ROMANCING THE STONES

Journey with Minerals, the current exhibition at L'École, School of Jewelry Arts, showcases the world of mineralogy as you've never seen it before. PRESTIGE takes a private tour.

- ANDRE NEVELING

From now until the end of October, it’s all about minerals at L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. An initiative of Van Cleef & Arpels in partnership with the Mineralogy Museum of the School of Mines in Paris (PSL), the school’s new exhibition, Journey with Minerals, showcases the fascinating world of these naturally occurring elements and compounds, revealing both their intricate properties and eye-catching features.

L’École’s eighth Hong Kong exhibit features almost 40 pieces that are displayed in five thematic journeys—matter, jewellery, technology, arts and space —with each section illustrating the stones’ multifaceted nature and profound influence on our lives.

During an exclusive preview of Journey with Minerals, L’École Asia Pacific Managing Director Olivier Segura and the Director of the Mineralogy Museum, Dr. Eloise Gaillou, who also co -curated the exhibition, spoke to PRESTIGE about the stunning and fascinating collection.

Segura joined L’École’s Hong Kong office last September as Asia Pacific Managing Director, a move that marked a welcome return to Asia, having worked in Bangkok some 20 years ago. “To come back, and especially to Hong Kong, where everything is so stimulating and vibrant, and people are eager to learn, has been a great pleasure,” he says.

Segura’s passion for stones began during his childhood. “Like most people in my field, it started as a kid—I was always playing in the gravel with stones,” he says. “I wasn’t looking at birds or stars, I was looking at pebbles.”