A Taoist text from the Han dynasty (206 BCE.–220 CE) reveals the importance of gold during that era: “Gold is the most valuable thing in all the world because it is immortal and never gets rotten. Alchemists eat it, and they enjoy longevity.” (Wei Boyang, alchemist). Since the 5th millennium BCE, gold has held a power of fascination and has been used by talented craftsmen to create jewelry and ornaments with a strong symbolic value.

The two exhibition curators, Valentina Bruccoleri, PhD in Chinese Art History, and Olivier Segura, Gemologist and Scientific Director at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, will embark us on a journey to the Chinese Empire through Central Asia, the Eurasian Steppes, Mongolia and the Himalayas, to discover ancestral skills that still fascinate us today.

This guided tour was broadcasted live from the “Gold and Treasures” exhibition at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts in Paris.