Diamond-studded necklaces, golden pectorals and ceremonial small swords are among about 200 jewellery and decorative pieces, covering 4,000 years of history across five continents, to be showcased in Hong Kong from Wednesday.

Titled “Treasures of Global Jewellery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Body Transformed”, the show at the Hong Kong Palace Museum marks the US institute’s first major travelling showcase of its jewellery collection.

About 200 exhibits have been selected from the Met’s collection of 8,000 jewellery pieces from 13 of 19 different curatorial areas. They are supplemented by works from the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s own collection.

Quincy Houghton, deputy director of the Met’s exhibition and international initiatives, said the show brought to Hong Kong was first staged in 2017 and 2018 in New York, and had been reworked for the tour.

“In the back of my mind, this would always be a fantastic exhibition to share internationally because it’s so global in nature,” Houghton told the South China Morning Post, adding that the tour would conclude in Shanghai.

“It’s an exhibition that celebrates global creativity, and we’re best presented in these great international centres,” she said, referring to New York and Hong Kong, and noting that it marked the Met’s debut in the city.

“We hope this exhibition will be the beginning of a lasting relationship between the Met and the Hong Kong Palace Museum.”