From Nov. 21st, 2024 until June 1st, 2025
Organized by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, the exhibition “Paris, City of Pearls”, from November 21st, 2024 until June 1st, 2025, recounts the forgotten history of the amazing artistic, commercial and human adventure of pearls.
We are all familiar with pearls. Sought-after since ancient times, they still inspire the great modern jewelers. But how many people know that they were at the heart of an intense trade between the Gulf and France from the late 19th to the mid-20th century? How many remember that they were at the center of the luxury industry and Parisian culture for decades?
From the late 1860s to the late 1930s – a period corresponding to France’s Third Republic – a majority of the pearls fished in the Gulf were gradually brought to France, sold in Paris and mounted by the top jewelers of the Place Vendôme. Account books, telegrams, archive documents and period photographs testify to the scale of this trade. Routes across land, sea and then sky were opened, major figures emerged in both the Gulf and France, fortunes were made, and the pearl trade sparked an unprecedented economic boom. As new trade routes were developed, links were forged between people and cultures – from the France of the first third of the 20th century to the Gulf countries, referred to by the French at the time as the “pearl coast.”
As well as celebrating almost a century of shared history, this exhibition sets out to show the extent to which both natural pearls and the cultured pearls that arrived in France in the 1920s inspired not only Parisian jewelers but also artists in the broader sense. They all seem to have been driven by the same passion for pearls, whatever their means of artistic expression – opera, painting, photography, poster design, illustration or cinema – to the point that the pearl became one of the symbolic forms of the Roaring Twenties.
Seeking to penetrate the final mysteries of these biominerals, the exhibition embraces a crossover of history, art and science. This wide-ranging vision of knowledge is at the heart of L’ÉCOLE’s mission. Founded in 2012 with support from Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE invites the public to learn about the history of jewelry and the skills involved, and about gems, through classes, talks, publications and exhibitions, in Paris and elsewhere in the world.
Through supporting research and enabling the rediscovery of this extraordinary Parisian pearl saga, L’ÉCOLE , School of Jewelry Arts confirms its determination to contribute not only to an awareness of the culture of jewelry, but also to deepening knowledge.
In its new Parisian address on the Grands Boulevards, very close to rue Lafayette, which once grouped traders of fine pearls, and on the occasion of this exhibition dedicated to the pearl, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts offers to the public a range of learning paths to discover this fascinating gem. Around the exhibition are proposed a book, talks, a 4h-course at the crossroads of gemology and the history of jewelry punctuated by many experiments around this captivating material, and a selection of reference publications to consult at the library, also available at the bookshop L’Escarboucle – which have both just opened their doors. Finally, a whole season of 4 episodes of our podcast Voice of Jewels counts the secrets of pearls. We are very excited to be able to share this rich content with the public during the four months of the exhibition!
— Élise Gonnet-Pon, Managing Director of L’ÉCOLE France & Europe
The exhibition “Paris, City of Pearls” presents a hundred pieces from about twenty of the most prestigious lenders, such as Paris Museum of Decorative Arts (Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris), the Petit Palais – Fine Arts Museum of Paris, heritage collections of the Maisons Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and Fred, or the exceptional Albion Art private collection.
After a gemological introduction on the origins of pearls, the exhibition traces the history of jewelers’ passion for pearls from the late nineteenth century to the present day through 6 parts:
I. The pearl and its secrets
II. Pearls and the East
III. Conquering the market circa 1900
IV. The pearl as a symbol of modernity: the 1910s
V. 1925: Pearl mania in Paris
VI. The Parisian pearl: past & present
The exhibition’s scenography, designed with a sensory approach, awakens visitors’ senses – sight, hearing, but also touch. In addition, a visual guide giving access to an additional iconography of about 80 drawings, illustrations and other visuals extends the visitors’ immersion in the world of pearls and his discovery of the imaginary around the pearl from the Belle Époque until today.
Exhibition Information
- From November 21st, 2024 until June 1st, 2025
- Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 7pm.
- Late night on Thursdays until 9pm.
- The exhibition will be closed on 24, 25 , 31 December 2024, 1 January, and 1, 8, 29 May 2025.
- Free admission, by reservation
- Free guided tours (in French only)
- For adults: On Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays at 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm and on Thursdays at 6:15 pm and 7:15 pm
- For children (7-11 years old): On Wednesdays at 3:15 pm and 4:15 pm and during school holidays (visit here for more information)
- L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (Paris – Grands Boulevards), Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis, boulevard Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Scientific Curation
Olivier Segura
Gemologist and Director of L’ÉCOLE Asia-Pacific, School of Jewelry Arts
A man of passion, Olivier Segura only came across the world of jewelry after a few years devoted to advertising and communication. On completing his initial training, scientific studies in biology and geology with a diploma in gemology, he moved to Bangkok where he created his gem trading company. Thanks to this, he discovered the fascinating world of jewelry and craftsmanship. Returning to Paris to take over the management of the LFG (French Gemological Laboratory), a position he held for ten years, he joined L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts’ Scientific Council. EIn 2018, Olivier Segura took the plunge and joined the institution as Scientific Director. He has been responsible for new courses, such as “Pearl: History, Science and Legends” and exhibitions, such as “Pearl Merchants, A Rediscovered Saga between the Gulf and France at the Dawn of the 20th century” held in Dubai in 2019, for which he was already co-curator with Léonard Pouy.
Léonard Pouy
Doctor in Art History and Content and Transmission Manager at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
Léonard Pouy holds a Ph.D. in art history from Paris-Sorbonne University and the University of Geneva. Co-curator with Olivier Ségura of the 2019 exhibition “Pearl Merchants, A Rediscovered Saga between the Gulf and France at the Dawn of the 20th century” held in Dubai in 2019, he now serves as Content and Academic Manager at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts. His latest work examines the history of the Hôtel Mercy-Argenteau (Parigramme / L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, 2023).
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue co-published by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts and Norma Editions.
Authors:
Léonard Pouy, Doctor in Art History and Content and Transmission Manager at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts With contributions from Olivier Segura, Gemologist and Director of L’ÉCOLE Asia-Pacific, School of Jewelry Arts and Charline Coupeau, PhD in Art History, Gemologist and Researcher at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
Copublished by L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts and Norma Editions.
Format: 22 x 28 cm
Number of pages: 240 pages
Retail price: €42 incl. VAT
Languages: Bilingual French-English
Publication date: November 15th, 2024
Learn more about the pearl with the programs of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
- Initiation Course — “Pearl: History, Science & Legends“
- Podcast “Voice of Jewels” — Season 5: The Legend of Pearls
L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
www.lecolevancleefarpels.com | @lecolevancleefarpels
Established in 2012 with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts aims to introduce the public to all aspects of jewelry culture. It is an initiation school, open to everyone –complete beginners as well as enlightened amateurs, collectors and those with a curiosity for the world of jewelry. L’ÉCOLE offers courses in three major fields: the history of jewelry, the world of gemstones and the savoir-faire of jewelry-making techniques, taught by art historians, gemologists, jewelers and artisans. The classes are all practice-based and the students experiment with gestures, skills and tools, guided by their lecturers. It also offers other activities: exhibitions, books, videos, podcasts as well as in-person and online talks. Creative workshops were also created for children and teenagers. L’ÉCOLE now has five permanent addresses: two in Paris, one in Hong Kong, one in Shanghai and one in Dubai.
Moreover, since its inception, L’ÉCOLE regularly travels abroad, in Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East, for talks, exhibitions or travelling course programs that can last one to three weeks. L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts therefore contributes to the promotion and visibility of jewelry culture on an international scale.
All images are courtesy of and copyrighted to L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (unless otherwise stated in the photo caption).
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