New Cartier high jewellery collection Le Voyage Recommencé

By Ian Thorley

Cartier sought inspiration in architecture for this latest iteration of its high jewellery novelties, presented in Florence. The theme was a continuation of the 2022 Beautés du Monde collection, which also glorified the magnificence of man-made architecture. The Parisian jeweller revisited some of its iconic pieces including the emblematic panther and Islamic art to create a modern collection featuring the highest workmanship by artisans and the most fabulous stones.

Louis Cartier, a French businessman and heir to the Cartier house, was fascinated by Islamic art. Geometry first crept into Cartier’s design books as early as 1903, as the Ottoman empire crumbled and a trend for Orientalism swept through the creative fields. Louis Cartier encountered these geometric designs, arabesques and patterns at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, making them a signature code of the Maison.

In Islamic art green and blue hues are often featured together, but in Western art were considered to clash. Louis Cartier was the first jeweller to combine this ‘peacock motif’ which would go on to become a Cartier hallmark. The transformable Girih necklace is a stunning example as it combines the two styles of Islamic art and architecture. Emeralds and sapphires neatly co-exist in a graphic design, while the pendant can be detached and worn on its own as a brooch.

The Panther has long been a fixture of the house since Louis Cartier first used its design to decorate a platinum and diamond watch. Jeanne Toussaint, who was appointed as the Cartier jewellery designer in 1933, went on to make it iconic by placing her panther designs on some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Daisy Fellowes and María Félix, and today’s ambassador Vanessa Kirby. The Panthère Givrée or ‘Crazy Panther’ is the centrepiece of a stunning aquamarine and diamond necklace. The panther’s head and torso combines diamonds and onyx, while it guards three clear aquamarine stones totalling 20.33 carats.

The Claustra necklace draws inspiration from the 20th-century Art Deco style. Cartier started experimenting with black and white geometric shapes in art deco patterns before the style became a mainstream culture, and has long remained a mainstay of the maison.

The stunning necklace showcases shield diamonds, including a 4.02-carat diamond, at the centre of a complex structure made up of broken lines. Onyx alternates in a contrasting style throughout the piece. In a feat of great workmanship, the piece can also be split in two.

In addition to these one-off pieces Cartier has created several jewellery suites comprising earrings, rings and necklace combinations. The Unda set showcases 67 cabochon emeralds on the necklace while the Voltea suite combines the classic Cartier colours of red and black, while coral beads are encircled by an onyx frame and studded by diamonds.

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