L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts: Exhibition in Singapore – “Ruby, Discover the Gemstones”
Images courtesy of VCA/L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific, School of Jewelry Arts
Les Jardins Secrets by Van Cleef & Arpels – a Boutique and Museum in the Raffles Hotel Singapore
From July 29th to October 20th, 2024, L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific, School of Jewelry Arts will present “Ruby, Discover the Gemstones”, its first exhibition in Les Jardins Secrets at the Raffles Hotel Singapore.
“Part of the ‘Discover the Gemstones’ series, the exhibition takes visitors on an extraordinary journey to observe gems in their natural state, from the depths of the earth to the skilled hands of lapidaries. With more than 20 exhibits, including rough crystals, faceted gems, as well as gem-set jewels, “Ruby, Discover the Gemstones” traces the path of these exquisite stones long before they adorn the finest jewelry creations, illustrating the marriage between nature’s gift and human creativity.”
RUBY
Ruby is one of the most popular precious gemstones. The chemical element of chromium within corundum (Al₂O₃) gives rise to this magnificent gem, named after the Latin word «ruber», meaning red. For gemologists, ruby is a testament to the wonders of nature, revealing its origin through its formation and inclusions that lie within.
Left – Inclusion images that grace the walls in this exhibition were provided by Billie Hughes/Lotus Gemology in Bangkok, Thailand.
Inclusion images by Billie Hughes.
Images courtesy of Billie Hughes/Lotus Gemology.
Jewelry – Necklace, 1936, Van Cleef & Arpels Collection.
Alongside a selection of High Jewelry creations from Van Cleef & Arpels Collection, archival documents, exceptional loans from private collectors and rough mineral specimens are displayed. Visitors will be also be able to observe the ruby’s up-close inclusions, as they dive into the infinitely small and fascinating world of the gem through the lens of Billie Hughes, award-winning photomicrographer and gemologist at Lotus Gemology.
We had the opportunity to speak with Billie Hughes about her participation in this beautiful exhibition.
“I’m honored to be a contributor to this exhibition!” exclaims Hughes. “I started collaborating with L’École/VCA back in 2020. Our first project together was a photo exhibition and talk about gemstone inclusions at their campus in Paris. Since then we have done many other projects together, with exhibitions and lectures in Hong Kong, Thailand, Australia, Japan, and now Singapore.”
This is a first for L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific in Singapore. “For Singapore, they wanted to create an event that put the focus on rubies. This is a perfect fit for us at Lotus Gemology, because while our lab tests many types of colored stones, ruby and sapphire are our specialty.”
Hughes is the daughter of Richard W. Hughes, gemologist, co-founder of Lotus Gemology, one of the world’s foremost experts on ruby and sapphire, and author of several gemological books including (of course) Ruby & Sapphire.
“We are happy to support them with this exhibition because we believe in their goal of educating the public about the beauty and wonder of gemstones.”
Billie Hughes is not only co-founder of Lotus Gemology and an exceptional gemologist, she’s an award winning photographer and photomicrographer. “We were able to provide photomicrographs of ruby that we already had in our Hyperion inclusion database,” notes Hughes. “This database is something we continuously add to whenever we test something interesting in the lab, so we have an abundance of great images to choose from.”
It must have been challenging to pick and choose which images to provide for this exhibit. “We tried to select images that were both aesthetic as well as provided variety, both in appearance, type of inclusion, and origin. For example, we included images of rubies from Thailand/Cambodia, Burma, and Mozambique.”
Billie’s images are now seen in numerous books, several gem & jewelry journals, and even at bus stops on the streets of Manhattan in Gemfields Advertisements. “It was a blast!” exclaims Hughes. “I didn’t help to set up the exhibit, but I know it’s in good hands with the team at L’École behind it. I’m always impressed by the organization, elegance, and attention to detail they bring to their work. To be able to have the exhibit on display at an icon like the Raffles Hotel makes it even more special.”
Hughes did get an opportunity not only to visit the exhibit, but also to present. “Olivier Segura (director of L’École Asia Pacific) and I also gave some talks there for a group of VCA’s guests. It was a great opportunity for us to share our world of rubies with the public. We had a wonderful discussion about where rubies come from around the world, the color of rubies, and the risks that are taken when cutting these valuable gems.”
Your Invitation:
By contemplating the links between the world of gemstones and jewelry arts, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is pursuing its mission of spreading jewelry culture to the widest possible audience, with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels.
We are delighted to invite you to explore the fascinating world of ruby at Les Jardins Secrets by Van Cleef & Arpels at the iconic Raffles Hotel Singapore. This exhibition takes visitors on an extraordinary journey to observe gems in their natural state, from the depths of the earth to the skilled hands of lapidaries, to the finest jewelry creations.
The exhibition, presented by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts features beautiful high jewelry pieces from the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection as well as from private collectors. Rough mineral specimens from Lotus Gemology and our friends at Pala International Inc. are also featured, giving visitors a rare chance to see rubies before they are cut.
Inclusion features of rubies are also highlighted with several photomicrographs from Lotus Gemology, offering a chance to dive into the infinitely small and fascinating inner world of these gems. Guests can also take their own photomicrograph of samples provided at the exhibition as a souvenir.
📅 When
July 29–October 20, 2024
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 12:00pm to 7:00pm
📍Where
Les Jardins Secrets by Van Cleef & Arpels
328 North Bridge Road, #01-02, Raffles Arcade, Singapore
Admission is free.
A scoop full of calibrated rubies. From the VCA stones department.
Right – 2 examples of Ruby on mica and feldspar matrix from Greenland. From the Lotus Gemology Collection
Left – Ruby, from the Pala International Collection – Ganesh Himal Deposit, Somdang, Nepal. And ruby on calcite, from the Pala International Collection – Jagdalak, Afghanistan.
In the back, Ruby on Matrix, from the L’ECOLE collection, Jagdalak, Afghanistan.
Images courtesy of Billie Hughes/Lotus Gemology.
