The upcoming movie Ocean’s 8 lines up a star-studded cast. But the shiniest protagonist is… a necklace.
Cartier’s romance with the silver screen dates back to 1926. The Maison’s history and jewellery legacy are today more seductive than ever thanks to the glamour and opulence of a high jewellery piece re-created by its jewellery workshop, a fabulous diamond necklace dedicated to Jeanne Toussaint.
An expression of Cartier’s bold and fearless spirit, this high jewellery replica pays tribute to Jeanne Toussaint, the Maison’s Creative Director in the 1930s whose influence on the jeweller’s style was paramount.
Mme Toussaint was, in fact, the first woman to literally embody Cartier’s spirit – hers is the design and creation of that Pantère which is a creative icon still today. Also, Mme Toussaint privileged India as a powerful source of inspiration for the Maison’s creations, paying homage to the splendour of the Maharajas.
The original necklace, which served as a model for Ocean’s 8 movie, was designed in 1931 for the Maharaja of Nawanagar by Jacques Cartier.
The jewel was described as “the finest cascade of coloured diamonds in the world” and, following Jacques Cartier’s own words, “a superb realization of a connoisseur’s dream“.
Thanks to Cartier’s historical archives, which are wonderfully preserved and are a real treasure, the Maison’s high jewellery workshop was able to recreate this marvellous jewel (which no longer exist today) by using original drawings and photographs of the time.
Being Cartier the movie’s exclusive jewellery partner, the Toussaint necklace plays a central role in the plot, with the Cartier Mansion in New York also being one of the main protagonists as the chosen location of many scenes.
The cinematographic collaboration between Cartier and the movie production saw the Maison’s high jewellery workshop deep down to work for eight tough weeks, to recreate the Toussaint necklace and to make it “made to measure” to fit Anne Hathaway’s neck to perfection.
The necklace was in fact reduced by 15 to 20% of the original size to fit the actress’ measurements. We should remember that being this an ornament designed for a Maharaja, it was originally worn by a man. Hence its reduction by dismountable bezels which successfully allowed the necklace’s perfect fit to the actress’ neck.
Another detail is that, for the movie, the original coloured diamonds were replaced by zirconium oxides, a natural material, mounted on white gold, and surrounded by flawless, colourless diamonds.
Despite being a replica, the Toussaint necklace was made with the greatest care and precision, not to allow close-ups to reveal any imperfection and to stand all the manipulations during filming.
The Toussaint necklace is not a simple “replica jewel”, but is a real jewel as it was created according to Cartier’s most demanding high jewellery standards of quality, excellence and craftsmanship.
A very demanding task this was, which allows us to admire again a dream piece of bygone fabulous times, and which testifies, once again, for Cartier’s jewellery heritage and its “bold and fearless” soul. CC
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