In 2014 Cartier presented its High Jewelry collection, named Cartier Royal, at the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris. Those fabulous designs included a majestic transformable necklace featuring an oval ruby from Mozambique weighing 15.29 carats.
Oval in shape, this 15.29-carat ruby glows a vivid, full red illumined by touches of orange or blue depending on the light in which it is seen. Its highly pure crystal indicates its African origin, more specifically the new deposits being mined in Mozambique.
In 2014 Cartier designed a regal necklace for this sovereign stone. The product of 3,320 hours of work, the dense strands of stones pay tribute to Masai jewelry and rival the ceremonial necklaces of Indian maharajahs of yore.
The beating heart of the piece is the Mozambican ruby, enthroned among pavé-set waves of platinum. Above and below are two diamonds, a 3.51-carat rose-cut stone and a 5.10-carat pear-shaped one.
The trellised necklace is composed of a constellation of diamonds crowned by a choker of ruby beads; this removable choker recalls the one made by Cartier for the Maharanee of Patiala in 1931.