The Art and Science of Gems

At the end of July, I travelled to Singapore for a holiday. It was just my luck that the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands had an exhibition of jewellery; Van Kleef and Arpels: The Art and Science of Gems on display. The exhibition featured over 450 pieces of jewellery made of the finest quality gems and many items that royalty and celebrities had worn from the Van Kleef and Arpels collections. I was permitted to take some photos, so here they are (the photos certainly don’t do the pieces justice). The exhibition also included minerals and videos of the manufacturing process. One person was dedicated to a particular duty such as sourcing the gems, drawing the works (a drawing could take weeks to complete), sorting gems into size and shape categories, stone setting and polishing. It was very impressive to see as each unique piece is created by hand, no 3D computer design involved. It was an absolutely fantastic display! The exhibition concluded on the 14th August.