All images: Select scenes from the making of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Olympia necklace and bracelet – the kind of precious knowledge, honed by expert artisans, which L’École seeks to share
AIR
This masterclass is ‘for the love of “ jewels’ – our focus is on enrichment of knowledge, and deeper understanding ”
Van Cleef & Arpels universe.“We find that people attend for one course, then feel compelled to enrol in others, to complete the picture,” Segura explains, of the ‘student’ base. “They are eager to connect the dots between all of those pockets of knowledge that we provide.” As mentioned, Van Cleef has tailored a number of concurrent exhibitions for its 2019 Middle East edition. Hidden Treasures: Jewellery from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an attempt to highlight the myriad influences that animate design repertories across the Arabian Peninsula. Precious Art Deco Objects presents a spectacular array of precious boxes from the remarkable collection amassed by the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan for his wife, the Princess Catherine Aleya Aga Khan, and The Fabulous Destiny of Tavernier’s Diamonds regales attendees with the story of the breathtaking diamonds acquired by Louis XIV, from the travelling merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689) in 1668. Pearl Merchants, meanwhile, rediscovers a fascinating saga between the Gulf and France. The latter exhibit is evidence that when Van Cleef & Arpels 40
arrives in a region, the openness and opportunity for learning flows two ways – the jeweller can be enlightened to fascinating facts, too. “The journey of the Pearl Merchants exhibition began during the last edition of L’École Dubai. I was not working with L’École at the time, yet was invited by Nicolas Vos, (Van Cleef & Arpels’ CEO) and by the French ambassador of the UAE to give a talk about pearls – my personal passion,” shares Segura. “Pearls are of great importance to this region’s heritage, of course, and during the discussion I asked the gentlemen if they knew that, on Rue Lafayette in 1920s Paris, from shop No. 1 to No.100, the street on which jewel sellers set up business, there were 100 natural pearl dealers alone. They wanted to know more – but even I didn’t know more. I know about the science, but not about the historic knowledge; the history seemed to have been lost.” L’École used its clout. “We embarked on a huge research project, committing resources to the topic for over a year – both in France and the UAE, simultaneously – to sift through the history books and meet families on both sides of the story to build the narrative, step by step.” The end
result is a fascinating exhibit that unfurls the saga of how these pearls made their way along the trade routes connecting East and West, with pearl commerce developing due to a thriving interchange – beginning with trade relationships between French merchants and the pearl merchants in the Gulf during the early 1900s. It is such dedication to the details of jewellery – both as an art form, and an adventure – that proves how invaluable this division of Van Cleef & Arpels truly is from an educational standpoint. “We don’t offer a diploma, or the opportunity for a job etc,” says Vallanet-Delhom. “This masterclass is ‘for the love of jewels’ – our focus is on enrichment of knowledge, and deeper understanding.” The allure of L’École is the opportunity to ‘Discover, learn, and wonder,’ drinking deep from this historic maison’s well of knowledge. The d3-based event promises another thing, too: attendees will look at a magical piece of Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery with fresh understanding, and newfound appreciation. L’École Van Cleef & Arpels is held from 28 March to 13 April at Hai d3. To enrol, visitlecolevancleefarpels.com