Sandra‘s Closet

The new Sixième Sens par Cartier collection showcases that extra touch of soul unique to High Jewellery, an expression of art that inspires like no other.

Trompe-l’oeil or graphic games, optical effects or evocative power, the compositions play with Earth’s gravity. Disrupting our perceptions, this collection draws us into a world where our senses are stimulated and awakened. Even our sixth sense, that exhilarating rush of emotion that touches the heart.

With the Imperio necklace, Cartier continues its reflection on movement: how do you give rhythm to a composition and create a sense of speed? To answer these questions, Cartier borrows from the codes of kinetic art. Lines of tension, brisk strokes, geometric shapes and mirrored construction.

Graphic patterns are further accentuated by colour contrasts such as the black of the onyx and the green of the emeralds.  A chromatic combination that has been part of the Maison’s stylistic repertoire since 1910 and which accentuates the effect of perspective. It all combines to confuse the gaze that converges on the central stone: an exceptional 23.55-carat Colombian emerald with no inclusions. This octagonal stone has a perfectly homogeneous green colour with bluish undertones that harmonise with the other emeralds. Since my visit to an emerald mine in Muzo, Colombia in 2015, I have so much appreciation and love for those amazing, powerful green stones.

Like every piece of Cartier High Jewellery, the choice of stones pays tribute to their beauty. All must meet the highest standards of excellence and quality set by the Maison’s experts. A duty and a responsibility, both social and environmental that Cartier has pioneered, by being committed from the very beginning in terms of sourcing coloured stones. Therefore the Maison is a founding member of the Responsible Jewellery council (RJC), an organisation created in 2005 that sets standards in the areas of social and environmental responsibility for the jewellery and watchmaking industry.

With almost thirty different ways to wear it, this was the challenge the Cartier design studio and workshops had to face. This approach to jewellery has been part of the Maison’s history since the appearance of the first headbands that could be transformed into necklaces and, around the 1920s, bracelets that could be dismantled into brooches. Each new High Jewellery collection is an opportunity for Cartier to push the boundaries of innovation and ingenuity.

This necklace allows itself to transform. It can be worn short, long, split in two to be worn either together or separately. Opt for the diamond or emerald alone as a pendant, multiple combinations further increased by the possibility of unfastening the triangular motif that can be worn as a brooch… When worn, the jewellery piece reinvents itself, divides its charms and multiplies its appearances.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Cartier

A colour combination emblematic of the style of the Maison since the 1920s, Tutti Frutti brings the Udyana necklace alive.

Created in the High Jewellery ateliers of the Maison, this one-of-a-kind piece takes its name from the Sanskrit word for garden. It celebrates nature at its most luxuriant and colourful, through a profusion of motifs and precious stones including sapphires, rubies and engraved emeralds. For Cartier, the necklace not only represents a continuation of expertise, but also the Maison’s tradition for transformable jewellery that can be worn in multiple ways.

THE UDYANA NECKLACE AND ITS EXCEPTIONAL CENTRAL STONE

The Udyana necklace forms a balls studded with rubies and 67.7-carat engraved ruby rich canopy of ribbed emerald topped with an impressive pendant from Mozambique.

In addition to its impressive weight, the stone is a fascinating pinkish red colour with a touch of orange. Its uniqueness lies in the hexagonal shape which provides an ideal space for the carved floral motif. This engraving is entirely carried out by hand, using a technique developed by the Mughals in
the 17th century.

The choice of stones lies at the heart of the creative process for the Udyana necklace, as for every piece of Cartier high jewellery, in a tribute to their beauty, as well as to the beauty of nature.
When it comes to selecting coloured stones, a quest for excellence dictates Cartier’s choices each time. The jeweller is looking for an extra something that will allow for a dialogue between the stone and the creator. What story does it tell; where does it come from; what does this emerald cut into a ribbed ball, this sapphire or this flowered ruby evoke? The stones inspire Cartier, which in turn offers them an appropriate setting for their beauty.

Each of them must meet the highest standards of excellence and quality set by the Maison’s experts. It’s a duty and a responsibility, both social and environmental, pioneered by Cartier as an early adopter of responsible commitment in terms of sourcing coloured stones.

Cartier is a founding member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), an organisation created in 2005 that sets the standard in social and environmental responsibility for the jewellery and watchmaking industry. Gold, diamonds, platinum, silver and coloured stones are all included in its scope of certification. The commitment to continually evolve industry practices is ongoing, and ten years later the Coloured Gemstone Working Group (CGWG) was founded.

The initiative brings together the world’s leading luxury brands and mining companies to strengthen research, tools and training for those in the Coloured Gemstone supply chain. As a responsible, RJC-certified jeweller, Cartier develops long-term relationships with its suppliers, who are encouraged and supported in their efforts to achieve RJC certification themselves, in order to adhere to the best responsible practices and strengthen trust in the jewellery industry.

TUTTI FRUTTI: THE STORY OF A STYLE

In 1911, Jacques Cartier boarded the Polynesia and set sail for India, to see the stones that had been worked there for centuries.

Ribbed and gadrooned balls, rubies and emeralds engraved in the shape of leaves, flowers and berries all bear witness to the Mughal dynasty that ruled northern India until the 18th century. Great lovers of ornaments and precious stones, the Mughals employed the expertise of Indian artists,
the only ones who knew how to cut emeralds, sapphires and spinels in relief and engrave them in the imperial workshops of Rajasthan. All these stones, emblematic of traditional Indian jewellery, inspired Cartier to create colour combinations that had never been seen before, using red, green and blue.

Enthusiasm for the jewels spread throughout the world to conquer a refined clientele that
enjoyed art and fashion, such as Lady Mountbatten (1901 – 1960) and Daisy Fellowes (1890 – 1962), each considered the most elegant woman in the world, in her day.

In the 1970s, the creative genre took on the name Tutti Frutti and became so closely associated with Cartier, that the Maison patented it in 1989.

In 2016, the Maison created a Tutti Frutti style High Jewellery necklace named Rajasthan for one of the most opulent states of Mughal India, featuring a 136.97-carat engraved emerald from the mines of Colombia. It was followed in 2019 by a new set, the Maharajah necklace, which pays tribute to the great ceremonial necklaces of Indian princes, with an exceptional set of emeralds. In 2021, came the Udyana necklace, characterised by its intense colours and engraved ruby.

THE UDYANA NECKLACE: A QUESTION OF SAVOIR-FAIRE

Harmony of composition and the naturalness of the branches and buds was a priority for the workshops that created the Udyana necklace.

The challenge began with the design, and how to associate the cut and engraved stones. Each stone then required a jeweller to make a bezel to size by hand, for insertion into the veins of the leaves. The leaves themselves were linked by a tree of diamond-set stems, each of which is different, to maximise the naturalness of the whole.

Added to this jewellery prowess, is the complexity inherent in any transformable piece, designed to be worn in several different ways. A pendant to be worn alone, a brooch, and necklace all in one, the piece is designed to be changed as desired without any visible engineering, whilst the whole remains secure. The pendant can be detached and fixed on a chain, while the main necklace can be worn as is, and the back pendant can be worn as a brooch.

HOW TO WEAR UDYANA

Two variations are available for each of these two versions. The necklace can be worn with or without the central ruby, and with or without the pendant to the back, which itself can also be worn as a brooch.

Chain necklace version, with or without the pendant and central ruby.

Pendant earrings with two engraved pear-shaped totalling 10.84 carats.
Watch bracelet with 19.53-carat engraved ruby.
Ring with 9.04-carat engraved hexagonal ruby.

Such a stunning piece of jewelry and the story itself reads like a fairytale…

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Cartier

Prada is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special selection of gold and white gold fine jewellery for both men and women.
In an exquisite, highly original style, precious materials are handcrafted in sophisticated designs that reinvent Prada iconic symbols and the themes of the new collections.

Vibrant hearts, baroque pearls, rock guitars, romantic roses, playful robots but also keys, rabbits, bananas, and the brand’s triangular logo – in gold and diamonds – relive Prada’s history through
contemporary and timeless earrings, bracelets, pendants and necklaces with an unmistakable hint of irony.

Prada’s fine jewellery is made using 18-carat gold and diamonds from suppliers with Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) certification.
The RJC is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2015 to promote responsible practices from an ethical, social and environmental point of view and respect for human rights in the handling of metals and precious stones, from their extraction right through to their sale.

Now on sale at selected Prada boutiques worldwide as well as on prada.com, exclusively for USA, Japan and UAE.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada

NET-A-PORTER hosted cocktails in Paris during Haute Couture Fashion Week to celebrate a collection of its high jewelry designers. Private gallery Hôtel du Grand Veneur was the setting for a beautiful mirrored spiral shaped installation which housed over 20 rare, one-of-a-kind pieces from the world’s most renowned high jewelry maisons, including Chopard, Piaget, Buccellati, Lorraine Schwartz, Boehmer et Bassenge, Boghossian, Giampiero Bodino, Nadia Morgenthaler, Ana Khouri, Repossi, De Grisogono, Bina Goenka and many more.

With my beloved Lupe Puerta, Global Director of VIP Client Relations at NET-A-PORTER

NET-A-PORTER offers great service for their EIP (Extremely Important Person) customers, now taking it one step further with EIP Privé. The new high jewelry pieces are part of this new concept that was introduced to a selected clientele during Paris Fashion Week. In general, the EIPs can request to see exquisite one-of-a-kind creations via private appointments and «try before you buy», so that the jewel might never be seen by another customer again.

With lovely Elizabeth von der Goltz, Global Buying Director of NET-A-PORTER.

To give the best service possible, NET-A-PORTER‘s dedicated team of personal shoppers receive comprehensive diamond and gemstone education from the Gemological Institute of America.

Amazing piece, a combination of ring and bracelet, by Bina Goenka.

Good to know is that the iconic online shopping destination adheres to the Kimberley Process, a certification scheme committed to the removal of conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. It was established in 2003 after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting its creation.

Jewelry creations by Chopard.

Since 2014, NET-A-PORTER has also been a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council – the only retailer to stake this claim. In addition, all fine jewelry sold over the site is tested, marked and certified according to the Hallmarking Act 1973, which guarantees the purity of precious metals.

A huge thank you goes to my personal shopper who does the best job! I am a huge fan of the EIP service and I can only recommend buying at NET-A-PORTER.

Enjoy more impressions of the night below!

LoL, Sandra

Alison Loehnis, President of NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, with actress Mandy Moore.

With Alberto Cibrario, Sales Department Operations Manager at de GRISOGONO.

On display: high jewelry pieces by de Grisogono.

Chabi Nouri, CEO, Piaget

Gaia Repossi, Jewelry Designer

Ana Khouri, Jewelry Designer

Photos: © François Durand / Getty Images for Net-à-Porter
© Sandra Bauknecht

Let me introduce you to LOUIS VUITTON Star Blossom – an easy-to-wear jewellery collection that celebrates the Monogram Flower against a background of rose gold and diamonds. A legendary motif, created in 1896 by Georges Vuitton.
Recognisable, simple, current… This star-like flower becomes a talisman. Its four petals form a lucky charm and reappear endlessly in all their elegance and sophistication. Featured on pendants, earrings, rings and bracelets, women can make it their own by wearing, layering and stacking it. A precious and casual way to reveal your personality and change your style to suit your mood.

About the Responsible Jewellery Council
In 2012, Louis Vuitton has obtained RJC certification confirming the everyday application of the moral, social, societal and environmental principles championed by the Responsible Jewellery Council, throughout the lifespan of its watches and jewellery products, from the extraction of the precious stones and metals to their distribution, through their transformation by our craftsmen.
For further information: responsiblejewellery.com

So so beautiful … I am in love and you?

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton