Recovered Titanic jewels to be on display in 3 U.S. cities

DORAVILLE, Georgia - The largest collection of jewelry recovered from the Titanic is on display for the public for the first time since they were salvaged from the ocean depths.

The purpose of the exhibit, on a tour of three U.S. cities, is to enlighten the public of the wonder of exploration, said Alexandra Klingelhofer, vice president of collections for RMS Titanic Inc.

"We're able to give them a glimpse of how it must have been to have opened that for the first time and to see, together, the beautiful jewelry of the Edwardian Period," she said.

The jewelry exhibit is being added to "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition," which opened in Atlanta earlier this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

The jewelry is from a single purser's bag found during a 1987 research and recovery mission. The collection includes diamond and sapphire rings, brooches, necklaces, cuff links and a gold pocket watch.

Conservators and curators have been studying and preserving the jewelry to gain a better understanding of individual passengers' lives.

The jewels also will travel to Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas.