Style Edit: Cartier’s latest high jewellery collection En Équilibre is a masterclass in precision and poise, and includes 8 necklaces with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and onyx
The collection includes necklaces Pavocelle, Shito, Traforato, Hyala, Tsagaan, Panthère Dentelée and Panthère Orbitale – as well as the Summae set of necklace, earrings and ring
From the windows of the Cartier high jewellery workshop in Paris, perched above the flagship boutique on Rue de la Paix, the maison’s artisans have always looked at the world a little differently. Their view of beauty, empowered by savoir faire, has shaped more than a century of exquisite jewels and objets d’art.
En Équilibre’s eight magnificent necklaces, as well as the dazzling rings and earrings, are the result of almost 100,000 hours of master craftsmanship. As with all the maison’s haute joaillerie, the creations begin with spellbinding stones.
Central to the Pavocelle necklace is a 58.08-carat cabochon sapphire from Ceylon mounted on an ornate openwork structure of diamonds in an ode to the beauty of the peacock. The deep-blue oval echoes the eyespots of the bird’s plumage, and the lightness and movement of the decorative diamond lace allude to the bird’s long tail.
Cartier’s characteristic inventiveness also takes flight in this piece: the stunning centre stone and its support can transform into a collar brooch, and a pear-shaped diamond in the clasp can be added as a pendant, too.
Two 49.37-carat Zambian emerald drops shine in the elegant Shito necklace, suspended as asymmetrical pendants on a glimmering line of emeralds and diamonds. As for the Traforato necklace, three enchanting octagonal emeralds from Colombia line up vertically at its centre, their weights and angles dominating a geometric mesh crafted from diamonds and glints of emerald and onyx.
The emblematic tricolour combination of black, white and green returns in the Summae set, which showcases rare troïda-cut diamonds alongside luminous emerald beads and a sleek touch of onyx. The master craftsmen have perfected a virtually invisible gem-setting in white gold, particularly for the ring, where the stones appear to fly off the finger with each elegant flash of the hand.