VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, the French purveyor of “high jewellery”, has a new home in Bangkok – and a fascinating educational programme in Hong Kong. At both you can learn about “talismanic” gems – those that take the wearer into a universe governed by nature, the stars and mysterious powers.
These are the precious stones and symbols by which mystics and alchemists have for millennia divined the hidden secrets of nature and found the keys to health and wealth.
Van Cleef & Arpels, founded in 1906, waited 110 years to open a boutique in Thailand – at Bangkok’s Emporium – but perhaps it’s been worth the wait, since its jewellery comprises nothing less than poetry in its creativity and refinements.
Now there is the “Alhambra” collection of modern-day talismans that promise to bring the owner good luck. Don’t be a doubter because, as the firm’s founder, Jacques Arpels, used to say, “To be lucky, you have to believe in luck.”
The first Alhambra necklace was created in 1968, yellow gold in pure harmonious lines edged with golden beads, an immediate success (and surely lucky for Van Cleef & Arpels). The same delicate motif adorns the latest Alhambra creations, enriched with new materials – 12 pieces in creased pink or white gold set with diamonds.
You can learn all about the theory behind the collection in a two-week course called “The Art History of Jewellery” offered by the l’Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris and now at the Qube, a design centre in Hong Kong. There are 10 courses in the curriculum, with themes including “Savoir-Faire” and “The Universe of Gemstones”.
Talisman jewellery is a popular subject. Lecturers Inezita Gay and Giscain Aucremanne explain the power of myth in different cultures and how ornamental gemstones have fascinated everyone from India’s Mughal kings and Napoleon of France to American screen goddess Elizabeth Taylor.
“The talisman jewel is a magical object in a way, giving a certain power to the person wearing it,” says Aucremanne. “The word ‘talisman’ can refer to an amulet or a lucky charm. They’ve travelled through time and will still be with us in the future, since humans have needs and fears and the talismans provide the answers we seek.”
Aucremanne says a talisman can be manmade, found in nature, precious or not. It’s the depth of belief that gives it its power. “Charlemagne, king of the Franks, is said to have held onto his talisman in battle for protection and it was found on his body when his tomb was opened long after his death.”
Gay notes that humans have always looked to the heavens and the stars for symbols as well as to nature – the animals, flowers and insects. “The dragonfly was depicted on the samurai warrior’s armour, and ivy represents love, wisdom and prosperity for the French, just as the lotus symbolises mindfulness in Buddhism. All the gems have certain powers as well, from turquoise and aquamarine to jade, pearl and tiger’s-eye.
“We ask in our course why people knock on wood or ‘touch wood’?” Gay says. “It’s because wood represents natural life. People used to believe there were fairies in the forest, and if they wanted a wish granted they would walk into the forest, knock on a tree and ask the fairy living there.
“That’s why, in 1920, Van Cleef & Arpel made the Touchwood lucky jewels. Apart from being fun, its purpose was to protect your loved one. A Touchwood watch on the wrist placed the grain of the wood against your skin and you’d feel protected.”
Other big names in jewellery have tapped into talismans. Bulgari’s “charming” serpent is iconic. Fashion designer Coco Chanel was deeply superstitious and used symbols in her jewellery, specifically shooting stars. Cartier’s Amulette de Cartier, has proved immensely popular with its minimalist geometry and emotional resonance.
Then there’s the “lucky 13” line. Jackie Cochran, the famed American aviator of the 1930s, had Cartier make a “13” bracelet for her. “So she ‘made her own luck’, her own destiny,” says Gay.
Like the others, Van Cleef & Arpels’ view of the world of talismans can seem na๏ve, even with centuries of faith to back it up, Gay says. But, as Dr John Arpels, seen in a video shown during the course, carries a purple jade talisman, but he also wears a ring his grandmother designed and gave him, and that’s magic too, he says, because it affords an emotional bond to his family. “In a way it’s fate, a sign that you’re going to be okay.”
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.