SAN DIEGO — The Timken Museum of Art in San Diego's Balboa Park is especially spectacular this time of year. As soon as you open the front door, step inside and see the Jewels of the Season display, it’ll take your breath away.
900 intricate ornaments made by Florence Hord and Elizabeth Schlappi are now hanging from little trees, a big tree, even making their own chandeliers, creating perfect Christmas magic in the central gallery of the Timken Museum of Art. Holly Martin-Bollard is Director of Operations. When people first walk in, Martin-Bollard said, people are in awe.
“It's a lot of the wow factor" she said. "They stop. There’s a lot to see. It's a visual feast. The ornaments that you see, no two are alike. They created these ornaments just based on their imaginations and their passions.”
When can I see the ornaments?
- The ornaments will be up until December 31.
- Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Hord and Schlappi lovingly started creating these together in 1959. They celebrate animals, culture, and fashion. Historic landmarks and all things unique to San Diego. But it’s how they designed and crafted these masterpieces that make them so striking.
“Each one is so unique," Martin-Bollard said. "You have ones that are so whimsical. You have ones that are very elegant with gemstones and different filigree that the ladies collected.”
In its entirety, there are roughly 1,400 ornaments in the collection the Timken now owns, with 900 on display this holiday season.
It is a treasure trove of pieces made with both simple and intricate braids. Some also have enameled and glass beads, charms, trims, tassels and gemstones.
“They’re so ornate and they’re held together just with pens, so if you look closely, you can see the pearl pins. They did not use any glues when they were fabricating these ornaments, so they are very delicate,” Martin-Bollard says.
Each starts with a traditional silk-wrapped ball. Then the embellishments of beads, sequins and fabric are attached with a pen. Some are simple, but some are elaborate. All are lovingly created with impeccable craftsmanship. Martin-Bollard said it’s hard to pick a favorite. She said she has several and her most cherished is always changing.
She points to one with what looks like a painted scene on a stone and says, “I love this ornate one. Maybe because there are shades of it that remind me of some of our paintings in the French gallery.”
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