Le geste retrouvé: the reproduction of the Celtic torque from Montans exhibited at L'École des Arts Joailliers

L'Ecole des Arts Joailliers will be hosting an original research project at the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, at the crossroads of archaeology and craftsmanship. From July 3 to September 21, 2025, you'll be able to admire the reconstitution of the Montans Celtic torque, thanks to the partnership between the Montans Archaeological Centre, the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Barbara Armbruster of the CNRS.

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This involved understanding and reproducing an extremely complex, rigid Celtic gold necklace dating back over 2,000 years, a meticulous task carried out by goldsmith Antoine Legouy, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, archaeologists and Grégory Weinstock, Director of Haute Joaillerie at Van Cleef & Arpels.

Based onexperimental archaeology, this reconstruction helps to better understand the skills and techniques of a given period by reproducing the object studied, found in 1843 at Montans in the Tarn region and dating from the Second Iron Age (450 - 25 B.C.).

Contrary to usual, the exhibition is rather small, as there aren't hundreds of jewels to look at, but the making of torque is traced through short explanatory videos, tools and textual elements that help to grasp the nature of this feat.