In the spring of 2023, Riyadh hosted a unique exhibition of the famous jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels, where one could also attend a series of lectures on jewelry art.
The event was held at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia — I had never heard of it before. If you haven’t been there yet, it is worth visiting! Especially if you have children under the age of 15. It will be interesting and useful for them to see (and even touch, but shh!) some exhibits. Here’s more about the National Museum.
It all started with a little embarrassment. I saw a banner advertising the exhibition. Googled it. I booked the tickets here. They were free. I checked the hours of operation and this is what they looked like:
Mon – Wed & Sat 9:00-19:00
Thu 9:00 – 22:00
Fri: 14:00 – 22:00
Sun: Closed
Everything seemed fine. In anticipation of a wonderful evening, we left the house at 5:00 p.m., hoping to get there by 6 p.m., but got caught in a terrible traffic jam. And we weren’t there until 6:45! We had only 15 minutes left to run around and glans at the stunning pieces of jewelry.
You could imagine how upset I was. The girl at the front desk noticed that and started talking to me. When she found out that I was keen on knowing more about jewelry, the receptionist told me that they also have a whole series of free lectures on jewelry and art. We exchanged phone numbers and she sent me all the information. She also promised that if I come again, she could give me a personal tour after the lecture.
A few days later my colleagues and I went to one of the lectures. I messaged the receptionist, but I did not expect anything — I thought that the words about the private tour were just a courtesy. Moreover, I did not even remember what she looked like (unfortunately, I do not have a good memory for faces). It totally surprised me that after the lecture, a girl came up to me and invited me and my colleagues for a private tour, which lasted more than half an hour! Once again I was convinced of the famous Arab hospitality.
Now a little bit about the lectures. Here are the topics:
- The Secrets of Sentimental Jewels (14 March at 3-4 pm or 16 March at 8-9 pm)
- Flora in Jewelry Arts (15 March at 3-4 pm or 17 March at 8-9 pm)
- Love stories and poems (30 March at 10-11 pm)
The lectures were in English with simultaneous Arabic (and sign language) translation. It was a real pleasure. Professors of the Paris jewelry school L’ÉCOLE supported by Van Cleef & Arpels gave us the lectures, and it was like I plunged back into my student years when I studied at Sciences Po.
After each lecture participants received a branded bag with various books on jewelry art.
The jewelry exhibition also impressed me. The organizers managed to bring both classics (like the so-called «time pieces» — watch bracelets from the mid-XX century) and modern, even provocative pieces — like a necklace in the form of a zipper that can easily be turned into a bracelet (it’s shown on the exhibition banner below). Many of the pieces were either purchased or borrowed by the Van Cleef & Arpels house from private collection owners specifically for this exhibition.
Here are the few photos from the exhibition:
On the second photo you can see the clock with the lovers on the bridge, kissing each other at exactly 12:00. The third photo shows that zipper necklace that I’ve mentioned. The fourth is a 1930s ladies’ makeup bag that costs a fortune. On the eighth, a necklace worn by the wife of an Indian maharaja… The last one is a photo of Elizabeth Taylor’s tiara.
This exhibition and lectures are definitely among my top 3 events of the season.
Here is the list of ongoing events that you can visit in Riyadh.
If you speak Russian, you could also subscribe to my Russian telegram-channel, where I discuss the life in the Kingdom.
My Saudi Arabia 
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