#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

Virtual Tour

Events Archive

Opening of the exhibition Romanian Jewelry Week - Chisinau 2023

18-31 August 2023

On August 18, 2023, the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the opening of Romanian Jewelry Week, a special edition of the event that marked an important stage in the collaboration between Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the field of contemporary jewelry. This innovative initiative, organized by Assamblage in partnership with NMHM, was made possible thanks to the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Program, a program to support cultural projects of international impact.

At the opening of the event, prominent representatives of the cultural and diplomatic community spoke, Eugen Sava, General Director of NMHM, Valentina Buzămurgă, founding member of Assamblage, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova, Monica Babuc, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute at Chisinau and David Sandu, curator of the exhibition.

The National Museum of History of Moldova will host for two weeks an impressive and captivating exhibition in which more than 50 renowned artists and designers from Romania and around the world have brought together exceptional works of jewelry art. This exhibition includes not only the presentation of jewelry, but also special activities such as openings, guided tours, conferences and workshops, all aimed at the general public.

Among the exhibiting artists and designers were international personalities in the field of jewelry, coming from various countries such as Romania, Republic of Moldova, Italy, USA, France, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine and South Korea. Also, two capsule exhibitions organized by Slovenian Jewelry Week and Legnica Silver Festival in Poland added value to the event, offering a wider perspective on contemporary jewelry creation.

The event was possible thanks to the joint effort of the organizers, Assamblage and the National History Museum of Moldova, and financial support from the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Program.

Special thanks to the media partners for their support in promoting the event: Radio Guerilla, Aici a Stat, Curatorialist, Curatorial.ro, Dreamingof.net, Designist.ro, ELLE, Empower Artists, Feeder.ro, Festivalier, Igloo, IQAds, Lost in Jewelry Magazine, Femeia, Modernism.ro, Revista Atelierul, Revista Golan, The PR Station, The Institute, Zeppelin, Zile și Nopți, Călătorii cu Gust și TVR Moldova.