Cartier: Play Of Energy And Rhythm

Governors Island, modestly-sized and in the shape of an ice cream cone, coiled in the New York bay... with no inhabitants. Since 2003 it has been accessible only by ferries that can be taken from the southern tip of the Manhattan landmass. It isn’t open to the public except during the summer up until the Labour Day. But on a fine evening this October, the rules of engagement have been broken. As we make our way to the island in the ferry, helicopters hover overhead. Once we have disembarked from the ferry we were transported in buses to the heart of the festivities. Amid a modern décor, a dinner for the gala evening was orchestrated by Dan Barber, who happens to be the chef for America’s former President Barack Obama, a concert by Andra Day, and a DJ set by Grandmaster Flash. The view was spectacular. In the distance, the Statue of Liberty with her torch lit up, the twinkling lights of Brooklyn, and dark waves of the Buttermilk Channel lit up by the stars.

Originality & consistency

A smaller preview of the Résonances collection was presented in London at the beginning of the last summer. 80 per cent of the pieces were sold in a matter of days. The brand was ready for their exploits at their next showcase across the Atlantic, and what a tremendous feat.

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Historically, Cartier has had very strong ties with New York. Pierre Cartier, one of the three grandchildren of the founder of Cartier, had, at a very early age, felt the need to move to the United States and head the New York branch with methods that belonged to the New World. At the heart of the Résonances collection, the gems are the real stars. Pierre Rainero, the style and image director for Cartier insists on this very aspect. “In jewellery, the design appears first and then stones are chosen based on the need of the design. In high jewellery, it is the opposite. It begins with the hunt and acquisition of exceptional stones. Then comes the theme for the collection along the guidelines. The inspiration for the gems comes to the designers and how to best highlight what is desired,” Pierre says.

Cyrille Vigneron, the new president of Cartier, too, is bent to give all his coherence to the house and to set in motion operations that will exemplify the grandeur of Cartier creations. “The high jewellery collection, Résonances will be open to public view for three weeks in New York,” Arnaud Carrez, international director for public relations and marketing at Cartier, says. “It is, above all else, other than putting the pieces on sale, paramount to demonstrate to New Yorkers, the magic and the uniqueness of a jewellery house of unparalleled creativity.” Which is why the collection has been placed along with other older pieces, so that an observer gets a better understanding of their originality, and also the coherence and style of this iconic House.

The vibrations of stones

Résonances is not an echo of historic gemstones neither does it call out to the famous clients of the House, but talks more of the vibrations that unite these gemstones to one another. Everything around you is a matter of energy and of rhythm. The onyx adds to the glow of the diamond, the panels of black lacquer structure the band of a ring which is illuminated by a solitary opal of 16 carats, the pink diamond pearls soothe the mineral starkness of a spinel. We can very well state here that we are rather familiar with the vocabulary of this house, the exquisite stones and the preferred themes (wildlife, flora, tutti-frutti, art deco etc.), the surprise always lies in the unexpected as an opal from Australia that appears to be conducting some sort of a symphony of gold and honey. While we babble on with admiration for a tutti-frutti necklace, Pierre Rainero whispers, “This mix of coloured and carved stones had a complete falling out with jewellery of the 20th century, certain clients of ours were circumspect of mixing three colours. I recently took the Countess of Castella to visit our archives. In front of a tutti-frutti that belonged to her ancestor, she exclaimed that in her family, one would find bad taste!”

From the December 2017 issue of L’Officiel India.