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DUBAI: A range of dazzling gems will soon be on display at the inaugural exhibition of L’École Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts at its new permanent location in Dubai Design District (d3).  

The “Garden of Emeralds” exhibition will reveal the history and hidden secrets of the magnificent titular jewel to the public.  

The exhibition is also to celebrate the opening of the Middle East “edition” of L’École, a jewelry school founded in Paris in 2012 with support from the French luxury jewelry company Van Cleef & Arpels. 

L’École already has two permanent campuses in Paris, one in Hong Kong, which opened in 2019, and another in Shanghai, which opened this year.  

Lise MacDonald, president of L’École, told Arab News that the decision to open another location in Dubai was spurred by the success of its traveling school sessions organized over the past few years in the Middle East and the uptick in interest from the region, which has witnessed a notable rise in the number of jewelry designers over the past decade. 

“When we opened the first school in Paris in 2012, jewelry, at the time, was considered a true work of art by only a few people,” MacDonald told Arab News. “The CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels Nicolas Boos decided to create a school that would show to the visitors and audiences at large the relevance of jewelry as a form of cultural expression from various historical eras.” 

Jewelry, MacDonald noted, was one of the very first art forms — human beings have been adorning their bodies with various objects, often for ritualistic or aesthetic purposes, throughout history.  

“Jewelry, as one of the first forms of artistic expression, is relevant to people across the world,” she added. “The mission of the school is to spread the world of jewelry to people across the world and generate the largest possible public interest everywhere.”   

L’École in Dubai, like its other locations, is open to all — catering to beginners as well as connoisseurs and collectors or those who are simply curious to learn more about jewelry. It will offer an in-depth program of online and in-person talks, as well as temporary exhibitions such as “The Garden of Emeralds,” which runs from Nov. 23 to March 10, and publications and research projects.  

While Van Cleef & Arpels is its backer, L’École showcases work from all jewelry brands.  

“We aim to provide access to the world of jewelry to the widest audience possible,” said Nicolas Boos, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, in the press release for the new L’École in Paris. “Our world shouldn’t intimidate or turn anyone away.” 

The commitment of L’École to championing the historical importance and diverse breadth of jewelry is exemplified in an upcoming exhibition on costume jewelry that will be on view in Paris later this year at its new location in an 18th-century building on the Grands Boulevards. It is one of Paris’ oldest private homes and one of the French capital’s most remarkable buildings, noted especially for its understated neoclassical stone façade.  

Its inaugural exhibition will feature stage jewelry from the Comédie-Française. It will include 120 accessories, pieces of art, and documents, mostly sourced from the renowned theater’s collections. The exhibition is reflective of L’École’s stated mission, showcasing jewelry pieces not just for their aesthetic beauty but for their historical and cultural importance, serving as a way to better understand different periods in history.  

“Our concept offers a very generous approach to storytelling,” Sophie Claudel, the director of L’École Middle East told Arab News. “Jewelry is an art form, and it should be open and available to all, not just to those who can afford it.” 

Claudel emphasized how the multicultural and cosmopolitan nature of Dubai provides an ideal platform for a jewelry school with such inclusive aims.  

“Jewelry is an intrinsic part of Middle Eastern heritage,” she said, adding that L’École in Dubai will offer a variety of courses, seminars, and at least two exhibitions per year. There will also be a bookstore and a library.  

“We want to provide an anchor for people in the region who love jewelry and for those desiring to know and engage more in the world of jewelry,” she said. “We are open to all.”