Cartier is considered one of the most prestigious jewelry manufacturers in the world. We all know the French jewelry house, but only a few people know its history and the fact that Cartier revolutionized jewelry of the XX century.

Louis-Francois Cartier founded the first jewelry workshop in 1847, starting the history of the House.

Louis-François was an apprentice of jeweler Adolphe Picard, who taught him the craft, and worked in his small store on Rue Montorgueil. In 1847, Cartier bought the store and began making jewelry to order.

The store was modest, but Cartier was determined to create something more both as a watchmaker and as a seller of quality jewelry.

Cartier survived more than one revolution and two wars, but overcame all the crises and to this day remains the most successful jewelry house, and the brand's jewelry is the most coveted around the world.

Creation of the Cartier brand 

 1847 - 1848

After Louis-François Cartier took over the management of the business, he bought the raw materials that he could afford from manufacturers both in France and in other countries. He chose as his main vector of direction the creation of the best jewelry that could exist. 

The bourgeois-democratic revolution in Paris in 1848 led to the working classes challenging the rich who had plundered France for centuries. This made life very difficult for jewelers like Cartier. With people eating rats to survive, the jewelry market fell on hard times. But the business coped with the problems and managed to survive the crisis.

Early years

1848 - 1870

After the revolution of 1848, Cartier used profits from jewelry sales to finance the purchase of increasingly advanced materials. Over the next 20 years, however, growth was modest. By this time, Louis-François' son Alfred had also entered the business.

Alfred's future was sealed - he took over the management of the store. Alfred was much more business-oriented than his father and wanted to grow the business. Ultimately, it was Alfred's business acumen that would bring the Cartier name to the royal houses of Europe and beyond.

The savvy of Alfred Cartier. The Cartier Revolution 

1870 - 1899

In 1870, Paris and the world of Cartier changed. France had become a nation of revolution over the past 100 years. In 1870 there was another uprising in the capital known as the Paris Commune. 

The Commune was a socialist revolution and the new rulers were at war with the aristocracy. In fear for their lives, the elite were looking for a way out. Unable to access their wealth due to limited access to banks, they turned to the assets they had on hand. These were, for the most part, their jewelry.

Alfred Cartier, seizing an opportunity that suddenly presented itself, offered to buy back the aristocrats' finest pieces at the lowest possible price. Cartier almost overnight created one of the finest jewelry collections in France for a fraction of its actual value. Although the Commune ended a few months later, by 1871 the future success of Cartier's business was no longer in doubt. After the Paris Commune, France became a republic once and for all. People were free to spend money again, and Alfred was free to sell a new collection to those who could afford it.

Cartier store, 1918

Over the next 20 years, Cartier strengthened its position. Cartier not only received requests for finished goods, but also made jewelry to order. Turnover grew and soon the jewelry house needed a new large premises. The showroom was located on Rue de la Paix in 1899.

Rue de la Paix and the death of Louis-Francois Cartier

1899 - 1904

By the beginning of the 20th century, Paris was coming to life as the great jewelry Houses began to flourish. The downside of this, of course, is that competition is tightening. Alfred recognized this and, when Louis-François retired, set about developing Cartier as a brand that excels.

The move to Rue de la Paix brought the brand recognition and more success than even Alfred could have imagined. Cartier's reputation attracted the attention of the rich and noble, including many royal families from around the world. In a short time, Rue de la Paix became the most important jewelry outlet in Paris, if not the world.

After the death of Louis-François in 1904, Alfred decided to expand the Cartier brand beyond Paris to other major cities.

Alfred Cartier and his sons

The skill and talent of Louis Cartier. Cartier's golden period

 1904 - 1920

Celebrating family values, Alfred brought his three sons - Louis, Pierre and Jacques - to work in the jewelry house. Together they created a brand that is still at the top 100 years later.

Louis Cartier

Louis Cartier was the driving force, but all three have left a mark on the history of the House of Jewelry. The greatest asset to Louis and the company was his commitment to excellence. If he knew he would not be able to produce the best piece, he did not undertake to realize it. While all the major houses had very strict quality control, Cartier was much stricter. This is what has made Cartier jewelry some of the most coveted and expensive to this day. 

It was also a key factor in expanding overseas. Louis knew that he could sell Cartier anywhere in the world without fear of problems with the quality and reputation of the company. 

By many accounts, it was Louis Cartier who developed the first mechanical wristwatch, thus replacing the pocket watch, which was the standard men's accessory. In 1917, Cartier created an iconic watch with new movements called the Tank. They are inspired by the tanks that liberated Paris at the end of World War I. 

The company also introduced platinum to the world of jewelry. Platinum was an unusual metal that was hardly used at the time. It was stronger than silver and gold, but very malleable, allowing master jewelers to create invisible cuts that enhanced the brilliance of diamonds - they seemed to be studded on the skin itself. 

Cartier Tutti Frutti

Over four decades, Cartier has produced some of the finest pieces the world has ever seen. In addition to the now famous Tutti Frutti necklaces and bracelets, the company produced the Maharaja Patiala necklace commissioned by Indian Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1928. It took about three years to create. It was made of platinum and 2,930 diamonds totaling 962.25 carats. It also included several unique stones: the seventh largest De Beers diamond at the time weighing 234.6 carats, seven other large diamonds weighing between 18 and 73 carats, and several Burmese rubies.

Maharaja Patiala's necklace

 

Looking for inspiration and picking up on trends, Cartier begins to be inspired by nature, animals and flowers. These Louis will begin to recreate in finely crafted jewelry. Subsequently, flora and fauna will become the key motifs of the French House.

Cartier achieved fame in the early twentieth century, receiving several royal patents and becoming one of the most prestigious jewelry brands in the world. King Edward VII of England mentioned Cartier in the famous phrase:

"Cartier, jeweler of kings, king of jewelers."

Cartier store, 1947

Pierre Cartier's sharp mind. The jewelry house expands

1920 - 1940

While Louis was creating his masterpieces, Pierre had big plans for the business. As World War I was coming to an end, he told his brothers that they could "...start French luxury in New York." The United States experienced tremendous economic growth from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Pierre was shrewd enough to see exactly how the brothers could capitalize on this.

The London office was already thriving, and in 1917 Pierre purchased a mansion on 5th Avenue. The price was $100 and a string of pearls. This became the company's New York headquarters and is still the best deal he ever made. As a little-known French jeweler, Cartier made the biggest purchase that put the brand on the front pages of every American newspaper.

The Hope Diamond (a large 45.52-carat diamond of deep sapphire blue color) was, and arguably still is, the most famous diamond in the world. Shortly after opening a New York office, Pierre bought a diamond that was believed to be cursed. Previous owners had been haunted by misfortune and even death. However, Pierre had no plans to see if the curse worked. He sold the diamond to New York socialite Evelyn Walsh-McLean.

Included in the sale was a clause stating that "should an accident occur to the family of Edward B. McLean within six months, said diamond will agree to be exchanged for jewelry of equal value." 

Shortly after the purchase, two terrible accidents occur in the McLean family: their son is killed under the wheels of an automobile, and their daughter - from an overdose of sleeping pills. Evelyn's husband could not bear the grief and began to drink. His life ended in a clinic for the mentally ill. Despite this, Evelyn Walsh-McLean bequeaths the diamond to her grandchildren.

Evelyn Walsh-McLean with Hope's diamond.

Although Pierre no longer owned the diamond, he knew that Mrs. Walsh's extravagant and often infamous lifestyle had linked the Cartier name to the Hope diamond for many years. By the time World War II broke out, the Cartier brand was at the peak of the jewelry industry.

The post-war period and the sale of Cartier

1945 - 1964

Unlike many companies, Cartier managed to survive the Great Depression of the 1930s. They managed to do so by shifting their focus and doing business in the Far East rather than in the United States and other affected countries. After the war ended, the company continued to expand worldwide. Their reputation for quality and reliability meant that Cartier jewelry and watches were some of the most sought after around the world, and their prices would only increase over the years.

However, despite this continued success, Pierre had to run the business alone. Both brothers, Louis and Jacques, died in 1942 at the ages of 67 and 58 respectively. The company remained in family ownership, with the three brothers' children running branches in Paris, London and New York. After Pierre's death in 1964, they decided to sell each branch separately.

Vogue US, 1950

While the Cartier brand is still a major name among jewelry and watch manufacturers, it is no longer associated with the family. Cartier headed the company from 1847 to 1964, but no more. In 1972, a consortium led by Robert Hock, a hero of the French Resistance Movement of World War II, decided to buy out all branches of Cartier. The company remains a single entity to this day.

Cartier is part of those companies whose existence proves that not everything in today's world is assembly line and mass consumption, that there is still room for a different way of understanding the relationship between people and objects," said Mr. Alfonso Alfaro, Artistic Director of Cartier.

Alfonso Alfaro, The Art of Cartier.

The Ladies of Cartier

Cartier has been synonymous with luxury and sophistication since its inception. All of its pieces were admired and became a status symbol. The brand turned jewelry into works of art worn by some of the most famous and influential women in the world.