- Initial program comprises 3 courses
DUBAI: L’ECOLE School of Jewelry Arts, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, is launching a dedicated Arabic language program in Dubai, expanding its educational offering to Arabic-speaking audiences.
Beginning this month, the program offers courses, talks and digital content in Arabic, both online and at L’ECOLE’s Dubai campus. Registration and a dedicated Arabic newsletter will also be available through the school’s Arabic language website.
Sophie Claudel, director of L’ECOLE School of Jewelry Arts, Middle East, told Arab News: “Arabic content is the spine of our presence in the UAE and the Middle East — it’s a core element that we planned to put in place since the establishment of L’ECOLE’s permanent campus in Dubai.
The initial program comprises three courses: From Design to Mock-up, The Making of a Jewel, and The Engagement Ring: A Love Story. Led by Arabic-speaking lecturers, the courses cover jewelry design, craftsmanship, gemstones and the history of jewelry, combining lectures with hands-on experiences.
Claudel said the courses were selected to reflect the school’s three educational pillars: the world of gemstones, the history, and savoir-faire of jewelry.
The program is open to adults of all experience levels, from complete beginners to collectors and jewelry enthusiasts.
Claudel said: “Presenting our curriculum in the Arabic language will enable us to reach a wider demographic across all nationalities who speak Arabic, allowing us to transmit and share jewelry culture in the region’s native language.”
Three Arabic episodes of L’ECOLE’s “Voice of Jewels” podcast, exploring the history of gold, will follow in November. Claudel said the episodes were translated in-house by the school’s art historians and lecturers in Paris and Dubai, rather than using AI.
When it comes to popular courses, Claudel pointed to a program that was launched in English last year titled From Design to Mock-up.
Claudel said: “This course encompasses two stages of creating a butterfly jewel. The first is the gouache drawing and learning how to paint the facets of the creation; and then the experience of creating a pewter mock-up and the first three-dimensional interpretation of the jewel. After the class, students can bring their drawing and mock-up back home. Following its success, we decided that this course will be the first one in Arabic.”
L’ECOLE has four permanent addresses — in Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dubai, with the Middle East’s outpost being launched in 2024.
