Jewellery

Cartier Across the Pond: A Recent Auction Focus

14 April 2025

April Matteini, GG, Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Jewelry & Dianne Batista, Senior Vice President, Jewelry and Watches at Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers

Our friends April Matteini and Dianne Batista from our sister auction house in the U.S., Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers, share their recent experience with Cartier jewels at auction with our Head of Jewellery, London, Sarah Duncan ahead of our unique Cartier Curated sale.

The American love of Cartier jewelry predates the legendary 1917 acquisition of the company’s landmark home on Fifth Avenue in New York, which was made in a trade for a natural pearl necklace. Today’s jewelry collector has a fondness for Cartier, which might not be a strong enough word to convey the desirability of the famed jewelry house. It may manifest itself in the extraordinary prices paid at auction for a whimsical stick pin, the ubiquitous "Love” bracelet, or a “Trinity” rolling ring, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. However, when unique, period pieces come across the block, true excitement starts to build.

Cartier Curated

Explore our 29 April 2025 live online auction.

The recent Freeman’s Hindman Important Jewelry auction had two such lots, which were a privilege to bring to market. At the heart of it all is the Cartier style, known as 'a la Cartier’, characterized by unparalleled attention to detail.

The Belle Epoque (1871 – 1914) ‘Garland’ jewels are some of the rarest and earliest Cartier pieces and seldomly seen at auction. When supported by a known provenance, they are even rarer. This Cartier ‘Plaque de Cou’ is a textbook example of the period epitomizing Belle Epoque design. The plaque delicately threads on a black velvet ribbon to be worn as a dog collar necklace. The Cartier ‘Garland Style’ is so elegantly defined by diamond wreaths, foliage, and swags set in platinum. Unique to this piece and telling of early Cartier, is the use of white enamel along the border. This necklace dates circa 1905. The influx of diamonds and the advent of platinum use allowed jewelers to craft jewelry that resembled delicate lace with an emphasis on lightness and intricacy. This necklace also has pedigree provenance, from the Collection of Sarah Helen Frelinghuysen Davis McCawley, thus by descent. The Frelinghuysen family traveled in the elite circles of American Gilded Age society with the Vanderbilts, Astors and in this case even with the Pulitzer Prize winning author Edith Wharton.

^Illustrated:
^{Cartier, Art Deco, Platinum, Diamond, Pearl, and Enamel Crane earrings Estimate: $30,000 - 50,000 Price Realized: $76,700 (inc. prem.) March 2025 | Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers}

^{Cartier, Belle Époque, Diamond, Enamel, and Platinum ‘Plaque de Cou’, circa 1905 Estimate: $15,000 - 25,000 Price Realized: $102,100 (inc. prem.) March 2025 Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers}

From a Northern California collection, the Cartier Art Deco Crane earrings exemplify the characteristics of jewelry from the first quarter of the 20th century, marking a notable transition away from the garland style of the early century. The length and shape of the earrings, intended to be worn with the short bob haircut popular at the time, are in line with the prevailing black and white jewelry designs of the era. They are primarily composed of white diamonds and platinum, with delicate black enamel accents, and the craftsmanship was just as fine on the back of the earrings as on the front. Displaying a distinctly Asian influence, which was popular in design immediately after World War I. The cranes, symbols of good fortune, delicately dangle from the ear, and the pearl drops sway elegantly in tandem with the body of the earring, like a bird in flight.

Jewels like these are found today in the secondary market and are rare finds on a good day. The scholarship and appreciation for the Cartier legacy will only continue to widen and will be seen this spring with the important exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum titled “Cartier.” We are grateful to our partners at Lyon & Turnbull, especially Sarah Duncan, for the invitation to share Freeman’s Hindman recent successes selling these two exquisite jewels.

AUTHOR

April Matteini, GG

April is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Jewelry Department for Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers in the United States of America. April has more than 25 years of jewelry appraisal and auction house experience. Previously she served as Bonhams Vice President for the Florida region and as the Regional Director for Skinner Auctioneers.

AUTHOR

Dianne Batista

Dianne is the is Senior Vice President of Jewelry & Watches at Freeman’s Hindman Auctioneers in the United States of America. Dianne has 30 years experience in fine jewelry. She was the Director of Jewelry & Watches and Senior Specialist at Rago/Wright Auction House. Prior to that she consulted independently as Archive Manager at David Webb, and was a Senior Jewelry Specialist at Christie’s. In the retail jewelry sector, she was the US Head of Dior Fine Jewelry and Cinta Jewelry Director at John Hardy. She has lectured extensively and has appeared as an original jewelry expert on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.