[VIDEO] Men's Rings

After a first exhibition held in Paris in 2018, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is once again presenting Yves Gastou's breathtaking collection of men's rings in Tokyo from January 14th to March 13th, 2022. The ring, by its visual and physical proximity to its wearer, is a jewel with a unique status, since Antiquity. In turn functional (to sign, contain, unite, play, even cheat!) or symbolic, an object of contemplation and sometimes a veritable sculpture, the ring has been used in both masculine and feminine forms throughout the centuries and cultures. Yves Gastou, fascinated since his childhood by a ring worn by a Bishop, has built up over a lifetime of travels and encounters one of the most eclectic and therefore most representative collections of this type of jewel through time and space.

From the rings of the doges of Venice in the 17th century to those of the American bikers of the 1970s, from antique rings of ancient Egypt to vanities of the 19th century, from enamels of the 18th century to rings of contemporary artists, together we will explore the many facets of this masculine jewel, worn by bishops and Emperors as well as by bikers and rockers.

With Victor Gastou, Director of the Galerie Yves Gastou & Gislain Aucremanne, Art Historian, Antique Jewelry Specialist and Conferences Project Manager at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts This online conversation was broadcasted live from L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts in Paris