At the start of the 20th century, the success of the Garland style did not stop Louis Cartier and his designers from taking their first steps into the unknown – geometric styling. Together with daring color combinations, such as blue and green, it made him a forerunner of the Art Deco movement. With his talent for clean lines, Cartier soon stepped across the divide between styling and purely abstract geometry. In the following decades, he led people away from figurative jewelry to pieces that were pure architecture.
BROOCH
CARTIER PARIS, 1908
Platinum, single-cut diamonds, faceted and calibré-cut sapphires, natural pearls.
Diameter: 5.33 cm
BROOCH
CARTIER PARIS, 1913
Platinum, round old-cut diamonds, one triangular beveled 11.90 carat emerald, emerald cabochons and drop-shaped emeralds, natural pearls, onyx.
This brooch was exhibited in theCollection of Jewels Created by Messrs Cartier from the Hindoo, Persian, Arab, Russian and Chinese at Cartier New York in November 1913.
9.7 x 3.6 cm
FRUIT BOWL BROOCH
CARTIER PARIS, 1925
Platinum, yellow gold, pear-, lozenge-shaped and square single- and baguette-cut diamonds, one emerald cabochon and two ruby cabochons, onyx, black enamel.
Sold to Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt.
5.21 x 3.40 x 1.0 cm
BRACELET
CARTIER PARIS, 1930
Platinum, baguette-, round old- and single-cut diamonds, thirty rock crystal half-disks and sixty rock crystal beads.
Sold to Gloria Swanson (1897-1983), American actress. The flexible and dazzling bracelets that she bought from Cartier are not only part of the history of jewelry but also part of the history of the movies, since she wore them in at least two films:Perfect Understanding (1932) and Sunset Boulevard (1950).
Diameter: 7.85 cm
BRACELET
CARTIER PARIS, 1930
Platinum, round old- and single-cut diamonds, forty-seven rock crystal half-disks
Sold to Gloria Swanson (1897-1983), American actress.
Diameter: 7.05 cm
TIARA
CARTIER LONDON, 1937
Yellow gold, platinum, round old- and baguette-cut diamonds, one large octagonal emerald-cut 62.35 carat dark citrine, calibré- and baguette-cut citrines, one hexagonal citrine.
The central motif can be detached from the tiara and worn as a brooch, pointing downward.
Diameter 17.0 cm; clip-brooch 5.8 x 4.7 cm
Gloria Swanson wearing her two diamond and rock crystal bracelets created by Cartier Paris in 1930.
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