In the world of gems, the emerald is among the rarest and most precious of all. First discovered during the Late Classical Antiquity, the emerald has been since coveted around the world because of its rich green color.
From West to East, the emerald trade created strong commercial and cultural bonds. In European representations, the emerald was a gemstone associated with the East. But for Chinese people, emerald was a gem from the West until the official discovery of emerald deposits in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and, finally China, from the 20th to the 21st century.
During this talk, we will explore the emerald historical deposits, trade routes and its use in precious arts before discovering the specificity of emerald deposits in Asia.
Speakers
With Jing Yu, Lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
& HE Bei, Art Historian & Lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
Dates
In Mandarin with simultaneous translation available in English
Friday, June 28th at 10am (Japan time)
In Mandarin with simultaneous translation
available in English, Japanese, French and Cantonese
Friday, June 28th at 8pm (Japan time)
Photo:
Mughal engraved emerald,
Probably 18th Century,
Faerber Collection
© Faerber Collection
Charlotte Straumann Hanson
