STYLE Edit: L’École Asia Pacific’s The Art of Gold exhibition brings some of the finest goldsmith work you’ll ever see to Hong Kong’s K11 Musea

As part of its mission to encourage the appreciation of gems and fine jewellery, L’École Asia Pacific, School of Jewelry Arts, is currently hosting its inaugural exhibition dedicated to “savoir faire” – expert craftsmanship. Featuring a selection of gorgeous jewellery pieces from the Mengdiexuan collection, “The Art of Gold, 3,000 Years of Chinese Treasures” offers visitors the opportunity to view objects created by the rare goldsmith techniques used in ancient China. 

Hosted at Hong Kong’s K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui – the regional outpost of the historic Parisian jewellery school – the exhibition was curated in collaboration with experts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). L’École Asia Pacific’s third exhibition is open to the public from March 26 to August 29, 2021, with no admission fee, and is supported by guided tours in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Online preregistration is required due to headcount limits. 

“We are delighted to have the honour of hosting L’École’s first savoir faire exhibition at our permanent campus in Hong Kong”, says Élise Gonnet-Pon, managing director of L’École Asia Pacific, School of Jewellery Arts. “Both Mengdiexuan and L’École share the vision that academic research is the foundation of art collecting, and by understanding the cultural and historical context, one is able to have a more meaningful appreciation of the legacy of jewellery-making until present times and of the exceptional beauty of the creations.” 

Put together with the help of Professor Xu Xiaodong, associate director of the Art Museum at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the exhibition showcases 55 exceptional pieces of jewellery made over the course of three millennia. The splendid range of necklaces, hairpins, earrings, bracelets, brooches and belt plaques highlight four important techniques of goldsmithing – hammering and chasing, casting, working with wire and filigree, and granulation. 

Since gold ornaments were personal adornments denoting status and rank in ancient times, and regarded as treasures of the imperial court and nobility, they remain immaculate examples of craftsmanship, artistic design and creative application. The stunning collection, “The Art of Gold”, takes us on a cheerful and elegant journey across central China, the Steppes, the Mongolian and the Himalayan regions – all the way from the Shang to the Qing Dynasties.