A diamond is a girl’s best friend. Am I right, girls?

But at a glance, who can honestly say that they can separate a diamond from a well-polished cut glass? The truth is, in itself, diamonds are nothing extraordinary. It’s a rock, the toughest mineral on Earth even. If you don’t polish it, cut it the right way, follow the other 3 C's of diamonds (Color-Clarity-Carat), an amateur -- like most of us -- would easily mistake it for a shard of glass. What makes diamonds so special, other than the fact that it's value is dictated by society, is how jewelers make them to be. 

I can't say that I'm not a fan of jewelry though, but then again, I'm no enthusiast either. Like most women, I would also be one to stare from outside jewelry stores, imagining which piece would suit me the most. It’s pretty, it’s classy, and it’s a statement piece, but it’s not really practical for anything other than aesthetics -- at least designer bags get to hold your stuff while you walk. Truly, jewelry is the the epitome of luxury.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I'm no hater of jewelry (or whatever society thinks it stands for). Besides, I still want that cliché kneeling-on-one-knee-with-an-engagement-ring type of proposal as much as the next girl, but other than that, I wasn’t really that interested in jewelry. My intentions for going to the Arts and Science Museum when I was in Singapore were primarily fueled by the fact that I haven’t been to any art exhibits in the past. I didn’t really care much that they showcased jewelry pieces from a high-tier French jeweler, Van Cleef and Arpels (whom, I didn't even know existed until before that day). They could’ve showcased late paintings of renaissance artists and I would’ve been as equally enthusiastic.

Or so I thought.

Going through the exhibit was actually more educational and fascinating than I thought it would be. It was even helpful that they had a mobile application that guides visitors through the exhibit as you look at jewelry pieces across time at your own pace. 

Anyway. The exhibit also had an in-house theater that exclusively presented how Van Cleef and Arpels create jewelry pieces, how one piece goes through a lot of intricate procedures from designing, to processing, to its forging, not to mention the talent and meticulous screening of precious jewels. If you thought making jewelry was easy, that it only requires some sketching and melting of some precious metals and setting up stones, then you're in for a big surprise. It made me, like everyone else in the room with their jaws on the ground, appreciate jewelry more than what it seems to be. It's not just a synthesis of metal and precious stones; understand that it goes waaaay beyond that -- it's a wearable piece of a truly unique art that is able to survive the test of time (and of people's taste). Where everything in the world constantly changes, the one thing in culture we could agree to be constant is this. You'd think that technology may have already taken over this form of artistry, but because it takes genuine talent and innovation to come up with the designs that no one has ever thought of doing for the past centuries, the best jewelry pieces, the best designs, the ones that cost millions with women from all over the world swooning over, are still made by hand.

I mean, come on, if that doesn't convince you, where else could you find a zipper-inspired necklace that's fully functioning like an actual zipper? It's pendant (I think that's the proper term?) could go up and down the chain like an actual zipper! Why? To make it a bracelet, of course! It's taking multi-functional and ingenuity to a whole 'nother level.

If you’re not too much interested in art exhibits, or if you have children with you who wouldn’t really appreciate such (because the environment there is really formal and you would really need the silence to take everything in), then the Science Gallery is a good alternative (located just below the Arts Gallery; tickets sold separately, unfortunately). It’s an interactive space that’s great for kids and kids at heart (I'm not sure which category I fall into though).  It’s less serious as compared to the Arts Gallery, where everything is an interactive space; where you can't touch anything in the Arts Museum, you can touch EVERYTHING in the Science museum! It's where artistry and technology combine. More importantly, it’s also a selfie-haven so there’s still something for everyone to look forward to!

One last note. The Arts Gallery for Van Cleef and Arpel's Exhibit lasts until August 14, 2016. So if you have the time (and if you're near the area), don't miss out! It's not everyday that the French National Museum for Natural History collaborated with another museum for their world renowned collections near you. 

Talk to you next time!

it’s JACLYN

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Art  Gallery: I didn't take a lot of pictures in the Arts Museum because I was too engrossed at listening to my audio guide. Besides, you really need to be there to appreciate it (for me, at least). Plus, this was my first time at a museum, so I'm not sure if there's a "proper decorum" to these things. You'll never see people taking photos at museums in movies, right? Unless they were using it for recon. in their next "heist". Maybe not. I have a weird imagination sometimes.