President of L’École School of Jewelry Arts on jewellery sketches: bridging craftsmanship, history and east-west dialogue at Hong Kong’s Designing Jewels exhibition
Lise Macdonald, president of L’École School of Jewelry Arts, shares her perspective on the often-overlooked world of jewellery design sketches. Speaking at the Designing Jewels: 200 Years of French Savoir-Faire exhibition in Hong Kong, she highlights how these drawings offer a unique glimpse into the creative process and heritage behind each piece. The exhibition, held at The University of Hong Kong’s University Museum and Art Gallery, traces two centuries of French craftsmanship while revealing its subtle exchanges with Asian artistic traditions.
Here’s what Tatler learned from this illuminating conversation about the art, history and craft that lie beneath the surface of every jewel.
See also: Why art deco jewellery’s 100-year-old vision of the future still feels revolutionary
One of the exhibits at Designing Jewels: 200 Years of French Savoir-Faire (1770–1970) exhibition at The University of Hong Kong’s University Museum and Art Gallery (Photo: courtesy of L’École School of Jewelry Arts )
What drew you to the world of jewellery?I’ve approached the world of jewellery through two aspects. One is transmission—that’s something that drives my curiosity, and I think it’s a very important part of our life to be able to transmit beauty, knowledge, joy and many positive things. The other is a sense of aesthetic and craftsmanship. If you bridge those elements together—beauty, craftsmanship and transmission—jewellery is a natural [destination].
This exhibition focuses on gouaché—2D paintings of 3D jewellery items—and sketches. Why did you decide to focus on these behind-the-scenes documents?
It’s a [very unfamiliar] topic. Five or six years ago, the Van Cleef & Arpels patrimony team purchased a collection of about 6,000 drawings. We started doing a research programme, working with specialists to study, inventory and document these drawings. We decided to do an exhibition because drawings are the first step to making any type of jewel. To understand the collaborative work that [goes into] making a jewel, you need to start at the beginning.
A René Lalique exhibit (Photo: courtesy of L’École School of Jewelry Arts)
How does the exhibition contribute to the dialogue between eastern and western jewellery traditions?
When we curate an exhibition, we always look at how we can [connect] the topic to the local audience. One of the most obvious [ways] here is the section focusing on the art deco period. This year is the 100th anniversary [of art deco] and we’ve looked specifically at how, during this period, Asia was reinterpreted in jewellery and drawings— how techniques, patterns and motifs were observed and came to France through furniture and lacquerware, influencing many artists and the jewellery world.
What’s the first drawing someone should look at if they know nothing about jewellery or gouaché?
Definitely the one by [French jewellery designer René] Lalique of Scylla [a snake-like sea monster from Greek mythology], because it’s a drawing that tells many stories. We have the brooch itself with its beautiful composition, but then the sketches on the side show different angles and his wandering mind. You have annotations in his handwriting about materials, techniquesand colours. For someone who doesn’t know anything about jewellery design, it teaches many different aspects.
What do you hope visitors will take away from this exhibition?
The main goal is to show this little-known element—jewellery design—as both a work of art and a technical skill. If visitors come out with this better understanding and a sense of beauty, then we will have achieved our goal.
NOW READ
10 celebrity engagement rings so stunning they made headlines