06 Nov 2023
Van Cleef & Arpels celebrated the arrival of Diamond Week to Australia for the first time, hosted by L’E?COLE, School of Jewelry Arts. From October 31st-November 4th, Van Cleef & Arpels hosted guests to private L’E?COLE classes and talks at Barford House, Bellevue Hill.
L’E?COLE, School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, opened in Paris during 2012 and has since expanded across several global locations offering an exclusive program, with focus on the three main pillars of savoir-faire, art history of jewelry and the world of gemstones.
The Diamond Week was a concept tailor-made by L’E?COLE. In line with L’E?COLE’s motto “Discover, Learn, Wonder", two-hour classes and one-hour talks with two gemologists from L'E?COLE were offered, to discover the different facets of diamonds, between history and science. These courses and talks have been designed for a non-specialist audience and include a hands-on dimension. Diamond: History & Symbols, Diamonds around the World, Diamond: a Gemological Exception, Diamond: the 4Cs, Diamond, Art & Science, and The Fascinating Colours of Diamonds, took place across the 5-day schedule.
Since its founding in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels have been inspired by the diamond. The use of diamonds is a true exercise in style and the Maison lavishes all its expertise and High Jewelry savoir-faire to produce dazzling creations with a wide variety of styles, cuts, and volumes. At Van Cleef & Arpels diamonds have been selected using the most stringent criteria: DEF for colour and IF VVS for clarity.
L’E?COLE, School of Jewelry Arts, was established in 2012 in Place Vendo?me, Paris, with the support of High Jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels and opened its second permanent location in K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong in November 2019. It is the first school in the world to invite everyone from the general public to connoisseurs to explore the world of jewelry arts. In addition to providing courses throughout the year at the permanent Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai locations, L’E?COLE has expanded its educational programs worldwide with travelling editions featuring special courses, talks, publications and exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo, New York, and Dubai. L’E?COLE carries several research projects and partnerships with museums and academic institutions, including Muse?e des Arts De?coratifs (Paris), The Come?die-Franc?aise Museum (Paris), E?cole Boulle (Paris), E?cole des MINES ParisTech (Paris), Liang Yi Museum (Hong Kong) and also Hong Kong Design Institute (Hong Kong). It also offers online educational videos and conversations, and a library specialised in jewelry arts.
