Cartier's exploration of beauty continues in four corners of the world, with flora and fauna as well as culture inspiring the Beautés du Monde high-jewellery collection.
The graceful water lily is stylised as a floating flower on the long Nouchali necklace with lilac-coloured chalcedony beads -- each threaded one by one to render a delicate drop.
Akin to a sculpture, the composition is centred by a rubellite, around which diamond petals surrounded by onyx unfold, amplifying the impression of volume, while the "trembling" setting animates the petals.
Emblematic geometrically shaped stones are featured in this floral design while Cartier's unmistakable ribbed beads studded with cabochons have been reinterpreted in the Recif necklace, which celebrates the beauty of coral reefs.
The orange of corals and green of emeralds contrast in the ribbed beads snaking along a diamond atoll, with the twisting of the beads revealing the white sparkle of the precious stones.
Furthermore, the winding of the beads does not in any way impede the wearer's comfort, which is an important factor in designing the high-jewellery pieces.
Another expression of the Cartier style, the snake reappears in the Water Aspis necklace, punctuated by five Ceylon sapphire cabochons. The design aims for realism to capture the serpent's energy, sinuosity and ability to coil around its prey.
This realism is further expressed by the joints, a crucial detail for the mobile necklace.
On the other hand, abstraction is depicted by a triangular diamond pattern and lapis lazuli scales based on a succession of geometric shapes, featuring openwork between them to maximise the brilliance of the stones.
Likewise, Cartier reproduces an iguana's green skin in the Iwana necklace adorned with diamonds and emeralds. Everything is based on the suppleness and subtle sinuosity of the setting, which evokes the shifts and motion of its skin.
Texture is emphasised by the fullness and emptiness of a geometric succession of diamond-paved triangles, creating an open-work between each other that echoes the facets of the three Colombian emeralds.
The signature four-sided cut recalls the creature's dorsal spines while playing on the echoes and mirror constructions offers a fresh representation of the bestiary.
From observing an iridescent butterfly wing, Cartier created the Apatura necklace with an abstract composition, using the nuances of opal to convey its vivacity and brilliance.
The three Australian opals are framed by geometrical motifs composed of diamond bars and blue sapphire beads, whose shades resemble the opal's fire.
The graphic and contrasting fan vertically aligns with the seemingly rigid yet supple necklace, whose pendant can be detached and worn as a brooch.
A nod to traditional Mesoamerican jewellery, the Rituel necklace combines a double row of azure chalcedony beads with a constellation of pink rubies, accentuated by black onyx.
Subtle and delicate, the patterns alternate between diamond cones and faceted rubies that seem to hang without any link between them through an invisible setting while the symmetric and parallel effects give rhythm to the elegant composition.
