MET's JEWELRY Exhibition is so Expansive in Scope, Time, Place and Design the Purpose is Displaced

The bedazzled JEWELRY exhibition at the MET "The Body Transformed" is an overly ambitious collection drawn from the MET's collection that spans from the ancient Egyptian period 3000 BC and vast continents & cultures to the 20th & 21st C ;"Resplendent and Avant Garde Pieces".  The most ancient artifacts were adornments made of gold linked with deities & rulers.  The curatorial comments attributed the ancient precious trinkets with the spiritual & miraculous; so we were told.  Alas, the collection traversed continent to continent, century to century but soon grew old and tiresome.  Perhaps, the most auspicious pieces were from Benin with necklaces adorning figurative sculptures.  The most arresting piece is a large golden crown from the UK 18th C inset with precious gems.  Of course, this is also the most off-putting knowing the spoils go few while minions toil.  The galleries are darkened to offset the glistening jewels.  This felt too gimmicky & tawdry.  Searching for a commonality amongst the multitudinous regions, relics & epochs one can attribute intricate craftsmanship & the understanding the jewelry was not availed by underlings.   I traversed in a somnambulant state through the darkened galleries until jolted in the final galleries containing the most recent exquisite jewelry.  This gallery was entitled "Redefining Resplendency".  Here you'll find jaw dropping creations from Alexander McQueen's collection.  The diamond & ruby hooded body armor is a magnificent combination of design elements emblazoned with bling.  The Tiffany necklace with moonstones (1837) is resplendent and the ephemeral Tiffany necklace (1904) looks to be worn by fairies from "A Midsummer's Night Dream.  The diadem with agate & pearls designed by the Italian House of Castellani 19th C is another arresting piece.  My favorite item from the entire show was the evening dress by Karl Lagerfeld for the House of Chanel (2015) that combines haute couture evening gown with built-in jewelry at the neck, waist and cuffs. (This was no little black dress.)  I came away feeling shallow from this JEWELRY exhibition.  The show in its entirety was not transformative.  I cherry picked favored pieces from the most current era and felt the broad continuum deflated the currency of earlier antiquities.  As Coco Chanel famously said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off."  JEWELRY "The Body Transformed" would've been more effective had it been done with less fanfare.