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

The new SIXIÈME SENS COLLECTION by CARTIER illustrates the soulfulness particular to high jewelry, an expression of art with the power to move like no other.

With a stylised feline interpretation, organic textures and shards of coloured light, shimmering gems electrify while stones in flavoursome hues of ripe fruits summon up scents of distant paradises.
Using trompe-l’œil and graphic patterns, optical illusions and the power of evocation, compositions play with earthly gravity in radiant transfigurations of reality. Quivering in the light, jewels come to life upon contact with the skin.

Accomplished actress, singer and musician, Golshifteh Farahani, is the ambassador of this amazing high jewelry collection. This multi-hyphenate creative moves with ease between arthouse films and Hollywood productions, spanning the course of her 20-year career. She has made her mark on the red carpet, where she is known for her style and elegance.

PHAAN RING

How do you add to the beauty of an 8.20 carat ruby? How do you enhance that which is already exceptional? Behind the architecture of this ring is a tiered construction that allows a 4.01 carat rose-cut diamond to be inserted directly below the magnificent stone that sits at the top. When the light hits the diamond after first passing through the ruby, its rich red hue is intensified.

The structure integrates groups of triangular diamonds while maintaining the ring’s airy appearance. Along with tiny ruby balls, diamonds surround the central stone, arranged with subtle openings to allow them to catch the light, illuminating the ruby.

MERIDE NECKLACE

The purity of the motif is also its strength. The stones appear to multiply ad infinitum an optical illusion that is made all the more striking by the relief of the piece as each element is mounted at a different level. Movement, rhythm, and all spatial and temporal references are lost in a precious mosaic of gemstones. The blurring of perspective is complemented by a play of materials and light between mirror-polished metal and graphic black onyx.

As always with Cartier, particular attention has been paid to the back of the piece, which reveals the exact reverse of the front.

PIXELAGE NECKLACE

This necklace conjures up the familiar image of the panther, so dear to Cartier, borrowing both its markings and symbolic power. A stylised play on the feline’s coat has been part of Cartier’s artistic bestiary since 1914. Faithful to the original stylisation, here, motifs make up the panther’s spots. Polished onyxes evoke the marbling of the fur, while white, yellow and orange diamonds represent the thickness of the pelt, with its golden reflections highlighted by three captivating golden topazes for a total of 27.34 carats.

Attention to the volume and articulation of the sides allows the construction to respect the vertical geometry of the collar, while preserving its flexibility.

PARHELIA RING

At its centre lies a 21.51-carat sapphire cabochon, with an intense blue hue which seems to glow from within. Around it, five parentheses of radiant diamonds and emeralds reflect the light, fanning out like the surface of a lake. Black lacquer creates shadow effects to reinforce the impression of movement, supported by the original width of the ring, which spans three fingers, with slightly mobile tips.

As an ultimate refinement, the motif can be detached and worn as a brooch.
Created at the very beginning of the 20th century, this combination of sapphires and emeralds, named the «peacock motif» by Louis Cartier, is part of the Maison’s emblematic colour palette.

ALAXOA NECKLACE

The captivating texture and chromatic intensity of this necklace belie the rigorous and precise approach of its inception.
After selecting the emeralds according to their colour and diameter, artisan jewellers carefully considered harmony, symmetry and correct placement in the composition, before assembling using the threading technique—an expertise rooted in the Maison’s savoir- faire which consists of threading the stones on a wire to form strands and fringes. Finally, the strands are linked together by tiny metal bridges, maintaining a fan shape while allowing the fringes to remain mobile.

SHARKARA NECKLACE

With a balance of straight lines and curves, the design of this piece highlights its ample and generous volume. Considered as a whole, the necklace evokes an organic shape, ripe with succulent berries.
Elaborating a colour palette as such requires total gemological mastery, while the discreet tourmaline settings and attention to detail—right down to the shape of the garnets cut to reflect curves of the piece— reveal the workshop’s expertise.

CORUSCANT NECKLACE
A vibrant testament to the enchanting power of diamonds, this necklace features six different cuts—kite, octagonal, emerald, triangle, baguette and brilliant— certified D IF and E IF, each of which reflects light from a unique angle. Characterised by rigorous geometry, the necklace is entirely structured by an interplay of lines, with three stones—a kite of 3.00 carats, an octagon of 1.62 carats, and an emerald of 1.54 carats—emerging from brilliant interlacing to catch the eye.
The chain resembles a tight braid of gemstones, creating a path of light leading to the trio of diamonds. On the outside, brilliant-cut diamonds appear to slip underneath the inclination of the baguette- cut diamonds, radiating from the top thanks to the graphical effect of motif repetition.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Cartier