VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, the French purveyor of “high jewellery”, has a new home in Bangkok – and a fascinating educational programme in Hong Kong. At both you can learn about “talismanic” gems – those that take the wearer into a universe governed by nature, the stars and mysterious powers.

These are the precious stones and symbols by which mystics and alchemists have for millennia divined the hidden secrets of nature and found the keys to health and wealth.

Van Cleef & Arpels, founded in 1906, waited 110 years to open a boutique in Thailand – at Bangkok’s Emporium – but perhaps it’s been worth the wait, since its jewellery comprises nothing less than poetry in its creativity and refinements.

Now there is the “Alhambra” collection of modern-day talismans that promise to bring the owner good luck. Don’t be a doubter because, as the firm’s founder, Jacques Arpels, used to say, “To be lucky, you have to believe in luck.”

The first Alhambra necklace was created in 1968, yellow gold in pure harmonious lines edged with golden beads, an immediate success (and surely lucky for Van Cleef & Arpels). The same delicate motif adorns the latest Alhambra creations, enriched with new materials – 12 pieces in creased pink or white gold set with diamonds.

You can learn all about the theory behind the collection in a two-week course called “The Art History of Jewellery” offered by the l’Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris and now at the Qube, a design centre in Hong Kong. There are 10 courses in the curriculum, with themes including “Savoir-Faire” and “The Universe of Gemstones”.

Talisman jewellery is a popular subject. Lecturers Inezita Gay and Giscain Aucremanne explain the power of myth in different cultures and how ornamental gemstones have fascinated everyone from India’s Mughal kings and Napoleon of France to American screen goddess Elizabeth Taylor.

“The talisman jewel is a magical object in a way, giving a certain power to the person wearing it,” says Aucremanne. “The word ‘talisman’ can refer to an amulet or a lucky charm. They’ve travelled through time and will still be with us in the future, since humans have needs and fears and the talismans provide the answers we seek.”

Aucremanne says a talisman can be manmade, found in nature, precious or not. It’s the depth of belief that gives it its power. “Charlemagne, king of the Franks, is said to have held onto his talisman in battle for protection and it was found on his body when his tomb was opened long after his death.”

Gay notes that humans have always looked to the heavens and the stars for symbols as well as to nature – the animals, flowers and insects. “The dragonfly was depicted on the samurai warrior’s armour, and ivy represents love, wisdom and prosperity for the French, just as the lotus symbolises mindfulness in Buddhism. All the gems have certain powers as well, from turquoise and aquamarine to jade, pearl and tiger’s-eye.

“We ask in our course why people knock on wood or ‘touch wood’?” Gay says. “It’s because wood represents natural life. People used to believe there were fairies in the forest, and if they wanted a wish granted they would walk into the forest, knock on a tree and ask the fairy living there.

“That’s why, in 1920, Van Cleef & Arpel made the Touchwood lucky jewels. Apart from being fun, its purpose was to protect your loved one. A Touchwood watch on the wrist placed the grain of the wood against your skin and you’d feel protected.”

Other big names in jewellery have tapped into talismans. Bulgari’s “charming” serpent is iconic. Fashion designer Coco Chanel was deeply superstitious and used symbols in her jewellery, specifically shooting stars. Cartier’s Amulette de Cartier, has proved immensely popular with its minimalist geometry and emotional resonance.

Then there’s the “lucky 13” line. Jackie Cochran, the famed American aviator of the 1930s, had Cartier make a “13” bracelet for her. “So she ‘made her own luck’, her own destiny,” says Gay.

Like the others, Van Cleef & Arpels’ view of the world of talismans can seem na๏ve, even with centuries of faith to back it up, Gay says. But, as Dr John Arpels, seen in a video shown during the course, carries a purple jade talisman, but he also wears a ring his grandmother designed and gave him, and that’s magic too, he says, because it affords an emotional bond to his family. “In a way it’s fate, a sign that you’re going to be okay.”

“Van Cleef & Arpels: The Art & Science of Gems” is being touted as Southeast Asia’s first and largest gem exhibition, with more than 400 stunning creations currently available, on loan from private collectors, or resurrected from the archives. There are also 250 mineral samples from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

The show fulfils a long-held goal, says president and chief executive Nicolas Bos. “Since the very early days, our purpose has been to bring the world of jewellery and the creative arts to a wider audience.”

ArtScience Museum director Honor Harger says the show is unique in the way it explores artistic skill as well as scientific processes, including the way minerals are formed.

“The exhibition takes visitors on a dramatic journey that begins with the origin of minerals within the heart of the Earth and culminates with the extraordinary craftsmanship that transfigures these gems into works of art,” she says.

There are seven themes – Couture, Abstractions, Influences, Precious Objects, Nature, Ballerinas and Fairies, and Icons. Visitors can choose one of two pathways through the exhibits, one focused on the minerals and the other on the jewellery.

Bruno David of the Museum of Natural History would no doubt recommend the former. “We have rare minerals with strange names such as corindon, tourmaline and pyroxen – these are the raw materials for jewellery makers. An exhibition like this where the paths of science and art cross is the place to collaborate in the hybrid field we could call ‘geo-jewellery’.”

One of the most striking custom orders Van Cleef & Arpels has ever received was for a flying bird carrying a briolette-cut yellow diamond of nearly 97 carats. In the 1930s it belonged to opera singer Ganna Walska, who wore it as a pendant, but the firm loves to make items that adapt, so the bird can also be worn as earrings or a brooch. The diamond detaches from its clip.

The exhibition runs until August 14 at the ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

“We immediately felt comfortable,” says Lansaque. “We felt a sense of familiarity with the country and its streets. We were impressed by the dynamism of the country and the kindness of its people.”

They have since returned every year, each time staying for four to six months, tallying five years in total. They no longer see themselves as being much different from the locals and have integrated well. They speak Vietnamese, cook local dishes, travel by motorbike and go out with the people.

That first trip in 2002 was a turning point in their lives. Leroy was an animation student at the Gobelins School of Visual Communication ( L’Ecole de l’Image) in Paris. Lansaque was a design artist and working as an artistic director.

But the love they felt for Vietnam motivated them to make their first movie – an animated short inspired by daily life. They’ve made two more since about Vietnamese society and all have won awards at French film festivals.

Last week they presented all three at a public screening in Hanoi. The viewers were pleasantly surprised at how cartoons could portray local life and culture in such a realistic way.

Their unique style, which combines drawings done by hand and digitally with videos and photos, accompanied by traditional music, mesmerised the audience. Each short movie took a year and a half to make.

The first, “Bonsoir Monsieur Chu”, made between 2003 and 2005, features scenes of bustling Ho Chi Minh City and captures their first impressions of the country. You see not only the beauty of the countryside, with dragonflies, lotus flowers and the paddy fields, but also the push and pull of the city’s crowded streets.

In 2012 they finished their second film, “Fleuve Rouge” (“The Red River”), which depicts the hard lives of rural people who have to move to the city to earn a decent living. The Red River, seen from beneath the Long Bien Bridge, provides the main backdrop.

“Cafe Froid” (“Cold Coffee”) came last year, examining the life of a Saigon girl whose mother has been killed in an accident, forcing her to abandon her studies to work at the family coffee shop.

The film shows the harsh realities of life that this girl and thousands of others endure as they toil day and night. “It’s the sad realities of Vietnamese society that we also wanted to portray in this film,” says Lansaque.

Through their films, the artists have become well known in Vietnam.

“We have a lot of Vietnamese friends,” Lansaque says. “They invite us to their homes. We’ve shared many moments with them, from Tet New Year celebrations to weddings, birthdays and other anniversaries.

“It’s easy to make friends with Vietnamese people. They’re very friendly and generous. We can become friends just sitting at a cafe or walking along the street.”

When in Hanoi, the couple usually stays at a small house in Hang Dieu Street, hanging out at a coffee shop nearby. “We sit there sipping iced tea and observe life,” Leroy says. “We talk to the locals and learn a lot from them. Our films are about the people we meet on the street. Their day-to-day lives interest us.”

They’re now working on their fourth film, a longer, light-hearted animation about a wandering dog that discovers dog meat being sold on the streets.

“Vietnam has brought us a lot of energy and inspiration,” says Leroy. “One day we might stop making films, but one thing is certain – we will never stop loving this country!”