Tea at Trianon: A Wild History in Jewels

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, May 22, 2025

A Wild History in Jewels

A lavish Cartier necklace, the Celestun Necklace, is displayed against deep green pleated fabric. The intricate design features a stylized flamingo formed from diamonds, rose gold, and black lacquer, set amid emeralds and aquamarines, anchored by a striking 38.50-carat aquamarine pendant.

A Cartier Panthère Jaillissante bracelet-ring featuring a fully articulated diamond panther with sapphire spots and emerald eyes, gripping a large cushion-cut Zambian emerald, displayed against a sculptural blue background.

From Artnet:

Toussaint’s bestiary emerged from a new postwar sensibility. The house’s earlier years had been dominated by Art Deco and frequent references to historic design details from 18th Century France, as well as global techniques and forms. But this imaginative dive into the animal kingdom was in keeping with Cartier’s enduring drive to surprise and innovate. What could be more captivating than a jewel-encrusted panther?

In 1940, Cartier created the flamboyant Flamingo brooch—an early signal of the house’s turn toward the animal kingdom. Its plume of ruby, emerald, and sapphire feathers introduced a new sense of play and color, one that would soon evolve into a full bestiary. The piece stands as a vivid precursor to the bold, expressive spirit that defines the maison’s animal creations.
Cartier’s big cats quickly became status symbols—objects of obsession for the era’s most glamorous women, from Hollywood and beyond. Film stars and society icons alike were known to phone the Rue de la Paix boutique late at night to request bespoke designs. Tigers, snakes, and crocodiles ranked among the most coveted forms, often finished with enamel details in meaningful palettes. Something in the coupling of feline power and elusiveness, wrapped in hundreds of perfectly set gems, made them irresistible.

Cartier’s animal jewelry has evolved—refreshed and reimagined—over the decades. The idea of speed and agility was abstractly conveyed in the golden links of the Panthère watch, launched in 1983, while a 1991 collar distilled the essence of the big cat into a band of precious stones. (Read more.)