Something new: Jewellery making 101
Gloria Chan
The butler-bell ringing signals class has begun, and Gislain, an art historian flown in from Paris, tells us in a heavy French accent, "You will be hands on today, yes you will!"
I'm attending the Admiring Uniqueness and Team Craftsmanship class at L'Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels, which last week opened at Qube - a 6,000 sq ft glass box in PMQ, on Aberdeen Street, in Central.
For our introduction to the art of jewellery making, my classmates and I donned knee-length white overalls before creating wax moulds, cutting silver plates, practising stone setting and polishing metal. At the end of the four-hour course, we are each given a certificate signed by school president Marie Vallanet-Delhom.
"Of course, it takes time to reach perfection - I have been a jewellery setter for 34 years," says another teacher, Frederick.
The prestigious Paris-based school, which was founded in 2012, is holding classes until Saturday, so we can all become, as the French put it, an amateur .
Ten courses are on offer, including: the story of talisman jewels; gemstone investigation: recognise the stone; and explore and create: from design to mock-up.
Teachers include gemologists, historians and jewellers, and there are interpreters on hand. Limited to a maximum of 12 students, the classes guarantee a hands-on experience.
A series of evening conversations explores links between wine and gems; jewellery design and calligraphy; and the brand's Mystery Setting technique (you can't see what holds the stones in place) and bamboo scaffolding.
