This November, jewellery aficionados in the UAE will have the rare opportunity to study under the leadership of one of the most renowned jewellery maisons in the world: Van Cleef & Arpels.
The illustrious French jewellery house launched L’École: The School of Jewellery Arts, in Paris in 2012. It has since travelled to Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York. This year, to celebrate its fifth anniversary, the institute will bring its watchmaking and jewellery-designing workshops to Dubai Design District (d3).
Some of the workshops conducted over the years include: Discovering the World of Gems; Make Your Own Treasure Chest; Amulets & Precious Symbols; and Trying Out the Jeweler’s Techniques.
Speaking at Hai d3 this morning, chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels, Nicolas Bos, explained that transmission, both internal and to the outside world, has always been a key feature of the jewellery house. He described Dubai as a region where the decorative arts are treated with a lot of respect and appreciation, unlike many countries in the West, where they have lost much of their appeal, and where jewellery-making has been forgotten as an art form.
L’École Van Cleef & Arpels has had more than 16,000 students over the past five years, and its Dubai edition this November will be the school’s first foray into the Middle East.
The jewellery and watchmaking classes will be taught by the company’s jewellers, gemmologists, horology experts and art historians, and will be open to both children and adults. The school will also host exhibitions and conduct discussions with local experts.
“We are delighted to serve as the home for the L’École project,” said Mohammad Saeed Al-Shehhi, COO of d3. “At d3, our strategy has always been to nurture and develop talent.”
In keeping with the Year of Giving initiative by Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, L’École Van Cleef & Arpels will donate course-registration funds to the Dubai Cares organisation.
The L'École Van Cleef & Arpels workshops will take place from November 7 to 25 at Hai d3. For more information, visit www.lecolevancleefarpels.com.
hlodi@thenational.ae
