On Tuesday, the Paris-based LÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels announced a special new course that will launch this summer in New York. Taking place from June 4–18 in the classrooms of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, LÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels will be offering a series of 12 educational classes and hands-on experiences aimed at creating a deeper understanding of fine jewelry and watchmaking.
Led by LÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels’ president Marie Vallanet-Delhom, experts within the fields of gemology, watchmaking, art history, and jewelry will represent their trade to students. “We pick up our expert professors, our entire jewelers’ and watchmakers’ ateliers, out tools… and take them to places where people want to learn. This is vital to bringing education to the public about this wonderful world of dedicated artisanship,” said Vallanet-Delhom.
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Throughout the two-week course, students will indulge in a curiosity-based curriculum based on the school’s three educational pillars—Savoir-faire, The Universe of Gemstones, and History of Art. Topics include “Dive into the Heart of a Mechanical Watch,” “Gemstones Investigation: Recognizing the Stones,” “Explore and Create: From Design to Mock-Up,” “Diamonds I: The Pursuit.” A maximum of 12 students per class will get to handle and analyze precious gemstones, deconstruct and reassemble mechanical watches, and explore the refinement, creation, and design of a piece of jewelry.
“One can’t simply understand why it may take up to 10,000 hours to make a tiny little necklace, so that is what we are trying to allow the public to understand,” said Alain Bernard, Van Cleef & Arpels’ president and CEO of the Americas. “We like to share stories and secrets, and we found the right platform to tell them on,” he continued.
© Van Cleef & Arpels
Enrollment in LÉCOLE Van Cleef & Arpels’ New York courses is now open to the general public. For more information on registration and available courses, please visit their enrollment page.
