‘Jeweller of Kings and King of Jewellers,’ was how King Edward VII described the House of Cartier, half a century after Louis-Francois Cartier established what would become the jeweller of choice for British royalty.
Founded at 29 rue Montorgueil in Paris, the company was taken over by his son, Alfred, in 1874. But, it wasn’t until Alfred’s three sons – Louis, Pierre and Jacques – took the helm that Cartier would go on to supply high society with the finest of jewels.
The French Maison’s relationship with the Royal Family began in 1902 after Pierre Cartier opened a branch in London at the time of the coronation of King Edward VII. One of the firm’s earliest royal patrons, after ordering 27 tiaras from Cartier for the event, King Edward VII rewarded the company with a Royal Warrant, making Cartier an official purveyor of jewels to the crown.
The three Cartier brothers, who together ran headquarters in Paris, New York and London, understood the taste of the Royal Family who, over the years, have continuously shopped at Cartier, as well as receiving many gifts crafted by the jeweller.
There’s the glittering diamond Collier Résille, with detachable emerald and ruby pendants, commissioned by Queen Alexandra in 1904 and later inherited by Queen Mary in 1926. Queen Alexandra would also commission an exquisite Cartier carriage clock in a silver enamel and blue hardstone case in 1911 which she gave to her son George V on the day of his coronation.
As the knock-on effects of the Great Depression in America spread across Europe during the 1930s, the Duke of Windsor, then Prince of Wales, became an important client of the House. Most famously, after less than a year on the throne, the then King Edward VIII proposed to the American divorcée Wallis Simpson with a dazzling 19.77-carat emerald ring made by Cartier in 1936, that caused a constitutional crisis and led to his abdication of the throne. The couple were devoted clients of Cartier for many years; most notably the Duke of Windsor purchased a flamingo brooch for Simpson in 1940 and a Panthère brooch featuring a 152.35-carat cabochon sapphire in 1949.
Edward’s brother, King George VI was also a great client of the firm, acquiring many pieces for his wife. As well as the numerous gifts, the Queen Mother also inherited several extraordinary Cartier jewels from Dame Margaret Helen Greville, the wife of the Honourable Ronald Henry Greville, 2nd Baron Greville, including two pairs of Art Deco diamond earrings. The Greville Chandelier earrings, composed of platinum and fancy-cut diamonds, were given to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present in 1947. The Greville Peardrop earrings, crafted by Cartier in 1938, are made of platinum and diamond, including two 20-carat pear-shaped diamonds, and were inherited by the Queen in 2002.
The most famous piece of Cartier in Queen Elizabeth II’s jewellery box, however, is undoubtedly the Halo tiara, purchased by King George VI as a gift for the Queen Mother in 1936. Gifted to the Queen as an 18th birthday present, over the years, the Queen has loaned the showpiece to Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and, most recently, the Duchess of Cambridge for her wedding to Prince William in 2011.
'I love the Halo tiara for its timeless elegant style,' says Francesca Cartier Brickell, a descendant of the Cartier family and author of The Cartiers: : The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewellery Empire . 'My great-great uncle Pierre Cartier once said: “A jewel that is classic in design, that contains stones of good quality, always remains an object of beauty. It can be worn for years and be admired as much twenty-five years afterward as it was when it was first created”. I think even he would be impressed by how timeless a jewel like the Halo tiara has proved to be: the 2011 royal wedding marked 75 years since it was first created and it continues to delight on the world stage.'
Cartier jewels also made an appearance during the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For the ceremony, Meghan donned a glistening Reflection de Cartier bracelet, made of brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds, later wearing a pair of diamond earrings from the same Cartier collection for the evening reception as well as Princess Diana’s emerald-cut aquamarine ring.
'The British royal family was so important to the success of the Cartiers,' adds Brickell, 'not just in England but internationally and the pieces Cartier made for them remain among some of the most exquisite, well-known jewels of all time.'
To watch Francesca Cartier Brickell’s new webinar, The Cartiers and the British Royal Family, click here. Part II with Caroline de Guitaut, Deputy Surveyor of the Queens Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust, will take place on 4 March.
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