In the lead up to our Cartier Curated auction, our Head of Jewellery, London Sarah Duncan asked the former director of London Precious Stone Laboratory Eric Emms to share his knowledge of the history of Cartier's use of gems, looking at some of the most well known pieces created by the maison.
Jewellery
Cartier & Gems
14 April 2025
Eric Emms FGA DGA
Few people would not recognise the name Cartier. The international luxury jeweller is renowned for offering jewels and other luxury items of the finest design and quality.
Founded in 1847 by the French watch-maker and jeweller Louis François Cartier. The firm grew prolifically under his three grandsons who established a network of jewellers in Paris, London and New York retailing exceptionally crafted jewellery of exquisite design mounted with magnificent diamonds, coloured gemstones and natural pearls. Cartier jewels soon attracted the patronage of royalty, aristocracy and celebrities throughout the world.
In the early 20th century Jacques Cartier visited India meeting Maharajas, interested in acquiring western designed jewels. There he marvelled at the diamonds, natural pearls and carved emeralds, sapphires and rubies he was shown. Exposed to such beauty he brought back to Cartier gem influences, incorporating the finest gems and pearls in complementary and contrasting hues of blues and blacks, and greens and pinks within Cartier jewels. Today this tradition of employing striking precious stones continues in jewellery collections Cartier offers through their network of global stores.
During its history Cartier have bought, handled and sold the most spectacular gemstones. The firm has always loved sapphires; in 1933 in London, it sold a magnificent Kashmir sapphire of more than ten carats. Set into a ring for Prince George, son of King George V, as an engagement ring for his fiancé Princess Marina. In the same decade it acquired a great Mughal emerald, "the size of a bird’s egg”. Surprisingly divided into two, one part was sold to King Edward VII to be set in the engagement ring for Wallis Simpson.
Cartier has also sold some of the most famous diamonds in the world. In 1912 the New York establishment sold the world’s most famous blue diamond, the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond, to the American heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean. Around the same time it mounted the historic Indian fancy yellow diamond, the Sancy of 55.23 carats, in a tiara gifted to Nancy Astor. Then in the early 1970s Cartier acquired a 69.42 carat diamond which they sold to the actor Richard Burton who gifted it to his wife the film star and jewellery lover Elizabeth Taylor, now known as the Burton-Taylor Diamond.
The maison is not only famed for its precious stones, gold luxury items have always been offered by Cartier. Just over a century ago it introduced a locking ring of interlinking slender bands of white, rose and yellow gold known at the time as the Trois Ors and now as the Carrier Trinity ring it finds favour among wearers of both sexes. And in 1970 it offered for the first time the Love bracelet, a gold bangle displaying industrial type screw heads. The Trinity ring and Love bangle continue to be popular purchases today and second hand examples are sought after by jewellery lovers as evidenced by a strong secondary market at jewellery auctions.
