Cartier and India … Early in the Maison’s history, the jeweler bridged continents to explore this faraway land, opening up boundless new horizons for its creativity. In the 1920s and 1930s, many of the most eminent Maharajas ordered spectacular ceremonial jewelry from the Maison, including the magnificent Patiala necklace, the cascade of colored diamonds for the Maharaja of Nawanagar, the Tutti Frutti bib necklace for the Maharani of Patna, and more.
Nearly a century later, in 2007, the Maison carried on the tradition of these exceptional pieces for its Inde Mystérieuse collection. One of the star pieces is an exquisite choker. Its impressive proportions evoke the creations of yore for Indian royalty, while offering an ease of wear more in tune with modern femininity.
The necklace features a flexible framework, to which are attached a myriad of sapphire and emerald beads. The combination of these two gems evokes the famous “peacock pattern” color combination imagined by Louis Cartier at the very start of the twentieth century, probably borrowed from Islamic ceramic art.
The design, which appears strictly symmetrical at first glance, actually features a deliberately “random” pattern of circular elements set with diamonds, adding energy to the composition.
