Conversations & Workshops
by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
One to two hours of enchanting experience led by jewelry experts
What makes L'ÉCOLE experience So Special?
“We aim to provide access to the world of jewelry to the widest audience possible.
- Nicolas Bos, CEO & president of Van Cleef & Arpels
Our world shouldn’t intimidate or turn anyone away.”
Register to L’ÉCOLE Program
Participants must hold a ticket to the "Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love” exhibition to be eligible for L’ÉCOLE Conversations and Children’s workshops programs.
Conversation 1: Ruby, Art & Science
Among the many red colored gemstones, be it Spinels, Garnets or Rubellites, one mineral stands out, in gemology as in the trade, to become the most treasured material of all, namely Ruby!
L’ÉCOLE invites you to rediscover more about rubies, addressing the question from historical and gemological perspectives.
Conversation 2: Understanding Art Deco Jewels in 1930
In 1925, the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts was held in Paris, revived luxury industries and established a style that would later be called "Art Deco".
The decoration of French embassies abroad or that of the great transatlantic cruise ships would spread a fabulous style worldwide, from New York to Marrakech, from Rio to Shanghai...
Come and discover the sources of Art Deco, a style that jewelry happily adopted which continues to fascinate us today.
Conversation 3: The Secrets of Jewelry Design
From the glimmer of artistic sketches to actual mock-ups, the jewelry workshop cannot fully operate without a two-dimensional depiction of the future piece: Gouaché, a water paint drawing.
High Jewelry Maisons and museums started to enhance their aesthetic values, allowing to see beyond the archiving sources to embrace their historic and artistic dimensions.
Delve into the Gouaché origins and evolution, drawing the attention on such paper renderings, and opening on the doors of a fragile, yet paramount, step of jewelry creation.
Conversation 4: The Secrets of Sentimental Jewels
From the myth of Psyche to the romance of Romeo and Juliet, Jewelry has taken hold of love stories. In fact, giving a piece of Jewelry is never trivial: it is the witness of those who love each other, whether this love is official or kept secret. This is how Jewelry will develop a loving, complex and fascinating language, making it possible to show feelings to the loved one in a symbolic, even encrypted way.
We will thus discover the amorous iconography in Jewelry: the doves of Venus, the arrows of Cupid, the meaning of flowers, all these symbols will be revealed to you! We will even decipher some coded messages, secret traces of several love stories which we would have forgotten without the presence of these jewels.
Conversation 5: Flora in Jewelry Arts
Since ancient times, flora and the art of gardening have been true sources of inspiration for goldsmiths and lapidaries. Through rigorous observation of flowers and plants, the designer, who composes veritable bouquets of precious gems (rubies, emeralds, pearls...), honors and sublimates colors and natural forms.
Join us where our Art Historians will explore the captivating floral motifs of the 17th century, as portrayed in L’ÉCOLE’s publication, “Flora”.
Children’s Workshops: Create your Jewels
Offering a unique educational experience that is both authentic and fun, L'ÉCOLE’s Creative Workshops have the mission to awaken an awareness of the creative professions for young people.
For ages 5 to 9 years old, “Create Your Jewels” allows children to choose a template from the models offered. Stimulating their creativity, they can design, cut out, and decorate with mosaics, rhinestones, ribbons, feathers, according to their inspirations.
This workshop is led by two jewelry designers. Accompaniment by an adult is required.
*Please check the detailed schedule on the D Museum reservation page
Children’s Workshops: Crowns and Swords
Guided by their teachers, the children of “Crown and Swords” are immersed into the history of royal symbols, coming from the four corners of the world. They choose a template for their crown and/or their sword to cut out and to decorate with mosaics, leather, rhinestones, ribbons, feathers or lace in order to make their own creations, driven by their individual inspiration.
This workshop for 5 to 9-year-old children is led by two jewelry designers. Accompaniment by an adult is required.
*Please check the detailed schedule on the D Museum reservation page
L’ÉCOLE in Korea
L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts offers courses, conversations, publications and exhibitions in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, New York and Tokyo and other cities in the world.
For the first time in Korea, L’ÉCOLE invites you to participate in a series of talks and children’s workshops from January to March 2024 during the “Van Cleef & Arpels: Time, Nature, Love” exhibition.
What makes L'ÉCOLE experience so special?
L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts was founded over ten years ago in the aim of sharing the culture of jewelry both in France and around the globe. L’ÉCOLE offers courses, conferences, children’s workshops, and publications exploring jewelry, its history and savoir-faire, and gemology.
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