Designing Jewels

From November 1st, 2024 to March 30th, 2025, L’ÉCOLE China, School of Jewelry Arts supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, presents “Designing Jewels” in Shanghai, an exhibition opening up a new field of study of an art form with multiple functions.

Scan the QR Code below to book a visit.

Sometimes reduced to a few pencil lines thrown on a sheet of paper, but often taking on the appearance of a veritable work of art, rich in color and nuance, drawings or designs of jewelry are unique in that they touch us by their beauty, as much as they teach us about the process of creating a piece of jewelry.
Little studied and published, even more rarely exhibited in Europe, jewelry drawings remain relatively unknown to the public. Nevertheless, this drawing plays an essential role, serving as the reference point for all those involved in the creation of the jewelry item. Since the Renaissance period in Europe, the drawing constitutes the first, and indeed, one might say the primordial step, in that it gives life to the idea, and allows the idea to be
realized.

It is to this long neglected object—a technical tool serving the artisans involved in the fabrication of the jewelry but also a sensitive work—which L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts wishes to pay tribute, by shining a light on its history, technique, authors and status.
The selected works broadly cover the 19th century in France, beginning in the 1760s and ending with the international Art Deco style of the 1930s. The exhibition showcases drawings by numerous artists and designers, both well-known and anonymous, and illustrates a diversity of techniques and forms.
All come from the Van Cleef & Arpels Jewelry Culture Fund (a collection set up for research, presentation and educational purposes, coming directly or indirectly from other workshops, jewelry Maisons and various private collections) and from the Archives of Van Cleef & Arpels.