Cartier magnificent jewelry exhibition at the Victoria and albert museum in London England

Hey it's Greg Arbitine here from the Silver Museum. I'm about to enter into a world-class exhibition of Cartier jewelry and watches and it's at the Victorian Albert Museum here in London. So let's go on inside and let's see what they have. Maison Cartier. When brothers Louis, Pierre, and Jacques Cartier joined their father Alfred in the family business, they set out to create the first globally recognized jewelry house. By 1909 they had established branches in three major cities, Cartier Paris, Cartier London, and Cartier New York. They divided the world between them creating a legacy of art, design, and craftsmanship. Within just three generations of being founded by their grandfather Louis Francois in 1847, Maison Cartier had become an unparalleled force in the jewelry industry. In this video I'm going to be taking you on a tour of my favorite pieces that were shown in the exhibition. This first piece is from the Gilded Age. It's called the Manchester Tiara which embodies Maison Cartier's early aspirations and the global business to come. It was commissioned in 1903 by the Dowager Duchess of Manchester who supplied 1,513 diamonds for a design inspired by 18th century French architecture and ironwork. Born in New York to wealthy American Cuban parents, the Duchess was one of many dollar princesses who married into the British aristocracy exchanging their wealth for a title. In 1898 Louis became the first of the three Cartier brothers to join their father as a partner. He possessed a universal curiosity for the decorative arts and soon made the bold decision to employ in-house designers rather than buying in ready-made stock. Within a few years a distinctive and enduring Cartier style emerged. For inspiration Maison Cartier designers were encouraged to study decorative art books and antiques from around the world which were made available notably by Louis and Jacques Cartier. Equally important was a fierce desire to innovate and experiment. In the early 1900s Cartier designs were already beginning to demonstrate the geometric shapes that would become synonymous with art deco, the hugely influential style that dominated the following decades. The brothers nurtured close relationships with an elite clientele. They received many custom commissions from royalty, movie stars, politicians, and anybody else who was very very wealthy. These custom commissions which were basically collaborations between the customer and the jeweler led to some of the most magnificent pieces ever created by Maison Cartier. Cartier took early inspiration from the decorative arts of 18th century France and Europe especially the style of King Louis the 16th. Bows, tassels, and other popular European motifs were incorporated into early Cartier designs. One of my very favorite pieces that was on display at the Cartier exhibition was this stunning choker and necklace made for the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patilia. This magnificent diamond necklace is one of the largest that Cartier ever produced and it was mounted in platinum rather than in the Indian tradition of using yellow gold. Louis Cartier in particular often looked to the Islamic and Hindu world for inspiration in designing some of his jewelry pieces. He owns several Islamic art books which he personally annotated to be on hand for Cartier designers to consult with. This next piece is a beautiful art deco pendant commissioned by Grace Vanderbilt in the year 1909. It is set in platinum with gorgeous diamonds. Here we have on display an original Cartier catalog made in the year 1913. This one was advertising for a jewel collection that honored the Hindu, Persian, Arab, Russian, and Chinese cultures. Here is the iconic Cartier tank design wristwatch. This particular one was owned by Jacqueline Kennedy. Here's a beautiful Cartier desk clock that was made in 1920. It was once owned by Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Marlborough. It's mounted with rubies, diamonds, ebonite, enamel, and gilded with gold. Another interesting style that Cartier produced was in the Egyptian revival motif. Following the discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922, Egyptomania fired the European imagination with renewed force. Cartier's designers distinguished the Maison's ancient Egyptian themed creations by their close study of books as well as of antiquities on display at the nearby Louvre Museum. Cartier incorporated ancient Egypt's color combinations and decorative motifs. They were also able to even incorporate some ancient Egyptian quartz-based ceramic material into some of its most splendid art deco creations. Japan was another ancient culture that influenced Cartier's designers. Just take a look at these gorgeous Japanese-influenced pieces. China was also an inspiration to Cartier designers. The Maison Cartier reinterpreted Chinese motifs including mythical creatures like the dragon and phoenix, fretwork patterns, and symbologies of longevity and good fortune, and paid homage to Chinese forms of adornment with its tasseled pendants and jade belts. This next piece is a magnificent Indian-style tiara. It was owned by Princess Marie Louise who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She wore it to the coronations of both King George VI in 1937 and then at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. This piece is a gorgeous turban ornament made for the Maharaja Digvi Janzee in the year 1937. The entire piece is centered around a 61.5 carat tiger's eye diamond. The Maharaja purchased the piece when he was in London for the coronation of King George VI. This amazing necklace is set with Burmese rubies and was custom commissioned by Maharaja Ranjan Singhi. Many Maharajas developed an enthusiasm for objects and jewels from Europe's leading designers becoming important patrons of firms such as Cartier. This incredible Cartier elephant mystery clock was also owned by the Here are a few more items at the exhibition that Cartier designers were inspired to create influenced by the Indian culture. Here we have what's called the rose clip brooch. This brooch was given to Princess Margaret by the British company Vickers and Armstrongs during her visit to its naval yard in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1952. The princess had a lifelong interest in botany and her middle name was Rose. She wore the jewel on many public occasions the most significant being the coronation of her sister Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. King George VI of England and his consort Queen Elizabeth had a lasting relationship with Cartier London. In 1943 the queen commissioned a pair of ruby and diamond flower brooches that reflected the emerging popularity of figurative jewels as opposed to the abstract designs of the 1930s. This Cartier headband and ornament mounted with diamonds was made in the year 1924. It was definitely made for a flapper in the roaring 20s who wanted to show that they were the creme de la creme. Turning daring designs into reality Cartier's expertly crafted panther stalked elegantly into existence evolving through each generation. Superlative craftsmanship was paired with exceptional precious materials. As early as the beginning of the 20th century the mason secured access to the world's rarest gemstones thanks to global trade routes that had been established under the French and British empires as well as to elite client and dealer networks. The Cartier brothers demanded the absolute best from their craftspeople who in turn continually pushed the boundaries of what was deemed technically possible. These standards allowed the firm's global reputation to grow and are still maintained by the mason Cartier today. This is the all-nat diamond brooch which was sold at Cartier London in the year 1953. Fancy vivid colored diamonds are some of the rarest materials on earth. This yellow diamond weighs 101.29 carats. In 1968 Mexican film star Maria Felix commissioned this snake necklace from Cartier Paris. It became one of the most extraordinary members of the Cartier menagerie of animal inspired jewels. With 2473 diamonds and with scales enameled and the colors of the Mexican flag it is the perfect example of a client and jeweler collaboration. This stunning tiara was made by Cartier Paris in the year 1956. It was given as a wedding gift to Princess Grace of Monaco. This art deco Cartier brooch is set in diamonds and platinum and was made in the year 1928. It is currently owned by Sir Elton John. This amazing tiara and matching choker necklace was once worn by the pop star Rihanna for the cover of the 2018 edition of W Magazine. Well this basically concludes our video and I really hope you enjoyed looking at all these beautiful pieces of Cartier jewelry, watches, clocks, and other items. Although the exhibition already took place in London, England it is actually traveling and it will next be in Melbourne, Australia from June 12th to October 4th of this year in the year 2026. So if you have a chance to go visit this exhibition it is well worth seeing all these incredible items. Hey it's Greg Arbutine here at the Silver Museum again. Hey I just want to let you know that we are very strong buyers of anything that is made by Cartier including jewelry, watches, clocks, or other items. We also specialize in antique sterling silver. Anything made by Tiffany, George Jensen, Gorm, Schiebler, anything that's older and antique we are definitely interested in buying. So if you have anything that you would like to sell to us please go ahead and send us a list of what you have along with a few cell phone pictures and then we will be happy to take a look at those and get back to you usually within 48 to 72 hours with our fair and competitive offers. Just go ahead and email that to greg that's spelled g-r-e-g at silvermuseum.org or you can also text us at 813-789-4734. Well thanks again for watching the video and if you did enjoy it please hit like. Well thank you and I hope you have a good day. We'll talk to you later. Bye-bye.