Jewelry isn’t just gemstones and gold—especially jewelry made after W.W. II. The adornments we call “contemporary,” one-of-a-kind objects produced by studio jewelers in small workshops, are really a form of wearable art. In 1950, the Dallas Museum of Art began acquiring such pieces, starting with three enamelware pendants by the San Diego artist Ellamarie Woolley. Today, DMA’s collection numbers a staggering 1,400 works. Here, 350 are on view, including a gold bracelet of a hand made in 1969 by the Italian artist Bruno Martinazzi and a sculptural paper necklace created two years ago by the Irish artist Genevieve Howard. As George Eliot once wrote, “These gems have life in them; their colors speak, say what words fail of.” Her thought rings especially true in this exhibition. —Elena Clavarino