Starting December 4 and running through February 16 2014, Paris’ Grand Palais will be dedicating its main exhibition space to the world of Cartier, with what is set to be the biggest exhibition on the jeweler to date. For the event, over 600 watches and pieces of jewelry tell the sparkling story of the legendary French house.
1888: Cartier designs its first jeweled timepieces.
Alberto Santos-Dumont, the aviator who inspired the Santos watch and the 1932 Baguette Bracelet watch, a piece that was eventually was sold to Prince Tikka of Kapurthala.
1899 : Cartier moves to 13 Rue de la Paix
The Pince-Tigre brooch alongside a 1957 illustration of the Prince of Wales (later sold to Barbara Hutton)
1904: Cartier designs for the British royal family
A 1938 Rose Pince brooch as worn by Princess Margaret for the coronation of Elizabeth II alongside a copy of Cartier’s royal seal of appointment.
1910: The Hope Diamond goes on sale
Three of the precious stones owned by the McLean couple alongside a 1908 image of Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond set into a necklace.
1909 : Cartier Arrives in London
View of Cartier’s London work rooms, “The English Art Works” along with a 1937 aquamarine tiara.
1914 : The Panther setting
A George Barbier-designed Cartier invitation from the 1920s alongside a 1914 panther watch.
1917: Cartier draws up its first Tank designs
Catherine Deneuve wearing the Tank alongside a 1920 Tank watch.
1924 : Cartier creates the Trinity ring
1933: Jeanne Toussaint takes the helm at Cartier Haut Joaillerie
Jeanne Toussaint as shot by Baron Adolph de Meyer, alongside one of her key pieces, the pink flamingo designed for the Duchess of Windsor.
1949. Cartier designs the Duchess of Windsor’s brooch
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1940 with the Duchess wearing the Cartier panther bracelet.
1956: Cartier designs Grace Kelly’s engagement ring
1970: The Love bracelet and Juste Un Clou are designed
The Monegasque royal family’s links with Cartier go well beyondPrincess Grace, the whole Principality has been linked to the house since Prince Albert I signed a royal warrant with the house, back in 1920. But Grace Kelly remains the relationship’s highest-profile ambassador, with a triple-string diamond necklace, tiara that transforms into a necklace and her favorite piece, a poodle brooch picked out in gemstones all to be found in her jewelry box. In January 1956, Prince Rainier III ordered a 10.47 carat emerald-cut diamond solitaire from Cartier, to ask for his Hollywood heroine’s hand in marriage.
1967: The Crash Watch appears
Monica Belluci for Cartier Francesco Escalar/Lightshape © Cartier 2012
1973: Cartier launches Les Must
The Tank Must bracelet watch by Cartier, 1977 E. Sauvage © Cartier
1983: The Cartier Collection
Eric Nussbaum and the Tonneau bracelet watch, 1907
Source vogue.fr
Related articles
- In Paris, Cartier Shows Off Its Dazzling History (style.com)
- The jeweller of kings: Cartier exhibition opens at the Grand Palais, Paris (theguardian.com)
- The jeweller of kings: Cartier exhibition opens at the Grand Palais, Paris (oddonion.com)
- The Miss Dior Exhibit at the Grand Palais in Paris (astairwaytofashion.com)
A Stairway To Fashion 
As I scrolled down, I kept thinking “the next piece can’t be as beautiful as this” and yet they all were! Cartier certainly has produced a stunning array of masterpieces. I wish I could go to Paris to see the exhibit!