Jewellery

Rediscovering Cartier

9 April 2025

Rachael Taylor, Jewellery Editor, Author & Speaker

In the lead up to our unique Cartier Curated auction, our Head of Jewellery in London Sarah Duncan asked the author Rachael Taylor to share her thoughts on what Cartier means to her. In 2022 Rachael wrote Cartier: The Story Behind the Style, the success of which spawned a further three more books in the series. As a professional jewellery insider, author and editor in chief of one of the biggest trade publications, Rachael knows first hand the power and allure of the Cartier brand.

When I was approached by my publisher to write a book on Cartier, my reaction was, naturally, one of excitement, but also of caution. Of course, I knew the maison. Who doesn’t? It is the jeweller of kings, the originator of the Love bangle, the purveyor of those gold-edged, red boxes of dreams. But I wasn’t sure what new ground I could cover, or frankly, how excited I was to tread it. Cartier felt almost too famous. What could I possibly learn and write that hadn’t already been said?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Cartier Curated

Explore our 29 April 2025 live online auction.

Writing the book, Cartier: The Story Behind the Style, gave me a reason to really dig into Cartier’s past for the first time in my career as a jewellery writer. I trawled archives, examined jewels, pored over old auction catalogues, and read family stories (I would certainly recommend The Cartiers: The Untold Story by Francesca Cartier Brickell for anyone who wants to know more about the family itself). And what I found was a story so rich, so human, that it was hard not to fall under the brand’s spell. Cartier’s rise wasn’t inevitable. It was scrappy, bold, and deeply personal.

Take Louis-François Cartier, the man who started it all. Most know his name today as a master of luxury, but he was once a struggling Parisian apprentice from an impoverished family. Buying a small jewellery workshop on Rue Montorgueil in Paris in 1847 from his master Adolphe Picard was a huge gamble; something reflected in the maker’s mark he created, which had his initials, L C, separated with an ace of hearts playing card.

From these humble beginnings grew a global empire – one that would seduce maharajas, style icons, and heads of state. During my continued research, I learned about his grandsons – Louis, Pierre and Jacques – each wildly ambitious in their own way. These successors would be responsible for turning Cartier into an international brand that defined jewellery in the 20th century. Their mantra? “Never copy, only create.” And they meant it.

I discovered that innovation has always been Cartier’s true luxury. This was a maison that dared to make platinum chic, using it to set diamonds when it was still considered an industrial metal. A brand that invented a watch for a man who was busy inventing flight, Alberto Santos-Dumont, and in doing so sparked a trend for men to wear wristwatches for the first time (it had up until that point been an accessory for women). A luxury jeweller that succeeded in turning a simple nail – of the toolbox variety – into a precious fashion icon.

Also innovative was Cartier’s work with Jeanne Toussaint, who joined the firm in 1913 and later became its longstanding creative director, staying with the house until the 1970s. The appointment of socialite, who was a shimmering light in the Café Society scene in Paris, was unusual in that it was almost unheard of for a woman to hold such a role. And the risqué move paid off. Toussaint was a magnet for the rich and famous, and also the mother of one of Cartier’s most iconic symbols: the Panthère. Her legacy still prowls through everything the brand does today.

I was also fascinated by Cartier’s relationship with India. Jacques Cartier didn’t just stumble across carved emeralds and Mughal motifs, he packed a Rolls-Royce, trekked through the Himalayas, and immersed himself in a culture that would radically reshape Western jewellery design. The Tutti Frutti style, now a collector’s dream, was born not from trend forecasts, but from curiosity and cultural exchange.

Perhaps most importantly, writing this book reminded me that even the most seemingly untouchable brands have beating hearts, complicated histories, and moments of reinvention. Cartier wasn’t always certain of its place in the world. But it consistently chose creativity over caution, and that is what made it iconic – something shines through in this dedicated auction, Cartier Curated, at Lyon & Turnbull.

So yes, I set out as a sceptic, but I finished enthralled. Cartier is not just a jeweller. It’s a storyteller. And as someone who tells stories for a living, that’s something I can very much get behind.

Rachael Taylor

Rachael Taylor is a British freelance jewellery journalist and regular contributor to a wealth of titles across the globe including The Financial Times, Marie Claire and Retail Jeweller. She is the editor-in-chief at Rapaport Magazine, and the author of six books on jewellery and watches, including 'Cartier: The Story Behind the Style'.

Talks & Lectures

Rediscovering Cartier: In Conversation with Rachael Taylor

Join us for an exclusive evening as internationally acclaimed author and jewellery expert Rachael Taylor shares her journey of rediscovering one of the most iconic names in luxury: Cartier.