Figurative or summary, artwork or philosophy, new or outdated? Cartier’s newest Beautés du Monde excessive jewelry assortment defies conventions. Yanni Tan travels to its launch in Madrid to absorb the splendour.

“It begins first from curiosity,” mentioned Cartier president and CEO Cyrille Vigneron, on the dinner reception debuting the maison’s much-awaited new excessive jewelry assortment. It was mid-June, amid a heatwave in Spain, when an unique group of worldwide press and VIPs gathered within the capital metropolis to view some 100 items from Beautés du Monde, or Beauties of the World in French.

The night affair, held inside the luxurious gardens of the 18th century Palacio de Liria, was the finale of an unforgettable launch. In actual fact, for many people, the occasion was one of many very first main launches we attended ever since journey resumed worldwide, after over two years of Covid-related restrictions. The summer time warmth and the heartbeat of Spanish tradition introduced out a palpable joie de vivre among the many attendees – we have been thrilled to as soon as once more discover ourselves in one other a part of the world, embarking on one more nice journey.

Resonating with the temper was Vigneron’s rationalization of the excessive jewelry assortment’s theme: “We at the moment are turning outdoors and taking a look at every little thing that’s so lovely, taking a look at what we don’t know, what we missed, or what we’ve got forgotten.”

The World Anew

Our journey into magnificence started on Press Day the morning prior – on the former British Embassy in Madrid. A radical showcase of Brutalist structure designed within the fashion of a bullring by English architect WS Bryant and his Madrileños compatriot Luis Blanco-Soler, it was accomplished in 1966 and occupied till 2009 when the embassy relocated. It fell into neglect and disrepair, till Cartier undertook an intensive renovation in 2021 as a part of the maison’s heritage preservation work.

After over 10 years, the previous embassy lastly reopened its doorways, welcoming company because the mise en scène of the Beautés du Monde exhibition. Created by outstanding Madrid multidisciplinary artist Jaime Hayon, the scenography showcased a purity of design enlivened by wells of sunshine, colors and rounded arches. Right here, the primary chapter of the gathering was unveiled, in addition to a number of items from Cartier’s Excessive Jewelry, Cartier Custom and Haute Horlogerie collections.

The exploration began from the inside courtyard rooms of the modernist spherical constructing, the place we have been briefed by Cartier’s gemologists on probably the most extraordinary stones used within the assortment, and seen a brief movie that despatched us on an “interstellar” voyage into the center of opals, that are one of many key gems featured.

Upstairs, transferring from room to colour-coded room by way of arched doorways, we stepped into the jeweller’s spectacular universe of creativity and innovation. A show of pictures and books highlighted the pioneering legacy of the Cartier brothers, from whom the home had inherited its singular imaginative and prescient of magnificence and spirit of journey. Two of its grasp artisans have been additionally available to reveal Cartier’s technical virtuosity.

Seeing Is Believing

Savoir faire is a a lot knocked-about time period in luxurious circles, however Cartier owns it like no different. Impressed by nature and cultures, Beautés du Monde shouldn’t be outlined by the often-rigid conventions of jewelry design however fairly a scarcity of. Marvelling on the creations, I had usually requested myself whether or not a bit is figurative or summary, if my interpretation was correct. The reply from Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s picture, fashion and heritage director, is that there isn’t any a method to take a look at it.

As an example, the extremely textural Iwana necklace, set with diamond-paved triangles and three Colombian emeralds weighing 43.45 carats, seems to be a graphic tackle geometry and colors. It seems to be impressed by the pores and skin of the iguana, with the four-sided minimize of the emeralds formed to tackle the likeness of the reptile’s dorsal spines.

As for the aforementioned opal, which is a darling amongst treasured stones for some years now, its spectacular fireplace and play of colors aren’t simply what the transformable Apatura necklace is all about. The shimmering iridescence of the three Australian opals weighing 22.08 carats suggests a butterfly’s wings, that are framed by geometrical motifs composed of diamond bars and blue sapphire beads whose shade of color echoes the opal’s fireplace.

Pairing orange coral with emeralds is one other signature of Cartier. Whereas this mixture has been utilized in a number of majestic stylistic interpretations, right here on the Récif necklace, the shape is unexpectedly natural and a masterclass in creating motion. We have been instructed that the design evokes a coral reef – do you see it now? Ribbed melon-shaped coral and emerald beads of various sizes snake in a random but rhythmic manner alongside a diamond rope, culminating in a 17.2-carat cabochon-cut Zambian emerald. When you’re conversant in staghorn coral, you’d discover the bezel setting of the diamonds replicating the marine invertebrate’s texture.

It goes with out saying that with the theme of journey and exploration usually comes a cupboard of curiosities – unique motifs which have enriched the maison’s archives by way of time. There are lots in Beautés du Monde, from the emblematic panthere and different magnificent beasts, to flowers and legendary creatures, to astral and Oriental components. One in all my favourites is the Scilla ring, which is one in all seven cocktail rings in a capsule assortment designed as miniature sculptures that symbolise the hyperlink between sea and sky. It takes form as a sea dragon with yellow diamonds for eyes, and topped with a 5-carat mild brown, cushioned-shaped diamond.

Of Style and Strategies

Whereas what’s on the forefront of the Beautés du Monde assortment is “the blurring of frontier between abstraction and figuration”, Rainero mentioned throughout an interview in Madrid that the design workforce of 12 has additionally made a number of improvements. There’s a wide range of new color mixtures, such because the pairing of azure chalcedony with pinkish rubies and intense black onyx on the Rituel necklace, and making a kaleidoscope of hues on the Pandana parure with greenish-blue tourmalines, pink tourmalines, mandarin garnets and diamonds.

The stones additionally supplied the designers a world of inventive prospects past color. “Matching pastels with acid colors was a path we began at Cartier 15 to twenty years in the past. Experimenting with new color mixtures is inscribed into our current code, however the standards of form that’s linked to a gemstone’s origin can also be an necessary consideration,” added Rainero.

The Cartier veteran emphasised that key technical improvements are achieved in the best way the maison conceives of shapes, volumes and sides – due to the systematic analysis that was undertaken since work on the gathering started in 2020. For sure showpiece stones, their uncooked shapes are preserved as a lot as potential, which is as a lot a nod to their pure kind because it is a chance to lend their natural essence to the nature-inspired designs. For the diamonds, daring shapes just like the triangle, kite, lozenge and defend are additionally used.

By way of craftsmanship experience, Beautés du Monde is a showcase bar none. The Nouchali necklace is a extremely articulated masterpiece that includes a blossoming water lily that seems to be floating on water, due to the trembling setting of the rubellite and diamond petals encircling the ten.61-carat rubellite centre stone, and a 3D structure on the reverse facet of the flower. Along with imparting a stained-glass window impact, the inverted construction product of extraordinarily fantastic white gold additionally enhances brightness tenfold.

Whereas the Water Aspis necklace is a typical expression of the Cartier fashion that cuts throughout realism, stylisation and abstraction, the execution of the joints is so exemplary that it renders the creation utterly cellular – spectacular for a bit with such heft. At least 5 43.49 carats of Ceylon sapphire cabochons are surrounded by a sample of triangular diamond and curved lapis lazuli scales, woven collectively in a succession of geometric shapes on an openwork white gold construction that invitations mild to shine by way of.

Unprecedented Instances

In such an uncommon time in historical past, it’s heartening that Cartier considers itself as a lot an advocate for the seek for magnificence as it’s a purveyor of outstanding jewels. “The extra we open doorways to the spectators’ creativeness, the higher. That’s what inventive emotion is all about – opening the door and letting them be transported to wherever it could be,” summed up Rainero on the imaginative and prescient of Beautés du Monde.

This assertion actually hit dwelling for the company on the dinner reception. It wasn’t simply the palace location – the present residence of the nineteenth Duke of Alba, Carlos Fitz-James Stuart – the place we got a guided tour of its beautiful salons bearing artworks by masters the likes of Goya, Velázquez, Rubens and Titian. It wasn’t simply the surreal expertise of having fun with Sangria hour amongst international celebrities like Jisoo Kim of Ok-pop group Blackpink, Vanessa Kirby, Golshifteh Farahani and Mariacarla Boscono. It wasn’t simply the intimate high fashion present by Maison Alvarno, the place fashions wore the Beautés du Monde excessive jewels as gracefully as their robes. It wasn’t simply the unbelievable feast-within-a-garden by three-Michelin-starred Spanish chef Jesús Sánchez. And it wasn’t simply an uplifting shock after-party live performance by the Black Eyed Peas.

This quest for magnificence, as termed by Rainero, can occur in all places and in no matter we like. Maybe for a few of us, the driving drive is our renewed appreciation of life. To Cyrille Vigneron, it’s love. In a transferring speech on the dinner reception, he appealed to us to attract the connection between magnificence and love, and to root it in humanity: “We love what is gorgeous, and love reveals magnificence… Now, what offers us which means is what we’ve got to depart to our kids – an attractive world. And what’s an attractive world? A world with no wars, no poverty, with magnificence throughout, respect and dignity, and the enjoyment of the small issues in life, like an attractive backyard. Placing for magnificence might be the very best rating we are able to obtain collectively.”

This story first appeared within the Sep 2022 challenge of Status Singapore.