Jewellery loves animals. And Cartier’s no exception. One of nature’s wonders, animals are perfectly, organically engineered beings that have endlessly served as a source of inspiration for thousands of years. Animal amulets from Ancient Egypt or Art Nouveau spider brooches spring to mind. And perhaps most memorably, the “Panthère de Cartier”, the maisons most iconic motif in the form of a panther, that joined the animal jewellery kingdom in 1914. Followed by other species over the decades (famously led by the house’s former Director of Fine Jewellery Jeanne Toussaint) that have been expertly crafted into dramatic pieces by the luxury jewellery house. Today, more than 100 years later, Cartier’s ménagerie is growing, and where better to celebrate the occasion than in Vienna’s Natural History Museum?
On the evening of October 8th, guests gathered at the 19th century imperial building in Austria’s capital to celebrate the launch of “Into The Wild”. A collection introducing five new animal motifs to the French jewellery house’s design catalogue: a tiger, a parrot, a carp, a crocodile, and a rhinoceros. Officially presented by actress Tilda Swinton in the campaign, the new jewellery pieces are a continuation of Cartier’s heritage both in terms of craftsmanship and core aesthetic codes. Created in the maison’s workshops, jewellers collaborate with lapidaries, gem-setters and watchmakers, uniting their honed skills to craft rings, sets of bracelets and necklaces, alongside an impressive array of watches that further extend the brand’s famous jewellery fauna.
The result of all the inherited savoir-faire? Pieces covered in precious stones and diamonds, each representing different attributes that are embodied by whoever wears them. Unsurprising to anyone familiar with Cartier’s design traditions, the collection is set in a colourful world of contrasts, where red meets green while white meets black, and silver unites with blue. The series of sculpted rings covers all five animals, whereas the crocodile and tiger also lend their features and visuals to necklaces and bracelets that are manufactured in a way that lets you wonder where they begin or end. However no Cartier collection is complete without the panther spearheading it. A tête-à-tête bracelet and a Panthère jewellery watch created by Cartier’s Maison de Métiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland complete the latest collection.
Sitting on both sides of rounded long tables in the Natural History Museum’s grand dome, a four-course-dinner was served between floral arrangements that followed you wherever you went that evening – from the hall, to the stairs and to the corridors. Before a lovely raspberry dessert made every sweet tooth undoubtedly happy, singer Becky Sikasa performed alongside a small choir, really making use of the acoustics only architecture of that kind could provide. The guestlist – friends of the house, executives, press, creatives – adhered to the black-tie-dresscode, including actress Hannah Herzprung and director Lena Stahl. Their looks, needless to say, were complemented by exceptional Cartier jewellery. A sight we know all too well from one of our current issue 4 covers. As this evening of extravagant celebration ended, one thing was, yet again, safe to say: When Cartier’s iconic bellboys in their crimson red velvet suit jackets show up in any place, you know it’s going to be a grand night. And grand it was.
Text LISA ZIRNGAST
Photography CARTIER
