On occasions like Valentine’s Day (or Christmas, or our birthday, or simply always!) we girls do love receiving presents – well, even better if these are precious presents, and even more better if they come in one of those iconic boxes we all recognize at distance – a blue box… a red box…
Today it is about the princely Cartier’s red box which, transcending the jewel itself, it is an authentic treasury casket – cherished sometimes even more than the jewel itself!
Let us open the red box then, and let us discover its magic worlds for an unforgettable “red” Valentine’s Day.
As we celebrate love, Cartier’s LOVE Collection seems just perfect, in its name, to evoke all the emotions and warmth which embrace us when we are with our Prince Charming.
A child of 1970s New York, the LOVE collection remains today an iconic symbol of love that transcends convention. The screw motifs, ideal oval shape and undeniable elegance establish the piece as a timeless tribute to passionate romance.
Its iconic stand comes also from being the chosen emblem of equally iconic couples to seal their bond, as in the case for example of Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen, portrayed here during the shooting of Sam Peckinpah’s The Getaway, in 1972. Legend has it that Ali refused to remove the bracelet during the shooting.
Another collection symbol of the Maison is Trinity de Cartier.
A creation harmoniously intertwining three bands in the three colors of gold, and created by Louis Cartier in 1924, with Jean Cocteau promptly making the piece his own.
Encircled in the glow of the literary world inhabited by the poet, the ring quickly earned iconic status. Three types of gold in three colors symbolizing life-cherished feelings and values: pink for love, yellow for fidelity and white for friendship: a collection devoted to life’s most memorable loves in a timeless design.
Finally, our red box cannot but offer us authentic sweet and delicate jewels, such as the Caresse d’Orchidées earrings, or the Diamants Légers de Cartier ring.
The orchid is a treasured flower at Cartier, as it demonstrates a delicate, feminine appeal. Its fragility is meticulously rendered by Cartier’s skillful craftsmanship, its delicate petals sculpted from the finest precious materials. First used in 1925, the orchid has since then become a classic motif in Cartier jewelry.
The Diamants Légers collection is on its turn all about exuberant elegance through exceptional diamonds selected by expert jewelers and set on light gold chains. Here is the ring version:
The thing I love the most about Cartier is not only the brand status its works of art represent, the peek of luxury and exclusivity, but also the richness of all those stories and anecdotes linked to real people who commissioned these creations and loved them as part of their own being.
This is probably what a jewel is all about, the moment you open that little box: the disclosure of a part of you which becomes real in the jewel’s self. CC
Post by Claudia Carletti, Jewellery Through Time. Material courtesy of Cartier.
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