PARIS — “This collection is my entire life,” said Yves Gastou, expressing the significance of having his personal collection of men’s rings displayed at the Van Cleef & Arpels L’École des Arts Joailliers in Paris.
From Oct. 5 to Nov. 30, the house will show more than 500 rings, including antique rings from ancient Egypt and the Venetian Doges of the 17th century, as well as Seventies biker rings.
The exhibit is the latest installment of L’Ecole’s mission to showcase jewelry craftsmanship to the widest possible audience, central to Van Cleef & Arpels’ strategy to raise the profile of high jewelry among the broader public.
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“We’re quite far from the world of Van Cleef & Arpels, its butterflies and flowers, idyllic and poetic vision of life — even if there is a very poetic vision in Yves’ collection, it’s very interesting and quite amusing for such a feminine house to…present this collection of skulls and various monsters that are quite seductive,” said Nicolas Bos, chief executive officer of Van Cleef & Arpels. The house is also presenting a catalogue of the exhibit with publisher Albin Michel.
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Gastou is not the first to collect men’s jewelry. Antoine de la Roque, a 17th-century journalist at a literary paper in France, was also known for collecting men’s rings, which he considered works of art.
The singularity of Gastou’s collection resides in its broad range, which includes neoclassical, gothic, religious and ethnic pieces. In one example, a huge ring from the Venetian Doges of the 17th century carried a lid that opened up to reveal a compartment — for stashing poison was one theory, said Gastou.
Gastou, who has been described as the “antique dealer of the future,” was the first of his generation to mix French and Italian furniture from the Forties, Fifties and Seventies, along with iconic design pieces from the Eighties.
Illustrating his relationship with the jewelry of his collection, Gastou described slipping on a ring as a “sexual act, a sensual act, an act of love” that gives him goose bumps.
Marie Vallanet-Delhom, president of L’Ecole, noted the rising popularity of jewelry with men, even if women have laid claim on the territory since the 16th century.
“I feel completely naked if I go out without my rings,” declared Gastou, holding out his hands to show a mix of skulls and eagles. One read “Born Wild”; next to it was a smooth black onyx skull embedded in rose quartz — matching his pink polo shirt.