Cartier’s iconic high jewellery pieces mark moments in history

May 11 , 2017

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Britain's Prince William, leaving Westminster Abbey after their wedding ceremony. The Duchess wore a Cartier tiara on her wedding day. Photo: EPA

The maison’s fine jewellery, watches and objets d’art have always attracted fascination, with each of its pieces telling a story and representing a time and place in history

Next month in Geneva, Christie’s will auction a private collection of Cartier pieces, including jewellery, watches and objets d’art. The collection of more than 100 pieces was accumulated by Eric Nussbaum, the so-called “eye” of the jewellery business and one of Cartier’s most significant figures of his time.

Nussbaum joined Cartier in 1969 and almost a decade and half later he was tasked with establishing The Cartier Collection, beginning a two-decade odyssey collecting an historical inventory of some of the brand’s most important pieces. Among them, a platinum and diamond tiara once belonging to the queen of Belgium, a Tutti Frutti necklace commissioned by Singer heiress Daisy Fellowes, and numerous pieces from collections like Trinity and Clou that have proven emblematic of timeless Cartier design.

Tutti frutti necklace commissioned by Singer heiress Daisy Fellowes, now part of the Cartier Collection.

The collection would become the gold standard for a travelling exhibition of design heritage and, today, contains more than 1,600 pieces that have crossed continents to exhibit in more than 20 museums, showcasing the changing styles of Cartier as it courted a wide range of influences and accumulated a considerable number of aristocrats.

The panther brooch of 1949 was one of Wallis Simpson’s favourite pieces.

Through every decade, Cartier has fascinated women of influence – from Wallis Simpson, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, to Fellowes and modern-day royalty, such as the duchess

of Cambridge.

Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly) was seen wearing a

From the intertwined three-coloured gold of the Trinity ring originally designed for Jean Cocteau, which looks as contemporary today as it did when it was launched back in 1924, and the colourful Indian-influenced Tutti Frutti stones of the 1930s, to the 1960s Love bangle and the industrial-chic Juste un Clou of the following decade, each piece represents a time and place in Cartier’s history, forming a collective of iconic masterpieces that have come to define the brand.

Known for its artistic flair and creative designs, Cartier needs little introduction.

Since its inception in 1847, Louis-Francois Cartier set new standards in jewellery using a combination of traditional crafts, exceptional precious stones and highly creative – and sometimes contentious – designs that were as relevant then as they are now.

The Love bangle, for example, has proven its enduring appeal. It is Cartier’s most successful line, made popular over the decades by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and the Duchess of Windsor in its earliest days to modern day celebrities such as Angelina Jolie.

Meanwhile, other designs generate significant interest at auction. Major auction houses have increasingly sold one-of-a-kind storied jewels at record prices as a growing appreciation of the craftsmanship of certain brands, and an expansion of wealth spreads.