A Labor of Love: The Inséperables de Cartier

by Nancy Olson

Established in Paris in 1847 by jeweler Louis-François Cartier, Cartier’s earliest objets d’art often included animals as focal art elements. Cameo cufflinks from 1860 portray equestrian feats set in gold. Carved-agate rabbits and quartz lovebirds with precious gems were made in the early part of the twentieth century. The 1920s produced, among other things, a ruby-studded jade Mandarin Duck mystery clock and an Egyptian-style cigarette box with the cat-form of the goddess Bastet in turquoise. Cartier’s long history is resplendent with magnificent fauna represented in its jewelry and accessories, and its latest pen collections, the Inséperables de Cartier, is yet another example. It is whimsical, dazzling and undeniably Cartier.