Patina Gallery Proudly Announces the new exhibition from Tamsen Z, the New York jewelry house of artist Ann Ziff.

Renowned collector, philanthropist, and jeweler, whose work draws from the deepest wells of human civilization.

“Ancient objects don’t speak of the past — they speak of permanence. They remind us what endures.”
Ann Ziff

Enter a sumptuous world of enigmatic antiquities and storied gemstones that reverberate across the centuries.

Each piece carries an echo of ancient hands, stories, and meaning.

As one of the world’s most preeminent collectors of art antiquities and gemstones, Ann’s collecting philosophy is informed by an unwavering sensitivity to form, history, and respect for authorship.

The collection brings together a selection of jewelry that reflects the breadth and depth of Ann Ziff’s lifelong engagement with some of the world’s most intriguing and significant cultural traditions. Central to the works in Resonance is a belief that the most ancient expressions of human ingenuity, deserve not only preservation, but an ongoing life.

“My husband and I bought what moved us artistically or emotionally, we just followed what felt right and pursued our passions.”
Ann Ziff

Tamsen Z jewelry is never simply decorative.

It is informed by a philosophy of guardianship: the belief that collecting, creating, and adorning are forms of stewardship. Collecting is not about glorification. To wear these ancient works is to protect their story, preserve their history, and ensure their passage intact to the next steward.

White jade beads, many thousands of years old from Neolithic China, are paired with sunbursts of rutilated quartz; antique coral is adjacent to brilliant citrine. Pre-Columbian goldwork developed over two thousand years ago, with finely detailed golden pendants by the Baoulé people of the Côte d’Ivoir.

Recognizing these gold objects are not artifacts of a distant past, works are approached with the same disciplined reverence that defines Ziff’s broader collecting. Pre-Columbian gold beads are treasured given that vast quantities of golden beads and objects were melted down and lost. What survives today represents only a small fraction of the original production.

The balance between antiquity & modernity in Ziff’s works creates a sonorous melody that reverberates across the ages and into the present.

The circular pendant shapes of the Baoulé people symbolize continuity. Crescents evoke feminine energy. These forms carry the meaning of the spiritual plane. Rooted in Akan heritage, Baoulé artistry reflects a worldview in which beauty, balance, and proportion are deeply connected to the unseen spirit world. Their beadwork is both a refined aesthetic practice and a living system of symbolism.

“If you buy something that’s 2,000 years old, do you really own it? You’re taking care of it and passing it on to the next person.”
Ann Ziff

Her eye for color and for the juxtaposition of the ancient and modern reveals a sensibility that is as much archaeological as it is aesthetic. Works are a meditation in which beauty, balance, and proportion are deeply connected.

Setting these extraordinary objects from her collections into conversation with one another, her compositions are arrived at by feel. They trust the eye to find what the mind cannot always explain: why a particular rutilated quartz belongs beside a four-thousand-year-old jade bead, why a glowing citrine bead opens something new in the ancient red coral beside it. Color, texture, and material are her grammar, while timeworn story is her subject.

In keeping with our belief in the deepening of beauty over time, Patina is honored to present these exceptional pieces from Tamsen Z.

Throughout our 25-year story of extraordinary jewels, groundbreaking ingenuity surfaces in the evolving friendship and collaboration from years gone by and in those to come.

For more information on the work, please email: allison@patina-gallery.com

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MAIN IMAGE: Model, Jocelyn Montoya.