Lessons In Modesty

As L’École Van Cleef & Arpels returns to PMQ for its third run,christina ko shares a first-hand account of her learnings.

I LEARNED ONE very important thing at L’École Van Cleef & Arpels, the nomadic school that offers handson masterclasses detailing how the world’s most esteemed and expensive jewellery is made. And that is that if I start today and work daily at becoming a Van Cleef & Arpels workshop master, I will still never, ever be able to achieve that goal. The more you learn, the more you appreciate the skill, finesse and patience that goes into each painstaking step of putting together a single item of jewellery. L’École, as those in the industry have abbreviated it, is in that sense a very good marketing idea. What better way to champion the unparalleled craftsmanship behind your wares than by allowing its buyers the chance to try their hands at it themselves? But it’s also more than mere marketing.