Hi All,
I hope you are having the most fantastic weekend so far!
This week, as per many of your requests, here are the 5 WOW Facts about the legendary luxury brand: Cartier.
Ocean's 8 Movie & Cartier
That big diamond necklace worn by Anne Hathaway in the Ocean's 8 movie has recently become a character on its own. Referred to as "The Toussaint" in the movie, it was originally designed and crafted for an Indian Prince by Cartier in London.
The necklace used in the movie was a replica made of natural white zircons and mounted on white gold, but the original one is the finest cascade of colored diamonds in the world, which included a 136.25-carat blue-white Queen of Holland Diamond, a 12-carat olive-green diamond and several substantially sized pink diamonds among other huge white diamonds.
In the movie, the necklace is called "The Toussaint" after Cartier’s legendary Creative Director, Jeanne Toussaint. A visionary and pioneering woman, she was decisive in establishing Cartier’s style back in the 1930s. To watch this magnificent creation, click here.
30 Million Dollar Ring - Auction Records
Cartier holds several records for some of the most expensive pieces of jewelry ever sold at Auctions.
"The Sunrise Ring", which is a Burmese ruby of 25.59 carats adorned with diamonds and mounted in a ring, holds the world record for a the most expensive ruby ever sold, with an astounding 30 million dollar price-tag, sold by Sotheby's Auction House.
The most expensive jewel ever sold in an online-only auction is the Cartier Tutti Frutti bracelet, at $1.34 million, also by Sotheby's.
Elizabeth Taylor, known as the queen of jewelry, was given a $1.05 million dollar 69.42-carat pear-shape diamond know as "The Cartier Diamond" by Richard Burton in 1969. Her husband lost the diamond at an auction, but bought it back the next day for a bigger price-tag.
A Brand of Royalty
Cartier has a long history of Royal clientele. Back in 1902, for example, King Edward VII of Great Britain ordered 27 Cartier tiaras for his coronation ceremony, referring to Cartier as "the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers".
Princess Grace of Monaco, in 1956, received a one of a kind Cartier necklace as a wedding gift from her husband Prince Rainier. Most recently, their granddaughter Charlotte of Monaco wore it during her civil ceremony to Dimitri Rassam (click here to view the wedding pictures).
Kate Middleton, on her 2011 wedding, wore the legendary Cartier Halo tiara. This piece is made up of 739-brilliant cut diamond and 149 baguette diamonds, which was lent by Queen Elizabeth.
JFK's Wristwatch of Choice
From John F. Kennedy to Andy Warhol and Princess Diana, they all popularized the iconic Cartier Wristwatch.
The flat shape with the square bezel design was created with the needs of pilots in mind. The idea came from Alberto Santos-Dumont, a pioneer in aviation and a friend of the founder, who named this watch "Santos" after his friend.
Since then and throughout the 20th century, they have launched some of the most desirable and best seller luxury watches in the world such as the Tank or the Pasha, which is now promoted by celebrities such as Rami Malek. Click here to watch their latest campaign.
The Love Bracelet
If there is one piece of jewelry that stands out among some of the most treasured ones, it has to be "The Love Bracelet". Created in 1969 by the Italian jewelry designer Aldo Cipullo, the bracelet was controversially modeled after medieval chastity belts. Despite the controversy, it quickly became one of the must-have items as a way to show the world that the one who wore it was "locked into love".
In terms of design, the bracelet's oval-shape is meant to adhere closely to the body and can only be removed with the assistance of a special screwdriver included with the bracelet.
As a marketing strategy, Cartier gifted the bracelets to a selected number of famous couples at the time such as The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Sofia Loren and Carlo Ponti, among others.
