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− INSPIRATION −
Royal treatment
“There were stories of robberies, affairs, tragic hushed-up deaths and arranged marriages”
It’s perhaps easy to assume that Cartier was an overnight success story but the reality was very different,” describes Francesca Cartier Brickell, the
great-great-great-granddaughter to Louis-François Cartier, founder of the celebrated jewellery empire. “The timing was terrible. 1848 was the year of revolutions across Europe [...] but Louis-François was determined.”
Unearthing the roots of her family’s business and its royal connections, Francesca spent 10 years researching Cartier’s forgotten treasures and stories, travelling the world to track down those connected with her ancestors. “There were stories of robberies, affairs, tragic hushed-up deaths and arranged marriages,” recounts Francesca whose extensive and colourful discoveries were published in 2019 to mark the 200th anniversary year of the birth of the brand’s founder.
Regarded for its luxury status, Cartier hasn’t always been a name associated with high society: “It was the third generation of Cartiers – Louis, Pierre and my great-grandfather Jacques – who elevated what was still a small family firm out of Paris and onto the global stage in the early 20th century.” Playing to their strengths, the three brothers had a “magic mix of complementary talents” and a shared dream “to build the leading jewellery firm of the world.” This vision soon caught on and before long, Cartier counted maharajas, royalty, aristocrats, wealthy landowners and heiresses among its clientele. With the belief to “never copy, only create,” the Cartier back catalogue contains creations and gems such as the classic panther pieces, as well as the supposedly cursed 24-carat Hope Diamond – which once formed part of the French crown jewels during the reign of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette – and the Romanov emeralds, all of which reveal stories steeped in craftsmanship and decadence.
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the-cartiers.com
20 RAFFLES MAGAZINE