Just as a painter’s creativity can be sparked by a palette of colours, a jeweller’s imagination often comes alive in the presence of vividly hued gemstones. This was especially true for Jacques Cartier, the youngest of the three influential Cartier brothers, who found fresh inspiration for bold new designs after his first journey to India in 1911 for the Delhi Durbar celebrating the elevation of King George V as Emperor of India.
Then responsible for Cartier’s London operations, Jacques immediately made his way to their Paris headquarters — where his eldest brother Louis was based — to discuss his spectacular discovery of jewels from the fruitful business trip. In a family history chronicled by direct descendant Francesca Cartier Brickell and published in 2019, Jacques expressed his admiration for India’s vibrant culture and remarkable landscapes.
“Out there, everything is flooded with the wonderful Indian sunlight. One does not see as in the English light, he is only conscious that here is a blaze of red, and there of green or yellow. It is all like an impressionist painting. Nothing is clearly defined, and there is but one vivid impression of undreamed gorgeousness and wealth.”
His fascination with the extraordinary culminated in the Tutti Frutti collection, first unveiled in 1925 as a platinum bracelet. Blending Art Deco geometry with Indian gemstone-carving traditions, it combined emeralds, rubies and sapphires carved into vivid floral, leaf and berry motifs.
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Paul Cournet and Sabine Marcelis are the exhibition designers
This design marked a shift in the French jewellery house’s visual identity, broadening its appeal to an international clientele that included aristocrats, society figures, silver screen stars and discerning collectors, all seeking one-of-a-kind creations.
The recently opened Cartier exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, which runs until Oct 4, underscores the maison’s relationship with colourful gemstones and how they influence the brand’s artistic evolution and shape its creative legacy.
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Flying colours
After successfully bedazzling luxe-loving Londoners at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) from April to November last year, Cartier makes its way Down Under to headline Victoria’s annual cultural series Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, launched in 2004 with the aim of welcoming visitors to the state during the quieter tourism period.
When discussing taking the Cartier exhibition to different parts of the world, Australia was mentioned as the country that could possibly organise the blockbuster exposition, which V&A director of exhibition Daniel Slater describes as “highly complex” to materialise due to the extreme security and strict environmental controls required to safeguard the priceless inventory. He is especially delighted that Cartier eventually landed at NGV, the nation’s oldest and most visited public art museum. “I’m always talking about NGV — the most important museum in southeastern Australia. The only place that makes exhibitions with the same ambition and passion as the V&A,” he says.
The largest retrospective dedicated to Cartier in Australia, the display boasts nearly 400 items ranging from tiaras, necklaces and bracelets, as well as rare archival materials including original design drawings, sketchbooks and photographs. To manage such a vast repository while introducing a distinct feature to the second iteration of Cartier, NGV teamed up with artist and designer Sabine Marcelis, principal of the eponymous studio, and Paul Cournet, director of multidisciplinary architecture studio Cloud.
The Indian-inspired Tutti Frutti necklace
Using colour, light and texture, Marcelis and Cournet employed their considered spatial and material approach to imagine a space with contemporary sensibility, creating an immersive environment that responds to the jewels and feels unmistakably Melbourne, a lively city famed for its intricate maze of graffiti-lined laneways and ever-expanding arts and culture scene.
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Marcelis, originally from New Zealand and now based in the Netherlands, views the natural brilliance of gemstones as “one of the most vibrant phenomena on earth”. She believes in the power of colour to communicate ideas, evoke emotions and establish meaning without the need for explicit explanation. Hence, it is important to pay attention to the way light interacts with different materials to highlight the beauty and details of the subject. Referencing a key piece in each room, she opted for a monochrome palette of green, yellow, coral and burgundy composed of a mix of pigmented textiles, glass and signature cast resins to adorn the galleries.
Cournet emphasises that every design decision is grounded in thorough research into the maison’s rich heritage and unparalleled artistry. “We take the concept of a gemstone at the microscale and expand it to create a distinct spatial volume in each room, allowing the stones to inform both the form and the material character of each space.”
Their teamwork and expertise result in a thoughtfully curated setting that defies the conventional exhibition design, perfectly encapsulating the bold spirit of Cartier.
Treasure trove
On the ground level, visitors enter the exhibition venue through a mirrored walkway animated by the coloured reflections of chromatic glass — a signature material in Marcelis’ work — before arriving in a yellow room.
The Manchester Tiara, commissioned by Consuelo Montagu, Dowager Duchess of Manchester, takes centre stage at the entrance. This stunning headdress symbolises the emergence of Cartier’s first distinctive design code called the Garland Style, heavily influenced by 18th-century French aesthetics and which features delicate motifs such as bows, floral swags and laurel wreaths. A glass display is positioned at the heart of the room to showcase the intricacy and details of a corsage ornament made for Australian opera singer Nellie Melba, alongside brooches crafted using platinum and close-set diamonds.
Personal archives — like a portrait of Alfred Cartier with his sons Louis, Pierre and Jacques as well as a letter written by Pierre to Jacques — provide insights into the family’s tight-knit relationship, a core element that made their business burgeon at the international level. As the siblings successfully opened branches in major cities including London and New York, their desire to expand the brand portfolio and offerings increased, leading them to embark on a worldwide expedition to seek inspiration from across the globe.
The next section reveals the jewels crafted with reference to the traditions of ancient Egypt, India, Japan, China, Iran and the Islamic world, most of which are characterised by their unique form and colour. One of the showpieces is the Patiala Necklace, an instant eye-catcher commissioned by Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, consisting of five rows of 2,930 diamonds and two rubies, with a 234.65-carat yellow De Beers diamond. Those interested in stone engraving may want to divert their attention to the Egyptian Striking Clock, a depiction of a temple entrance gate in mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli; or enamelled vanity cases with motifs typical of Chinese decorative art, among others.
The Cartier brothers were known for their close connections with tastemakers of the day, which allowed them to experiment with bold new ideas and bespoke styles reflecting individual interests, culture and personality.
As the motion picture industry expanded in the mid-20th century, the maison benefited from the growing visibility of its film star clientele, including Oscar-winning actresses Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor.
In a green space devoted to the brand’s association with the whimsical world of film, visitors will first be greeted with Mexican actress María Félix’s Snake Necklace.
Bold and audacious, it is embellished with 2,473 diamonds and scales enamelled in the colours of the Mexican flag, a creation that beautifully captures a collaborative partnership between client and jeweller.
Another showstopper that evidently leaves people in awe is also a special order by Félix, who visited the house’s Rue de la Paix boutique in Paris with her live baby crocodile and asked for her next shiny acquisition to be realistically modelled after her precious pet. The request was fulfilled and it surpassed expectations, coming alive in the form of two crocodiles — one covered with intense yellow diamonds, the other emeralds — that can be worn separately as brooches or together as a necklace.
Building on Cartier’s reputation as the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers — a title coined by King Edward VII of the UK in 1904 — the show culminates in a grand circular chamber where lighting is kept dim.
This was a deliberate choice made by the designers to accentuate the shimmer emanating from a total of 24 tiaras on display.
Among the crowning adornments are the Garland Style Scroll tiara worn by Clementine Churchill at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and later featured on the cover of W Magazine with pop star Rihanna in 2016 (the enlarged editorial image is displayed near the entrance); diamond and turquoise tiaras made for the Langhorne sisters, placed side by side within the room; and the historic Diamond Lozenge Bandeau, now owned by Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, Queen Consort of Pahang.
Though demand for these head ornaments is no longer as high as it was at the time tiaras were considered an essential element of a lady’s ensemble when attending a royal or aristocratic wedding, they remain the pinnacle of Cartier’s exceptional craftsmanship and artistry, rooted in romance and glamour.
The same can be said for all of the objets d’art presented at Cartier. While their splendour and colours may only captivate a select few with appreciation for the finer things in life, their mere existence is proof that the 179-year-old brand has always been striving for excellence and will continue to illuminate the world with its brilliance, despite it all.
Cartier is held at the National Gallery of Victoria is in Melbourne until Oct 4. For tickets, visit ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/cartier
