Van Cleef Seoul Exhibition Review: $12.8M Emeralds

Trying on (or pretending to try on) Van Cleef high jewelry worth over ~$12.8 million — My Van Cleef Exhibition Review

Van Cleef & Arpels <L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts Seoul>

Exhibition Period:

2026.06.25 ~ 2026.07.15 (Wed)

Location / Venue:

Futura Seoul, 61 Bukchon-ro

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Futura Seoul Parking:

No dedicated parking spaces available / Nearby public parking required

(Jeongdok Public Library, MMCA Seoul parking lot, Hyundai Building parking lot, etc.)

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I heard Van Cleef was hosting both a school program and an exhibition all about emerald necklaces,

so I booked my tickets on Naver and headed right over!

Ah, first of all, the exhibition has already ended 😭😭

Also, the hands-on "Jewelry School" experience where you actually learn about gems and make things

was already FULLY BOOKED by the time I tried to reserve it!!!

So I had no choice but to book just the exhibition itself.

The exhibition space wasn't super massive,

but once you see the sheer scale of the jewels inside... lol

it totally makes sense...

You can easily browse through everything in about 20 to 30 minutes,

but it was absolutely worth every second.

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The Van Cleef exhibition was held at Futura Seoul in Bukchon.

I had actually visited Bukchon the day before too,

but Bukchon is just so incredibly lovely...

Once they confirm your booking at the entrance of Futura Seoul,

they hand you a brochure and give you a brief list of exhibition guidelines.

Inside the Van Cleef exhibition hall,

photography is allowed,

but you are strictly forbidden from

touching the display glass! 🚨🚨🚨

If your companion hasn't arrived yet,

you can wait in the cozy lounge space inside Futura Seoul.

While waiting for my friend (who I naturally assumed would be much later than me!),

I read through the exhibition map and some fascinating facts about emeralds.

The main part of the Van Cleef Emerald Exhibition is on the 1st floor,

while the 2nd floor briefly showcases the craftsmanship and creation process.

Apparently, emeralds are incredibly tricky gemstones to cut and process.

They are highly scratch-resistant but surprisingly fragile under impact...

Finding high-quality raw emeralds is exceptionally rare

and insanely expensive!

Most premium emeralds are mined in Colombia,

which is legendary for producing the finest quality gems.

Also, unlike diamonds, it seems incredibly difficult to make emeralds

sparkle intensely, and achieving a crystal-clear transparency is also a huge challenge.

Like the true best friends we are,

we looked at the map of emerald mines and immediately thought,

"Ooh, maybe we should go mine some emeralds ourselves!"

But once we saw how incredibly deep you have to dig into the earth to find them,

we immediately gave up on that dream.

At first, I wondered, "Does Van Cleef really focus on emeralds?"

"Why are they hosting an exhibition

dedicated entirely to emeralds?"...

But seeing them display

these museum-grade pieces that reveal Van Cleef's rich heritage

felt like a solid testament to the brand's deep history and legendary value.

And when I looked it up later, aside from the universally recognized

Perlée and Alhambra collections,

Van Cleef's High Jewelry line still creates...

They crafted these raw gemstones, including emeralds, into

rings and necklaces the size of chestnuts!

Anyway...

They also exhibited emerald jewelry

from the 1800s and 1900s.

Like rings from India's Mughal Empire...

I had no idea how difficult it is to take

such a massive raw emerald, carve it so delicately without cracking it,

and then connect it with other gemstones like this...

I had absolutely no clue...

This one was so sparkly and gorgeous—

Though it's actually not a Van Cleef piece,

but a 19th-century antique high jewelry piece:

* Emerald Demi-Parure (1830)

- The raw gemstones alone are worth around ~$1,280,410 to ~$3,201,024

- Because it's an 1830s antique in such pristine condition, and because the necklace and

earring set have survived completely intact, its rarity is off the charts...

- It's estimated to be valued at around ~$3,201,024 to ~$9,603,073 (according to ChatGPT... lol)

I stood behind the glass and tried posing as if I was wearing the emerald necklace... hehe...

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This is a 1949 Van Cleef & Arpels masterpiece

crafted for Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda.

It's a breathtaking emerald and diamond necklace.

Since its sale price has never been publicly disclosed, and it's a historic

Van Cleef high jewelry piece, it's hard to pin down an exact price.

(But according to Professor ChatGPT)

its current estimated value is:

- At least ~$6,402,049

- Even conservatively, it's valued around ~$12,804,097 to ~$32,010,243,

and in some circles, it could even be valued at over ~$64,020,487...

Why is it so astronomically expensive, you ask?

- Top-grade Colombian diamonds (large teardrop-shaped drops)

- An original 1949 Van Cleef & Arpels high jewelry creation

- The provenance of being owned by the legendary royal, Maharani Sita Devi

- Today, it's practically a museum-grade masterpiece

Because of all these incredible factors combined...

It's nearly impossible to find similar raw stones today,

and the sheer cost of crafting it alone would be staggering,

not to mention its unmatched rarity and historical significance!

And here I am, "wearing" this legendary Van Cleef necklace...

Of course, I didn't actually put it on! Absolutely not.

I just stood behind the display case, lined up my neck,

and snapped a photo so they overlapped! Haha ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I'm sure you knew that, but just in case anyone was worried???

You aren't even allowed to touch the glass...!!!!!!

As for this ring, featuring a massive emerald center stone...

- A cushion-cut, large (presumably Colombian?) emerald

- Set in a dazzling diamond halo

- The center emerald alone looks to be around 20 to 40 carats... at that size, it's worth several million dollars (at least ~$1,280,410 to ~$5,761,844)...

The whole ring is estimated to be worth around ~$3,201,024 to ~$12,804,097.

(According to Professor ChatGPT)

The emerald gem is so massive it feels like it could break your finger...

Anyway, looking at them, I was like, "Oh my god, so gorgeous..."

"It must feel so heavy, but I'd love to try it on just once..."

I thought to myself.

But when I got home and calculated the estimated prices,

I realized that unless you're literally an Indian queen,

it makes total sense not to have jewelry like this in your life.

Which actually made me feel a bit better about it! Haha.

Anyway, Van Cleef is so stunning... jewels are so beautiful...

I love gems... seeing how much I love sparkly things,

maybe I was a pri...ncess...? Or a tomb raider in my past life? lol

#VanCleefExhibitionReview #VanCleefAntiqueJewelry #VanCleefHighJewelryReview #VanCleefLÉCOLEReview

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Sad you missed the Van Cleef exhibition in Korea?

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L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts by Van Cleef & Arpels,

is currently operating in Paris, (Hong Kong), Shanghai, and Dubai.

While there are fewer classes here than in Paris,

L’ÉCOLE Shanghai still offers some incredible jewelry workshops you can join!

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L'ÉCOLE Dubai by Van Cleef & Arpels

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To be fair, the original L'ÉCOLE in Paris, France

definitely has an overwhelmingly larger selection of classes available... 💎

#VanCleefArpels #VanCleefHighJewelry #LECOLE #JewelryClass #VanCleefExhibition #JewelryMaking #VanCleefShanghai #LECOLEShanghai #LECOLEDubai #LECOLEParis #VanCleefArpelsExhibition #VanCleefNecklace #Emerald