Harper's Bazaar Arabia

224 |Harper’s BAZAAR|September 2014

JEWELS

The

THE BEGINNING

Parisian style doyenne Jeanne

Toussaint, a.k.a. La Panthère,

“can be said to have

revolutionised jewellery, and

to have invented and kept

alive the Cartier style,” wrote

photographer Cecil Beaton.

Although the spotted motif,

which was characteristic of

the Art Deco designs of

the 1920s, had appeared

on an onyx-and-diamond

watch (right) before

Jeanne joined Maison

Cartier, the panther – a daring

choice to represent a woman –

proved to be one of her most

enduring inspirations.

PA N TH E R WOM E N

The panther went three-dimensional in 1948, with an order

for a brooch for the Duchess of Windsor that featured an

onyx-spotted gold cat crouching on an emerald cabochon

(above). María Félix, Daisy Fellowes and Barbara Hutton

were among the Panthère’s elite clientele. Barbara, one of

the world’s richest heiresses, also had a glittering gold tiger

brooch, bracelet and earrings.

THE NEW

COLLECTION

The 2014 anniversary collection fuses

past and present, with bold rings,

bracelets and necklaces in traditional

gemstone settings juxtaposed with

geometric panther shapes. Employing

meticulous sculpting, casting, stone-

setting, and mounting techniques,

the house’s craftspeople create

one-of-a-kind designs, with

some pieces taking more than

a year to finish.

Rihanna for

Harper’s Bazaar

Arabia

Cara Delevingne

Lady Gaga

Left: A 1914

illustration by

George Barbier

for Cartier

Barbara

Hutton’s

1957 tiger

brooch

Jeanne Toussaint,

circa 1920

White gold

bracelet with onyx,

emeralds and

diamonds, Cartier

White gold, onyx,

diamond and

emerald necklace,

Dhs161,000, Cartier

© BARON ADOLPH DE MEYER, CARTIER ARCHIVES. GEORGE BARBIER FOR CARTIER © CARTIER. GEORGES GARCIN/CAMERA PRESS/REDUX. JON BRENNEIS/TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES. RUVEN AFANADOR.RABBANI AND SOLIMENE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES. PPNY/GSNY/SPLASH NEWS/CORBIS. NICK WELSH, COLLECTION CARTIER © CARTIER. DON PENNY/STUDIO D. VINCENT WULVERICK © CARTIER. GEORGES GARCIN/CAMERA PRESS

Yellow gold, onyx,

black lacquer,

citrine, tsavorite

garnets and

diamond necklace,

Dhs111,000, Cartier

Barbara Hutton

with a tiger

brooch, 1960

The Duke and

Duchess of

Windsor, 1949