TORNO, Italy — For Cyrille Vigneron, president and chief govt officer of Cartier, Lake Como, with its placid waters and surrounding hills, in addition to its Millennial historical past, is “theatrical” and a very good stage for the presentation of the home’s new excessive jewellery assortment, referred to as “Sixth Sense.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic, he believes “our senses are reawakening and this gorgeous yet intimate setting perfectly reflects the concept of rebirth we feel. And the Renaissance is intricately linked to Italy,” stated Vigneron, talking on Wednesday on the putting luxurious Hotel Il Sereno in Torno, outdoors Como, designed by Patricia Urquiola, who was additionally requested by Cartier to conceive the set up for the presentation.
“There are several beautiful villas of aristocratic families here, including Luchino Visconti’s [Villa Erba in nearby Cernobbio], but we wanted a location that would not be linked to a specific period,” defined Vigneron. This is according to the concept of the timelessness of the Cartier jewels, he added. “High jewelry is the opposite of fashion, it’s for eternity.”
The location additionally illustrates the theme of the gathering. Using trompe-l’oeil, graphic patterns and optical illusions, “jewels come to life upon contact with the skin. By challenging our perceptions, this collection leads us into a world of sensory stimulation, as each sense comes alive, including the sixth sense, which touches the heart,” Vigneron stated.
Cartier is presenting the gathering to purchasers for 2 weeks and it includes a complete of 250 items, together with 80 new designs and gorgeous classic objects underneath the Cartier Tradition moniker — among the many oldest, one was dated 1904.
Vigneron mused about jewels based mostly on “abstraction from natural elements and figurative elements drawn from abstract ideas.”
This Pixelage necklace is paying homage to the signature Cartier panther, by a stylized play on the spots of the coat of the feline, which has been a part of the model’s creative fauna since 1914. Polished onyxes evoke the fur of the panther, whereas white, yellow and orange diamonds symbolize the thickness of the pelt, with its golden reflections highlighted by three putting golden topazes for a complete of 27.34 carats. The vertical geometry of the collar preserves its flexibility.
Cartier’s Pixelage necklace
Maxime Govet © Cartier
The Alaxoa necklace expresses the craft of the Cartier artisans. After deciding on the emeralds, in line with their shade and diameter, they rigorously contemplate the concord, symmetry and proper placement within the composition, earlier than assembling the gems utilizing the threading method, which consists of threading the stones on a wire to type strands and fringes. Finally, the strands are linked collectively by tiny metallic bridges, sustaining a fan form whereas permitting the fringes to stay cell.
While modern, the jewels are according to Cartier’s heritage. For instance, on the middle of the Parhelia ring sits a 21.51-carat blue sapphire cabochon, surrounded by diamonds and emeralds. Created on the very starting of the twentieth century, this mix of sapphires and emeralds, named the “peacock motif” by Louis Cartier, is a part of the home’s staple shade palette. The ring spans over three fingers, with barely cell ideas.
Cartier’s Parhelia ring
Maxime Govet © Cartier
In the Meride necklace, diamonds, black onyx and rock crystals are set in a checkerboard mosaic en reduction, creating an optical phantasm, as every ingredient is mounted at a unique degree. In addition, the again of the jewel reveals the precise reverse of the entrance — one other Cartier signature.
In the Phaan ring, a 4.01 carat rose-cut diamond is inserted under a 8.20 carat ruby by a tiered development, intensifying the colour of the pink shade of the latter. Triangular diamonds, juxtaposed with tiny ruby spheres, encompass the central stone.
The govt was happy to report a “very strong interest” within the assortment, already “overbooked.” While Asian purchasers couldn’t journey to Como as a result of pandemic-related restrictions, he stated he was anticipating purchasers from Europe, Russia, the U.S. and the Middle East. China is changing into a bigger and bigger buyer base for the model, he famous. Last 12 months, Cartier needed to cancel its excessive jewellery occasion in Paris on the Grand Palais due to the well being emergency, however the assortment traveled to Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo and different cities in Asia, and was “very well received.” The firm additionally held a small occasion in St. Petersburg in February.
While not disclosing monetary particulars, Vigneron stated excessive jewellery is “a very important part” of Cartier’s enterprise.
Vigneron emphasised the emotional energy of excessive jewellery, which gives “the most exclusive and yet most inclusive emotions. The world is evolving and everything is digital but there are increasing requests for live experiences in physical spaces.” For this cause, Cartier travels globally to stage exhibitions. Vigneron stated that in 2019, Cartier’s “Beyond Boundaries” exhibit drew 600,000 guests in two months. In mid-October, the home will stage a Cartier Collection exhibit on the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and one other on the Dallas Museum in 2022.
He praised Urquiola’s set to current the “Sixth Sense” assortment, “blurring the senses, evoking the water of the lake, the changing colors of nature and never overwhelming the jewelry.”
Urquiola enthused concerning the “constant dialogue” with Vigneron and Cartier to design probably the most becoming stage for the jewels, which is all the time elementary for one of the best outcomes, she stated.
She first labored to translate the idea of sixth sense into structure. “Among all senses, it is the most instinctive and the most interiorized. And today we need to use this sense more and more.”
The lodge lies on the shore of the lake and he or she proceeded to arrange a set that may be strongly linked to its iridescent waters. Light and glass are sturdy parts, permitting the jewels to be linked to the surface pure panorama of their new and revolutionary shows, which permit the viewer to freely see the items from each angle.
Main parts of the set vary from: polarized mild on the entrance; the softest carpets in pale colours, which convey the concept of safety — “we would never want a jewel to fall on a hard floor,” Urquiola stated; curtain-less home windows opening up on the lake, but in addition specifically handled glass panels that look as if drops of water are operating down their perimeter, and crops juxtaposed with geometric wood screens.
Cartier, which counts lower than 30 boutiques, is renovating its items world wide and Milan’s Via Montenapoleone flagship will reopen in October. The Paris flagship shall be redesigned and accomplished within the fall of 2022. Stores in Moscow and Beverly Hills may also be renovated and reopen in 2022.
Cartier’s Phaan ring
Maxime Govet © Cartier
