Spring returns to the earth and all things revive. Looking forward to, looking forward to, L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center will be officially opened in Shanghai. This is not only an industry event, but also a source house for the majority of jewelry art lovers to become experts.
In 2012, the L ‘ECOLE Center for Jewelry and Art opened its doors on Place de Fontaine in central Paris. Paris, Place de la Fontaine, jewelry art, when these three words are linked together, like a match made in heaven, there is an innate bond with each other.
Place de Fontaine in Paris
Also in this historic and colorful square. 1906 Van Cleef & Arpels was founded in Paris. The famous family of fine jewelry, by the name of the two families together. For more than 100 years, the books have been written in an orderly and continuous way. With exquisite jewelry technology, he tells the world his heartfelt praise for nature and his infinite longing for the true love in the world…
The relationship between L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center and Van Cleef & Arpels is umbilical. It is more like a beautiful girl next door growing up and becoming independent. The art center is rather a “campus” for spreading jewelry knowledge. It is supported by the family, but also belongs to each other: it is not another “shop window” for displaying the family’s high pearl products, but really opens a window for the world: through this window, you, me, she/he, each of us can explore the fascinating jewelry world in an all-round way.
Gold and Treasures, 3000 Years of Chinese Ornaments
2022.12.01-2023.04.14, Paris, France
Birds in Paradise
Tokyo, Japan, 2023.01.20-2023.05.07
Men’s Rings, Collection Yves Gastou
Hong Kong, China, 2022.09.05 — 2023.02.12
Engraved Gems
2022.05.12-2022.10.01, Paris, France
Since 2017, L ‘ECOLE has held 19 themed exhibitions. These exhibitions span time and space, talk about the past and present, and colorful. What is particularly valuable is that the exhibits do not focus on the jewelry works of Van Cleef and Arpels, but on the development of the jewelry culture in a very neutral way. The Center adopts a teaching model that attaches equal importance to history, science and practice, and then builds up three major topics: the gem world, Exquisite craftsmanship and the history of Jewelry art.
Since its inception, L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center has traveled all over the world. She has taken her courses, lectures and exhibitions to the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, meeting and making friends with an increasing number of jewelry professionals, lovers and even curious people — 9,300 kilometers, which is the distance between Paris and Shanghai as the fly flies — across the lush fields and splendid rivers and mountains of Eurasia, L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center will be officially opened in Shanghai soon.
“Natural coating and historical texture blend here”
Located at Twin Villas, 796 Huaihai Central Road, L ‘ECOLE Jewelry and Art Center will be the third permanent center established by L ‘ECOLE worldwide, following the establishment of the Asia Pacific branch of K11 MUSEA in Hong Kong in 2019. Referring to Twin Villas, everyone is probably familiar with it. People once affectionately called it “Villa Richemont”, where contemporary art, food and wine and gentlemen’s appearance are all located.
Further ahead, Twin Villas was the original residence of Shanghai celebrity Jiang Bingsheng. The two garden villas, connected by a skywalk, are four stories high, in the neoclassical style of the time, with slender ornate columns, wooden floors and large decorative glass. The East building was built in 1921 and the West building in 1927.
In particular, from the 1950s, and after the reform and opening up to the mid-1990s, this place also served as the office building of Shanghai Film Bureau. In a sense, the art of film and jewelry is the art of quenching time, but also the art of making dreams. Too much empathy, too many touching moments… Natural wrapping paste and historical texture are integrated here, which will undoubtedly enrich the local cultural heritage and artistic deposits of L ‘ECOLE in Shanghai, and together draw a brighter communication vision for tomorrow.
Know what it is and why. L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center is the first institution in the world to spread knowledge of jewelry art to the general public. Through various forms of courses, lectures, exhibitions, publications and so on, L ‘Ecole Jewelry Art Center leads the public to explore the gem world, exquisite craftsmanship and jewelry art history. In line with L ‘ECOLE’s mission of sharing and inheriting, the forthcoming Shanghai Permanent Center is dedicated to meet the growing demand of Chinese jewelry lovers for this time-honored art.
No matter the general public or jewelry connoisseurs, they need no relevant professional background or training experience, as long as they have a curiosity, they can enter this magnificent jewelry art world. In Shanghai, L ‘ECOLE will welcome visitors from all over the world to experience the splendour of natural gems, listen to the touching stories handed down from generation to generation, and explore the exquisite craftsmanship of jewelry masters of different ages.
“Face to face, step up to become an expert in jewelry art”
This “side” is especially worth mentioning — the courses below are all offline, average two to four hours long, and are taught in small classes with no more than 12 students. The faculty consists of experts in various fields, including jewelry art historians, gemologists, jewelry designers, gemstone setters, patternmakers, etc. They are enthusiastic evangelists and skilled lecturers.
The courses of L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center are divided into three series: the History of Jewelry, the World of Gems and Exquisite Craftsmanship.
In the course of Jewelry art history, students will work with teachers to explore the evolution and development of jewelry art from different perspectives such as history, culture, style and symbolism. And the subject set is more colorful: “A History of Jewelry from Louis XIV to Art Deco Period”, “Royal Jewelry from the Classical Period to the Renaissance”, “Jewelry in Art Nouveau Period”, “Amulet and Precious Symbol”, and so on.
Taking the lecture Royal Jewelry from Classical Period to Renaissance Period as an example, the teacher will lead the students to explore the role and status of gold in jewelry across thousands of years and different civilizations, and master the correct and authentic collocation way. In Amulets and Precious Symbols, we examine the origins of totemic cultures in the East and West, explore the symbolic and protective powers of a range of gems, the mystical beliefs endowed with creatures and planets, and learn how this mysterious “parallel universe” has influenced the collections of top jewelers.
On the paper to the end sleep shallow, never know this matter to practice. Exquisite craft courses, giving students the opportunity to practical operation. Under the guidance of the teacher, you will experience the creation process of a piece of jewelry. Topics include Gouache Painting of Fine Jewelry, From Design to Model, and from wax Engraving to Mosaic Techniques. From the two-dimensional presentation of manuscript, tracing and watercolor painting to the three-dimensional presentation of ash wax and metal models, we explore the preliminary procedures of gemstone making one by one, and experience the daily work of jewelers and craftsmen: carving wax models, cutting metal plates, polishing and trying to master a magical technique of gemstone setting, “pushing metal into beads”.
From theory to practice, and from practice to theory. Courses in the gem world make gemology accessible and charming. The subjects include The Charm of Diamonds, Charming Rubies, and Identifying Gems. Under the guidance of teachers, students will use the magnifying glass, refraction instrument, polarizer, scales and other gemological tools to explore the composition and texture of gemstones like experts, learn how to distinguish different gemstone types and places of origin, and become expert in gemstone identification.
Things are changing and cognitive renewal is iterative. Since 2017, L ‘ECOLE has set up a “scientific committee” composed of experts in academic, curatorial and scientific fields to ensure that the content is accurate, rich and up-to-date. In addition, a large number of cutting-edge research results are utilized to plan new courses, exhibitions and publications for the center, so that some little-known or even untouched topics can obtain more in-depth exploration and widespread dissemination opportunities.
As recently as 2022, L ‘ECOLE has introduced the following new courses, including emerald, pearl, jade, diamond grading, jewelry from the 1960s and 1980s, etc. The jewelry workshop for young people, who are 5 to 17 years old, has been popular among children and parents as a place of quality education.
“Education” is a big body, the truth is in a “Hua” character. And “breeding” can, in the spring breeze rain, for a long time for work. L ‘ECOLE Jewelry Art Center adheres to its original intention and stands at the forefront. The new campus in Shanghai is waiting for its opening.
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Post time: Mar-18-2023