Special Japanese Courses
Program Details

Any number of courses may be taken in any order and combination, to suit your interests.
Instructors include gemologists, art historians, master jewelers, setters, designers, modelers, lacquer artists, enamelers, and other experts of the field.
In addition to courses from 3 categories, workshops aimed at ages 6 to 16 are also offered. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Art History of Jewelry

Explore the evolution of jewelry from ancient to modern times, from both historical and aesthetic perspectives.

 Around the world in jewelry_

Around the World in Jewelry

Discover the evolution of jewelry through eras and civilizations.

What is "jewelry"? Why are we attracted to it? Every civilization - every era - has provided its own answers. 
From Africa and Asia to Oceania, the Americas and Europe, this world tour invites you to discover the materials, know-how, and styles that have shaped jewelry, in both the past and present.

Your teachers
The course is given by an art historian and a gemologist.

Practical Information
2.5hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 14,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.24 - 09:00-11:30
2023.02.25 - 09:00-11:30
2023.03.05 - 14:30-17:00

To go further
- Take part in the course "Gold and jewelry, from ancient times to Renaissance princes", to discover the evolution of jewelry through the ages, from antiquity to the Renaissance.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

The engagement ring

The Engagement Ring: A Love Story

Discovery of a symbol of love.

Our three experts will initiate you to the history of the engagement ring, its jewelry-making techniques, its materials and to the surprising world of gems. A journey in time, initiation to setting techniques, analysis of diamonds: at the end of the course you will know everything about the engagement ring.

Your professors
This course is conducted by an art historian, a stone setter and a gemologist.

Practical Information
2.5 hours, 3 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 14,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.24 - 14:30-17:00
2023.03.08 - 09:00-11:30
2023.03.10 - 14:30-17:00

To go further 
- Participate in the course "Discover the Gemstones" to gain more profound knowledge about gemology and to identify precious stones      

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

talisman-cover_2_0.jpg

The power of Jewelry : Amulets, Talismans & Lucky Charms

Discover the wealth of legends associated with talisman jewels.

You will discover the powers which stones have been believed to harbor and their meanings, as well as superstitions attached to animals and planets.

The history and geography will take you on a voyage through centuries and civilizations; you will learn how designs and collections made by famous jewelers have derived inspiration from this mysterious parallel universe of the imagination.

This course will make you discover the evolution of the jewel from different angles: history, culture, style, symbolism...  

Your teachers                                      
This course is led by two art historians.  

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.02 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.10 - 09:00-13:00

To go further      
- Participate in the course "Entering the Van Cleef & Arpels Universe", to discover the sources of inspiration for Van Cleef & Arpels.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

   

Byzantine Bracelet MET Museum

Gold and Jewelry, from Antiquity to the Renaissance Princes

Explore how jewelry has evolved through history, from ancient times up until the Renaissance.

Immerse yourself into the very essence of jewelry history! The stories and the geography will send you on a voyage through centuries and civilizations: you will discover how jewelry has evolved through the ages, its uses and its symbolism. Finally, you will have the privilege of observing the patrimonial collection of L'ÉCOLE, a teaching collection of extraordinary antique jewels.

Your teachers                
This course is led by two art historians. 

Practical Information
4hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.26 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.07 - 14:30-18:30

To go further
- Broaden your understanding of jewelry's evolution by participating in the course "A History of Jewelry, from Louis XIV to Art Deco".    

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

A History of Jewelry, from Louix XIV to Art Deco (4h)

A history of Jewelry, from Louis XIV to Art deco

Explore how jewelry evolved through the history of jewelry, from the time of Louis XIV to the Art Deco period.

From gemstones to precious metals, from the most innovative use of materials, from the Baroque to Art Deco, you will experiences, through the creations, the blossoming of modern jewelry.

Finally you will have the privileged opportunity to view first hand L'ÉCOLE's patrimonial collection of antique jewelry pieces. 

Your teachers 
This course is led by two art historians. 

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.27 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.09 - 14:30-18:30

To go further
- Go back to the sources of  jewelry evolution by participating in the course:  "Gold and Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Renaissance Princes".

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Entering the Van Cleef & Arpels Universe

Entering the Van Cleef & Arpels Universe

Discover - or rediscover - the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels through an enthralling journey at the heart of the 20th and 21st centuries.

You will observe and study several iconic creations to understand how stylistic audacity and technical innovations contributed to the success of this family enterprise. Historic and personal anecdotes will reveal the way in which this identity, so dear to the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, developed.

Your Teachers
This course is led by two art historians.   

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.08 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.09 - 09:00-13:00


*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Rene Sim Lacaze

Once Upon A Time There Was Jewelry Design

At the Origin of the Jewel: Design, History, Evolution and Technique.

You will observe how ‘‘a simple drawing’’ gives life to a jewelry creation.

Who are the authors of jewelry drawings, the “designers”? What techniques do they rely upon? What are the uses of jewelry drawings over time? In three sections, you will grasp the importance of beauty in jewelry design, from the 15ᵗʰ century to today. The jewelry art history teacher will unveil works that are as beautiful as they are remarkable.

The designer will give a contemporary point of view, relying upon her experience as a designer and gouacheuse in several Maisons on the Place Vendôme. She will show her tools and will show you one of her sketchbooks. 

You will then have the opportunity to handle the different types of materials used over the centuries and to leaf through several illustrated catalogues of gouachés, recently published by the Maisons in order to present their high jewelry collections.

Your teachers
This course is taught by a jewelry art historian and a designer

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.25 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.02 - 14:30-18:30

To Go Further
Participate in the courses “The Gouaché in High Jewelry 1: The Light”, and “The Gouaché in High Jewelry 2: The Color’, to initiate yourself into jewelry design practices, and to deepen your understanding of its importance in the creative process.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

The Universe of Gemstones

Through observation and experimentation, we will reveal the secrets of how precious stones are discovered and evaluated as gemstones.

The Unverse of Gemstones

Discover the Gemstones

Become Initiated into Gemology

First, you will discover the origins of gemstones, their great variety, and the different techniques used to extract and collect them. Then you will then learn about the development and goals, and the various stages, in cutting and polishing, as well as the techniques for evaluating gemstones. Finally, to concretize what you have been learning, your teachers will guide you through three hands-on experiences, during which you will manipulate and observe the stones using gemologists' tools.

Your teachers
This class is led by two gemologists. 

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.25 - 09:00-13:00
2023.02.27 - 14:30-18:30

To go further 
- Become a student in the course: "Recognize the Gemstones", to go more deeply into your exploration of gemology and to actually identify  yourself using gem identification instruments during the course. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Recognize the gemstones

Recognize the Gemstones

Familiarise yourself with gemology and how to identify gemstones.

Transported into the ambiance of the great precious stone markets--Chanthaburi in Thailand, Ratnapura in Sri Lanka or Bogota in Colombia--you will learn to distinguish a group of different gemstones, which can seem very similar to the uninitiated. You will observe stones with your naked eye and then with the professionals' instruments: hydrostatic scale, refractometer, polariscope, and specific gemologists' scale.

Your teachers
This course is taught by two gemologists. 

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.26 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.06 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.10 - 09:00-13:00

To go further
- Participate in the course: "Fascinating Diamonds 2: Science and Gemology", to deepen your understanding of gemology and to find out what makes diamonds so unique.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Fascinating Diamond 1 : History  and legends

Fascinating Diamonds 1: History and Legends

Discover the myths and legends which surround the Diamond.

Riveted by the legends and beliefs associate to this "Stone of Stones", you will be transported to India and Brazil, and then South Africa, Russia, Australia and finally to Canada. You will hear about the history of some of the most famous diamonds, have an up close look at their replicas, discover rare and ancient texts. The route of diamonds will no longer be a secret to you.

Your teachers
This class is conducted by a gemologist and an art historian.  

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.27 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.07 - 09:00-13:00

To go further           
- Participate in the course: "Fascinating Diamonds 2: Science and Gemology", in order to find out about the total uniqueness of these stones from the gemologist's point of view. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Fascinating Diamond 2: Science and Gemology

Fascinating Diamonds 2: Science and Gemology

Discover why the Diamond is so unique.

Your teachers will unveil the history of the diamond, first polished by people during the 4th century BCE, up to the invention of the modern brilliant cut in 1919.  
With them, you will find out the secrets of this so precious stone: its chemical composition, the fabulous geological circumstances of its creation, it unequaled hardness, the mystery of its brilliance and its fire.  
You will know how to evaluate clarity for yourself, classifying stones by color grade, appreciating the quality of their cut.   

Your teachers
This course is given by two gemology experts.
 
Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.25 - 14:30-18:30
2023.02.28 - 09:00-13:00

To go further   
- Take part in the course: "Recognize the Gemstones", to continue your exploration of gemology and to identify precious stones. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

le rubis, pierre ardente et envoûtante

Ruby, a Fiery and Bewitching Stone

Discover the Ruby

What is red? How do we perceive it? What is its special symbolism?

You'll set out to discover this mythical gem through the places it's extracted around the world. You'll understand its fascinating and special properties, which have made it the "king of precious stones".

Your teachers
This course is given by two gemology experts.
 
Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.26 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.03 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.05 - 14:30-18:30

To go furtherTo go further
- Take part in the course "Recognize the gemstones" to broaden your exploration of gemology and to identify precious stones. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Savoir-Faire

All students, including beginners, wear jewelers’ white coats and learn how to handle the materials and tools with their own hands.

The Gouaché in High Jewelry 1: The Light

The Gouaché in High Jewelry 1 - The Light

Depict light on a gouaché painting, the first stage in creating a High Jewelry piece.

After a presentation of the gouaché technique, experience the designer's gestures while painting a white gold piece in the shape of a bow. Using three different colors, learn how to position light and shadow, and then depict them using gouaché. Understand the creative process and become familiar with this specific High Jewelry design technique.

Your teachers 
Students will be guided by a jewelry designer and a visual artist.

Practical Information
3 hours, 2 teachers, 6 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.05 - 14:30-17:30
2023.03.08 - 09:00-12:00
2023.03.09 - 09:00-12:00

To Go Further 
- An additional course is devoted to this technique of creation of fine jewelry: "The Gouaché in High Jewelry 2: The Color". 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

The Gouaché in High Jewelry 2: The Color

The Gouaché in High Jewelry 2 - The Color

Depict color on a gouaché sketch, the first stage in creating a High Jewelry piece.

In this second class devoted to color depiction, experience the designer's gestures while painting both a cabochon and a faceted stone. Discover how color, combined with the depiction of light, enables the designer to reproduce both the color and shape of stones until they appear to come to life.  

Understand the creative process and become familiar with this specific High Jewelry design technique.

Your teachers 
Students will be guided by a jewelry designer and a visual artist.

Practical Information
3 hours, 2 teachers, 6 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.06 - 14:30-17:30
2023.03.07 - 14:30-17:30
2023.03.09 - 14:30-17:30

To Go Further
- Take part in the course "From the Wax Project to the Setting Techniques" to discover the next key steps in the creation of a piece of High Jewelry.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

From the Wax Project to the Setting Techniques

From the Wax Project to the Setting Techniques

Try your hand at stone setting and wax sculpture techniques.

This course will roll out in two chapters.
For your first part, you will discover setting techniques, then you will execute your own mounting on silver.  
For the second part of your course, you will sculpt on a wax model and design the placement for the stones on it, preparing the wing of a butterfly jewel. Your teacher will guide you in your pursuit of symmetry, adjusting the shapes and the drawing out of placements for stones.

Your teachers 
Your teachers are a jeweler and a stone-setter from the High Jewelry workshops of the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels. They are called the  "Mains d'Or™" because of their virtuosity.

Practical Information
4 hours, 3 teachers, 8 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.05 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.06 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.08 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.09 - 09:00-13:00

To Go Further  
- Participate in the course "From French Jewels to Japanese Lacquer", in order to discover another specific set of artisanal set of skills and to compare it to the traditional French art of High Jewelry. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

discovering-jewelrer

From Design to Mock-up

Explore the first steps in creating a jewel.

Using various sources of inspiration, understand the three stages which allow a jewel to be represented in two dimensions: the drawing, the tracing, and the gouaché.
Experience the mock-up maker's gestures while creating a pewter mock-up, the first three-dimensional interpretation of the jewel. Cut a butterfly out of metal, shape it and decorate it with rhinestones.

Your teachers 
This class led by three teachers, including a designer and a mock-up maker.

Practical Information
4 hours, 4 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.26 - 09:00-13:00
2023.02.28 - 09:00-13:00
2023.03.01 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.03 - 14:30-18:30

To go further
- Take part in the course "From the Wax Project to the Setting Techniques", to discover the next steps in the process of creating  fine jewelry.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Trying out the jeweler's techniques

Trying Out the Jeweler's Techniques

Discover what it takes to create a High Jewelry masterpiece.

After a brief introduction, you will sit down at the traditional and authentic jeweler's workbench and you will participate in four different workshops, guided through every step by the artisans themselves. You will practice sculpting on a piece of jewelry modeling wax, you will use the jeweler's saw to make cuts into a piece of metal, you will do some polishing, and finally you will learn one of the most essential gestures to the setter by "lifting the grain" in a piece of metal.  

This course gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with the richness of the "métiers d'art" (the artistic professions).

Your teachers
You will be guided by three teachers, including a jeweler and a stone-setter.

Practical Information
2 hours, 3 teachers, 8 participants.
¥ 14,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.04 - 14:30-16:30
2023.03.06 - 14:30-16:30
2023.03.07 - 09:00-11:00
2023.03.09 - 14:30-16:30

To Go Further
- Participate in the course "From Design to Mock-up", in order to go further in your understanding of the jewelry making process. 

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

From French Jewels to Japanese Lacquer

From French Jewels to Japanese Lacquer

Experience an encounter between two craft traditions.

Immerse yourself into two magnificent arts and crafts traditions: French Jewelry & Japanese Urushi lacquer.
In the lacquer workshop, surrounded by tools and materials from Japan, create your own lacquer work butterfly using three of the lacquer master's ancestral techniques: applying color, Maki-e, and mother-of-pearl mosaic.
In the jewelry workshop, sit at a workbench, shape the metal and encrust it with vegetable ivory to create motifs on the wings of a jeweled butterfly. 
Experience all the richness of these artistic professions.  

Your teachers 
This class is conducted by two teachers, including a Master of Japanese Urushi lacquer. 

Practical Information
4 hours, 2 teachers, 8 participants.
¥ 28,000/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.02.25 - 09:00-13:00
2023.02.26 - 14:30-18:30
2023.02.28 - 14:30-18:30
2023.03.01 - 09:00-13:00

To go further
- Take part in the course "From the Wax Project to the Setting Techniques", if you want to deepen your understanding of the art of French jewelry.

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Workshops for Young People

L’ÉCOLE carries a mission of passing on the culture of jewelry, and in that spirit, offers five workshops to teach the depths of jewelry culture and the joy of creation to the next generation. A workshop lasts 2 hours and costs 2,100yen (including tax).

crowns and swords

Crowns and Swords

6 to 8 years old

Guided by their teachers, the students are immersed into the history of royal symbols, coming from the four corners of the world.  
They choose a template for their crown and/or their sword to cut out and to decorate with mosaics, leather, rhinestones, ribbons, feathers or lace in order to  make their own creations, driven by their individual inspiration.  

Accompaniment by an adult is required.  
This workshop is reserved for children from 6 to 8 years old. 

Your teachers 
This workshop is led by several teachers: art historian, multimedia artists.

Practical Information
2 hours, 2 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 2,100/Pers.

Available Session
2023.03.04 - 10:00-12:00

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Create your precious clock

Make Your Own Precious Clock

8 to 12 years old 

The children start by discovering how the makers of clocks and watches find inspiration for their designs, then they choose from among 5 different templates for the face of their clock which for which the motifs are inspired by Nature, and then they apply their clock faces to a real wooden clock which they can hang on the wall of their room.  

Accompaniment by an adult recommended.  
This workshop is reserved for children from 8 to 12 years old.

Your teachers  
This workshop is led by several teachers: art historian, multimedia artist, designer.  

Practical Information
2 hours, 3 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 2,100/Pers.

Available Session
2023.03.04 - 14:30-16:30

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

The Mock-Up: First Sculptural Vision of the Jewel

The Mock-Up: First Sculptural Vision of the Jewel

12 to 16 years old

Seated at the jeweler's workbench, and guided by experts from the Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, the teenagers become acquainted with the world of the jewelry making professions and with the specific techniques involved in making jewelry mock-ups--the process via which the initial design takes three dimensional form for the first time.

This workshop is reserved for children from 12 to 16 years old 

Your teachers
This workshop is led by two teachers, one of whom is a High Jewelry mock-up maker. 

Practical Information
2 hours, 2 teachers, 8 participants.
¥ 2,100/Pers.

Available Session
2023.03.04 - 10:00-12:00

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Discovering the World of Gems

Discovering the World of Gems

12 to 16 years old

Ensconced in the gemology workshop, the teenagers use gemologist's tools to examine colored and ornamental stones.  
In touching and manipulating the materials with their own hands, the become initiated into the mysterious world of stones.

This workshop is reserved for children from 12 to 16 years old.

Your teachers
This workshop is led by two gemology experts.  

Practical Information
2 hours, 3 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 2,100/Pers.

Available Sessions
2023.03.04 - 14:30-16:30
2023.03.05 - 10:00-12:00

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.

Dessine des pierres précieuses_1280x476

Draw Some Precious Stones

First time for your children to be a jewelry designer!

The jewelry designer’s profession is often misunderstood by the public but is essential to the jewelry creation process. Children will discover the tools while they find themselves inside the real world designer’s environment.  

They will follow the different creation steps and will discover how the jewelry designer is set apart from other designers. They will then make their own jewelry design from a model of a cabochon cut stone.

For children from 9 to 11 years old, the accompaniment of an adult is recommended and without reservation.
This workshop is reserved for children from 9 to 11 years old.

Your teachers
This workshop is led by 2 teachers: art historian, designer.  

Practical Information
2 hours, 3 teachers, 12 participants.
¥ 2,100/Pers.

Available Session
2023.03.05 - 10:00-12:00

*We will start accepting registration for courses from Friday, January 20th, 2023 on this website.