In 1847, Louis-François Cartier (1819-1904) took over a jewelry workshop in Paris from Adolphe Picard, who had taught him his trade. In the previous year, Louis-François had registered his own master craftsman’s hallmark, a lozenge with a heart surrounded by the initials L and C. This marked the birth of Cartier as a business - and, as the heart suggested, this was the beginning of a long love story.
In 1853, Cartier moved and started undertaking work for private clients. Also this year, the First Cartier Platinum jewel was made.
This was the time of Napoleon III’s reign in France. The splendors of the Second Empire encouraged the expansion of the business. Cartier prospered, thanks to the patronage of Princess Mathilde, the Emperor’s first cousin and niece of Napoleon I.
In 1859, he moved in the heart of fashionable Paris, and in the same year Empress Eugénie ordered a silver tea service from him. He also developed a friendship with the internationally renowned couturier Charles Worth, and married Worth’s granddaughter.
Wishing to establish a family tradition, Cartier taught the trade to his son, Louis-François Alfred (1841-1925), made him a partner and handed over the management to him in 1874. In his turn, Alfred made his eldest son Louis a partner in 1898.
In 1899, the business took up residence in the prestigious address of 13, rue de la Paix, where it was to remain for the next century. At that time, Alfred entrusted his three sons with the international management of Cartier. Louis-Joseph took over responsibility for Paris, Jacques-Théodule established himself in London and Pierre-Camille went to New York.
After two generations, Cartier had become the most prestigious jeweler in the world. The Prince of Wales described it as “Jeweler to kings, king of jewelers”, and 27 tiaras were ordered for his coronation as King Edward VII in 1902. Two years later, he honored the company with the royal warrant, and similar warrants followed from the courts of Spain, Portugal, Russia, Siam, Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Romania, Egypt and Albania, and also from the House of Orléans and the Principality of Monaco.
Traveling the world in search of inspiration
At the request of his brother Louis, Pierre went to Russia in search of the finest enamels and hard stone animal sculptures in order to compete with Peter Carl Fabergé. In 1910, he sold the extraordinary blue 44.50-carat Hope diamond. He also developed increasingly close links with clients from the world of finance and industry in the United States, including the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Goulds and the Fords.
In Paris, Louis brought the guirlande style (a revival of the Louis XVI style) to a level of unparalleled perfection by using platinum, in a revolutionary technique which had taken nearly 50 years of research and experimentation to develop. Louis was a creative genius and a man of great taste, but he also had a remarkable head for business. He focused a great deal of artistic attention on luxury accessories and timepieces, the latter often incorporating sophisticated technological innovations. Some of these, notably the famous mystery clocks, were patented.
He surrounded himself with gifted designers such as Charles Jacqueau, Maurice Couët and Edmond Jaeger. He also established a highly committed group of colleagues, including the remarkable Jeanne Toussaint. And he achieved an harmony of classic and modern in his creations, giving them the unique mark of the Cartier style.
From the turn of the 20th century onwards, Louis Cartier and his collaborators incorporated the influences of Egypt, Persia and the Far East, and also of the Ballets russes, in designs which were more geometrical and abstract. In 1906 they began combining strong colors and new materials, such as onyx and coral, in a new style that later became known as Art Deco.
Intuition and innovation: Cartier timepieces
Together with the brilliant master clockmaker Maurice Couët, Louis Cartier began making mystery clocks based on the Robert-Houdin principle, developed around 1850. The most beautiful of these creations were six “portique” and twelve “chinoises”: these clocks are to Cartier what imperial Easter eggs are to Fabergé.
Wristwatches, which first appeared in Cartier’s stock records in 1888, experienced enormous success with the launch of the Santos model in 1911. The prototype was a gift to the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont in 1904; this was Cartier’s first-ever men’s wristwatch with a leather strap.
Equipped with the famous deployant buckle patented in 1909, further models were to follow. The Tank watch, the first drawings for which date back to 1917, was designed in honor of the Allied tank crews of the 1914-1918 war. It was first sold in 1919, and its harmonious form soon made it a classic.
The designer Jeanne Toussaint, a friend of Coco Chanel, was a woman of great skill and character. With her assistance, Louis Cartier continued to create jewelry which became an integral part of haute couture.
The S (for Silver) department, set up in 1923 was managed by Jeanne Toussaint until 1933, when Louis Cartier placed her in charge of High Jewelry, It produced an elegant collection of accessories and jewels. Its inventory showed a new approach to luxury objects: they were less expensive, but as stylish as ever.
In the 40s, Jeanne Toussaint turned back to nature taking her inspiration from plants and animals. She revived the trend for yellow gold and designed remarquable jewelry sets for clients such as Barbara Hutton, the Duchess of Windsor and Nina Diyer.
The Cartier saga
By now, Cartier’s various businesses around the world had become dispersed, principally due to the death of two of the three Cartier brothers. Its cultural heritage, accumulated over four generations, still held an undisputed fascination for the world’s public.
In 1968, the first Cartier oval lighter was launched. It was a new type of luxury item, and it revolutionized the market.
Les Must de Cartier: the birth of a revolution
In 1973, the concept of Les Must de Cartier is developed. A number of new Cartier product lines were created, including vermeil watches, leather goods, pens and perfumes.
In 1979, Cartier Monde was established as the parent company of Cartier’s operations in Paris, London and New York, which were now unified as they had been at the beginning of the century.
In 1982 The first collection on the theme of the Art of Cartier is launched, consisting of important pieces which had been bought back over the years. This priceless collection traces the evolution of the Cartier style since its origins in 1847.
Cartier’s pioneering role in corporate sponsorship
In 1984, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain is established. The first major exhibition of the Art of Cartier Collection was held in 1989.
In 1992, the second major exhibition of the Art of Cartier Collection was held at the Ermitage Museum in St Petersburg, providing a dazzling reminder of Cartier’s presence in Russia before 1914.
1993 saw the launch of the Chrono Reflex movement versions of the Pasha, Cougar and Diabolo de Cartier watches.
In 1994, Cartier celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Santos watch, and launched a limited-edition extra-flat model in platinum and pink gold, the Santos-Dumont.
In 1996 The name of Cartier was added to those of other legends in the history of 20th-century art. A High Jewelry collection on the theme of Creation is created.
150 years of the king of jewelers
In 1997 Cartier celebrated its 150th anniversary, and a special limited-edition series of timepieces, precious gifts and leather goods was produced to celebrate this event.
Cartier launched its third men's fragrance, Déclaration de Cartier.
During the year, a retrospective entitled “Cartier 1900-1939” was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and London’s British Museum. This traced the history of the guirlande style, culminating in the use of platinum and the many themes of Art Deco.
Also in 1998, the company paid homage to the Santos watch, created in 1978 and inspired by the model originally developed in 1904 for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, with the launch of a new Chrono Reflex version.
History in the making
In May 1999, Cartier inaugurated its website, www.cartier.com which offers a new dimension in luxury and is also used to launch the new Tank Basculante steel watch.
Cartier also launched Collection Paris nouvelle vague Cartier, a collection of modern, delicate golden pearl and uncut diamond jewelry, inspired by the lights and monuments of Paris.
1999 the 100th anniversary of the Cartier boutique at 13, Rue de la Paix is celebrated and thirteen unique jewelry sets on the theme of lightness and flight are designed.
The year 2000 saw the creation of a new men’s fragrance, Must de Cartier pour homme, a fresh, bold and elegant oriental fragrance which continued the success of the great women’s classic, Must de Cartier, created in 1981.
The jewelry theme continued with the creation of a new collection, Cartier de Lune, and the continuation of the collection Paris nouvelle vague Cartier. This extraordinary creations combined modernity with architectural and couture themes.
September 2000 saw the birth of a new collection of bags, Cage de Cartier. These feature gold or silver pigments on screen-printed leather, with a handle that gives a new twist to the “three colors of gold” theme. Their unique designs pay homage to the secret mystery of femininity.
2001 Cartier launches ‘Les Delices de Cartier”, expression of a new Paradise of jewelry where the jewels themselves have become fruits, flowers, sparkles and pure playfulness. The collection features necklaces, rings, brooches – all sprinkled with a delicious mix of colored stones in a variety of shapes and cuts.
The same year, a new men watch is launched: “the Roadster”. Cartier has rewritten the rules of men’s timepieces with this exceptional watch. Simple yet eye-catching, the Roadster is timeless, masculine, sophisticated, hard-wearing and built to last. Inside the steel case lies a uniquely styled and totally reliable automatic mechanism. The contours of the watch are designed to catch the light and symbolize the two sides of the male persona: action and relaxation.
2002 the latest collection “le Baiser du Dragon” (The kiss of the Dragon) is launch in homage to China. Since 1888, when Cartier was first introduced by lacquer to plunge into China’s artistic universe, the Chinese culture has been a source of fascination. Cartier blend the universe of Asian fairy tales, myths, and sagas into decorative arts. Without preconceptions, the brand dipped into the broad range of fabulous shapes for which China provides fantastic symbolism
The five elements are part of Le Baiser du Dragon collection like the five directions: the North, the South, the East, the West and the Center. Five, like the five relationships: subject-sovereign, father-son, eldest-youngest, husband-wife, (old) friend-(young) friend. Five for a collection in five acts:
· Jewels inspired by the wind that can be heard ringing like Fen Ling bells.
· Polychrome jewels of contrasting black and white, or red and green.
· Graphic jewels that subtly echo the openwork of a folding screen or pagoda roof.
· Jewels of pleasure, playfully knotted and expressed with silk ribbons
· Absolute jewels, of diamonds, jade, onyx, and rubies that metamorphose the simplest gesture or object into an act of pure happiness, a jeweler’s infinitely magical work.
2004 will be the 100th celebration of the Santos watch. For this very special occasion, Cartier, again, will surprise the world of jewelry and watch making by re-designing the original model from 1904…
Visit the Cartier website: http://www.cartier.com/.
