L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts opens its fourth permanent international campus at Dubai Design District.
Encouraged by the success of its traveling school sessions organised in recent years in the Middle East, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts has decided to firmly establish its presence in the region. Next week, a permanent campus opens in Dubai at Dubai Design District (d3).
Rendering of L'ECOLE Middle East - Constance Guisset Studios
Founded in 2012 in Paris with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is open to all, from beginners and collectors to the simply curious and young people and offers a rich programme of online and in-person courses and talks, as well as free temporary exhibitions, publications and research projects.
The jewellery world is vast, fascinating and universal and this is exactly why L’ÉCOLE spreads its reach internationally. Established in France, today it boasts two permanent campuses in Paris: one in the Hôtel de Ségur and a second one is to open its doors in the Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau. A campus was opened in Autumn 2019 in Hong Kong, in the Western Kowloon district. In September 2023 one new campus opened in Shanghai in the Twin Villas, on Middle Huaihai Road.
L’ÉCOLE Middle East
Inspired by the half-height windows dressing the contemporary building at d3, Constance Guisset had the idea of running a frieze from the outside to the inside. Comprising two spaces, a large space intended for free temporary exhibitions and the classrooms accessed via a spacious corridor with very high ceilings, the location exudes the typical softness of Constance Guisset’s designs.
A Phased Programme Introduction
Inaugural exhibition: Garden of Emeralds. Discover the Gemstones
Each year, L’ÉCOLE will host free temporary exhibitions, as part of its aim to spread the world of jewellery to as many people as possible. The inaugural exhibition dedicated to the emerald, “Garden of Emeralds”, will reveal the many secrets and mysteries of this gemstone to the public.
Emeralds, aquamarines, morganites and heliodors, all varieties of the large beryl gemstone family used in jewellery.
Their great diversity of colours, from the most vivid to the most subtle, offers designers and collectors a unique palette. However, emerald remains the most coveted, the most prized and certainly the most studied.
Since ancient times, emeralds have fuelled the imagination and creation of jewellers. They have nurtured the symbolism that comes with the colour green, first and foremost that of nature, but also of power, whether religious, military or social. Legend has it that the emperor Nero had emerald glasses specially made to soothe his eyes when he attended gladiator fights.
The “Garden of Emeralds” exhibition, part of the “Discover the gemstones” series, presents the research carried out by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewellery Arts on emeralds, with the aim of introducing as many people as possible to the scientific, cultural, artistic and technical aspects of this gem.
The tour takes visitors from the depths of the earth, where the unlikely union of elements gives birth to emerald crystal, to the workshops, where it is shaped and worked by expert hands to reveal its colour, intensity and beauty. Lapidaries, designers, gem setters and jewellers all work together to create the most beautiful pieces of jewellery, and they all have a special relationship with emerald.
Nature, craftsmanship and symbolism form the three main sections of this exhibition, which brings together rough and cut specimens from the collections of the Mineralogy Museum Mines ParisTech, others from the collections of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewellery Arts, numerous pieces of jewellery symbolizing emerald creation, thanks to loans from Van Cleef & Arpels and private collectors, and original gouache drawings that illustrate the full range of nuances of this gem, as well as the passion that people have had for it for over two thousand years.
The “Garden of Emeralds” exhibition is a world premiere presented in Dubai.
Courses, Talks and Workshops
In addition to this inaugural exhibition, from its opening this autumn, L’ÉCOLE Middle East will offer a programme of in-person talks covering three main areas: Savoir-Faire (jewellery craftsmanship), the World of Gemstones and the History of Jewellery.
From spring 2024, L’ÉCOLE will also offer courses and workshops for adults and children. Delivered by a body of lecturers including art historians, gemmologists, jewellers and craftsmen, each course will bring together a maximum of six to twenty-four students to ensure ideal learning conditions.
Each month, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewellery Arts also offers free online talks open to everyone.
Hero picture: Van Cleef & Arpels, Collaret, 1929 - former coll HRH Princess Faiza of Egypt © Van Cleef & Arpels Collection - P Griès
