Cartier, a jeweller of Kings and King of jewellers (EN)

Published by

Pilynn S.

on

February 24, 2024

‘A jeweller of Kings and King of jewellers’

Above sentence once said by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom to Cartier, one of the most prestigious and luxurious jewellery brands in history, that nowadays has aged nearly 200 years old.

In 1847, Cartier was founded by Louis-François Cartier as a family business. In the same year, his son, Alfred Cartier became the first jeweller who succeeded in using Platinum for jewellery making. Before this, Platinum was rarely used due to its high price and hard-malleable property. This accomplishment has gained reputation for Cartier.

Afterwards, Cartier has become more well-known because of the three sons of Alfred, who started taking parts in the family empire. Louis, Pierre, and Jacques Cartier has separately travelled to many countries for exploring and contacting wealthy clients, which created more opportunities for Cartier to open branches in Russia, England, and America.

The loyal customers of Cartier included royal families around the world. It was starting in 1901 when Queen Alexandra of King Edward VII has commissioned Cartier to create a necklace to match her given Indian sari. Cartier has chosen the colourful gemstones and shaped them into the tropical seedling which later became the original of Tutti Frutti, one of Cartier all-time-most-famous collections since it first launched in the 1970s.

Cartier has significantly had a long-term relationship with the Indian royal family because they are initially their inspiration in many aspects. Indian princes and princesses have commissioned Cartier to design contemporary Indian jewellery that decorated with priceless diamonds and gemstones.

Moreover, 15 royal courts around the globe appointed Cartier to be working for them, which included Thailand, where at that time was known as The Kingdom of Siam during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

In 1904, Cartier innovated the very first watch for gentlemen which inspired by the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont who was friend with Louis Cartier (grandson of the founder Louis-François), and he wished to have a light and functional clock while flying.

In the past, watches were limited for only ladies, and men would instead carry a pocket watch that contains delicate but complicated usage. Because of the request from a dear friend, Louis had created the gentlemen watch for the first time in history, and he was also the one who designed the legendary square dial, the Cartier Tank.

Not only watches design that Louis was capable of, he also introduced the world to the all-time-iconic pieces of Cartier; Trinity ring and La Panthère.

La Panthère or The Panther is the iconic symbol of Cartier, first appeared as a pattern on the lady watch in 1914. Later on, the panther has featured continuously on every product, including the fragrance bottle in 2014, in order to celebrate 100 years of La Panthère.

1914 / 2014 © Cartier

No one loves the panther more than the Duchess of Windsor, who also known as Wallis Simpson, a widow who once changed the history of the British monarchy. She was the love of Duke of Windsor‘s life who was once King Edward VIII but then abdicated the throne to marry Simpson.

Their life after the royal title was free of duty and full of party. They spent the amount of money for every luxurious experience included Cartier made-to-order pieces of jewellery. After they passed away, the Duchess of Windsor’s parure collections were auctioned at a very high price.

Cartier does not deliver only made-to-order pieces, but they also provide collections of jewellery for everyone. More than 170 years that the brand never stops developing and creating valuable jewellery for their customers. The power of ‘Love & Relationship’ is the core concept and the central storytelling of the brand.

In 1969, Cartier launched a collection of ‘Love Bracelet’ for the first time. The brand sent out bracelets to the 25 famous couples at that moment which including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. This bracelet has a unique way to wear, with a specific tool to help. There is given a small screwdriver for opening and closing the bracelet that cannot be done all alone.

Today, Cartier stands for the most luxurious jewellery, the name that everyone desire. The secret to the success is not only its long history but the ability to adjust in every context and timing. Their products are valuable and classic, the best choice for ladies in any generations.

Last but not least, let finish this post with the video narrative of the brand. The history of 173 years concludes in a few minutes which starred La Panthère who would take us back to the beginning of Cartier.

sources :

PILYNN SIRIPHANICH