Cartier @ The V&A

When I first saw the Cartier exhibition advertised I wasn’t sure I would be able to fit it in around family commitments but thankfully by around June things had opened up and I was able to book a ticket to the exhibition – for October. The exhibition is now sold out but it’s proven so popular that they are releasing extra tickets for some evenings until it closes on 16 November, so it’s still worth checking their website every so often. Members of the V&A of course can visit for free without pre-booking needed.

I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that photography was allowed at the exhibition and certainly took advantage! There were over 350 items on display (I didn’t photograph them all!) from clocks to bracelets to tiaras and everything in between. I lost count of how many rooms there were but the exhibition traced the evolution of the designs from the Cartier family’s early beginnings with the founding of their business in 1847 up to more modern times.

As a sold out exhibition it was of course busy but not crushingly so. There was a sign on the wall that said you didn’t have to queue up to see the objects but could move around as you pleased which is all well and good but from a practical standpoint queueing was generally the easiest option to see everything as with a couple of exceptions the items were on display cases all around the walls leaving a lot of empty space in the middle of the room. However everyone was very obliging making sure people had the time they wanted to look and take photographs.

There apparently hasn’t been an exhibition dedicated solely to Cartier in the UK for about 30 years and some of the pieces have never been on public display before, though I certainly couldn’t tell you which ones.

The exhibition detailed how the Cartiers travelled all around the globe influencing not just the style of the pieces they created but also the materials they used. The Egyptian and Japanese influences were particularly striking. Along with those already pictured some of my favourites included:

This lovely desk clock of enamel over guilloché ground, enamel, sapphires, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver and silver gilt; it is a clock, two inkstands and pen holder. The mauve and grey colouring was the influence of Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII.

This bib necklace was commissioned by the Duke of Windsor for his wife aka Wallis Simpson in 1947. It’s made of amethyst and diamonds which he supplied for the design.

This beautiful necklace and bracelet is what about 325 carats worth of peridots looks like. They were supplied for the design by Lady Edith Chester Beatty in 1936. She was the second wife of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, a mining engineer, art collector and philanthropist.

This tiara, inspired by the traditional headdresses of Thailand and Cambodia was commissioned in 1936. It’s made of turquoise, diamonds and platinum.

Ever wondered what a 143.23 carat emerald looks like? Wonder no more, here’s one in a necklace created for Countess Granard in 1932. She was an American born heiress and surprisingly a thoroughbred horse racer.

There were also quite a few design drawings on display that I really enjoyed looking at. Very impressive to see the ideas turned into reality.

And this invitation to a Cartier jewellery exhibition from 1914 – I liked this so much I bought a print of it in the shop.

A really fantastic collection of jewellery very well curated.