The Houston Museum District Association, one of the country's largest concentrations of cultural institutions, consists of 19 non-profit organizations within a nine-square-mile area in Houston. It hosts a diverse range of cultural events. The Houston Museum of Natural Science hosted the Dreher Masterworks exhibition between June 2022 and May 2023.
Generations of Dreher family craftsmen from Idar-Oberstein, Germany, created the gems. The Dreher Masterworks gem collection features highly sought-after pieces, including rubies, sapphire, and aquamarine topaz. In addition to featuring the jewels and trinkets, the exhibition displayed objects, such as animal sculptures, made from the abovementioned gems.
Karl Dreher, in 1860, began the family sculpture dynasty with animal sculpture made of plaster models from Faberge. Paul Dreher built upon the family business by creating his own designs, with two included in the Faberge book in London in 1962. Finally, Gerd Dreher, Paul Dreher’s son, specialized in engraving animal sculptures and worked with his son Patrick until 2018, when he passed away.
