers.