Given the theme of the range, it’s no surprise that the panther, the animal most closely associated with Cartier, reigns supreme. The stunning Panthère Jaillissante, a hybrid hand jewel, depicts a panther that’s docile yet “ready to pounce”, holding an 8.63-carat Zambian emerald.

As Jacqueline Karachi, Cartier’s director of high jewellery creation, explained in an interview in Vienna, the inspiration from nature or the animal kingdom is never too literal. The focus is always on timeless and modern designs that are also uniquely Cartier. The Scutelia ring, for instance, at first sight appears like a very graphic and geometric piece – but look closely and you’ll realise how it subtly re-creates the scales of a crocodile, with its combination of diamonds in different cuts.

The choice of Vienna for the debut of the range also reflects Cartier’s belief in paying homage to history and tradition, all while celebrating the contemporary and modern design ethos that makes its pieces “timely yet timeless”, as Cartier’s international marketing and communications director Arnaud Carrez aptly put it at the event. You just have to look at the brand’s heritage pieces, with some dating back more than a century, to see how relevant they still are today. An entire section of the Vienna presentation was devoted to heritage items that clients can also acquire.

“Vienna is full of history and culture and [it’s] an amazing location, but it goes beyond that, because we wanted this collection to present animals in a very unexpected environment – so why not Vienna?” said Karachi. “It could be anywhere and you also have a lot of nature here in the middle of the town. Our clients come from everywhere and they will travel with the pieces, and when they choose a piece it’s never by chance. Our pieces are designed for anywhere in the world.”