To advance its heritage research program, AJF undertook a targeted academic mission to meet with stakeholders in May. AJF met with over 30 academics and researchers, and visited a number of institutions. Discussions focused on the development of scholarship related to Armenian jewellery history, including the trading activities of Modern Era Armenians, and the promotion of knowledge exchange in the study of Armenian trades.

This opportunity allowed AJF to present its objectives, as well as receive valuable insight about ongoing research into trade networks and jewellery artifacts held in collections around the world. A proposed research approach or a roadmap was formulated in consultation with academics, including professors Dickran Kouymjian of Fresno State, Sebouh Aslanian of UCLA, Claude Mutafian of Sorbonne, Patricia Boisson of INALCO, Fr. Levon Boghos Zekiyan of Venice U., Baykar Sivazilyan of Politecnico di Milano, Armen Tokatlian of Paris, Fr. Haroutiun Bezdikian of Paris, and others (see photos).

A list of prospective joint initiatives is being developed with academic counterparts, as well as a possible exchange forum in the near future is being planned.

Discussions were also held on the documentation effort of presentday achievers and success-stories. In particular, meetings were held with documentary producers Avedisque and renowned photojournalist and best-selling author Scout Tufankjian, who is now completing her well-known Armenian Diaspora Project.

During the mission, the rich Mechitarist library and archives in Venice were used to conduct preliminary searches for materials, and the fathers were consulted and thanked for their generous support and guidance.

Alexander Miller's Authentic Armenian Jewellery Revealed

Concurrently, AJF and the Museum of Ethnography of Saint Petersburg have made considerable advances in their joint project to publish Miller's Armenian treasures. The collection, which resulted from a scientific expedition in the midst of the Genocide in 1916, had been stored away for almost 100 years, and only recently rediscovered. In April 2015, it will be entirely exhibited for the first time and the catalogue will be presented thanks to AJF's commitment to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on behalf of Armenian jewellers worldwide.

Recently, the scientific analyses and cataloguing efforts of the project have been completed. Thanks to AJF's effort lead by Regional Director Aza Babayan, professional photographic documentation and virtual presentations of the artifacts have also been completed. Project curators are now in the editing and design conceptualization phases.

Thanks to the research undertaken, it has become clear that Miller's collection is not a chance acquisition like most collections, but rather an all-encompassing representation of Western Armenian society. Indeed, all artifacts were chosen based on their authenticity (versus fashion) by the expedition team, which consisted of highly regarded ethnographs who used rigorous scientific approach. Another important fact that was revealed is that the expedition journal itself provides critical clues and photos on facts and locations.

An agreement has been reached with the head curator of the Miller collection to present an independent study of the jewellery artifacts from the collection, which represents a significant portion, from the point of view of their designs and traditional use.