All that glitters is Cartier! This new must-see exhibition at the V&A is positively dripping in diamonds, with remarkable jewels and royal tiaras to boot

It was in 1847 that Cartier first began its trajectory towards style superstardom. Louis-François Cartier had taken over his master’s workshop in Paris and later passed it on to his son, Alfred. But it was his three grandsons, Louis, Pierre and Jacques, who catapulted Cartier into the shining stratosphere of royal courts, and later on the darling doyennes of the silver screen. A new boutique on Paris’s Rue de la Paix opened at the turn of the 20th century – the era of the house’s impressive world domination, and the timeline of which the new V&A opening follows. ‘I wanted to make sure we could tell a really big story so we could include all the main highlights. You don’t want to leave anything out. And we’ve come up with a story that’s about creativity, craftsmanship and legacy, and that’s given us the opportunity to explore 100 years of Cartier design,’ says lead curator Helen Molesworth.

Awe-inspiring pieces fill the show

Peter Kelleher

What ensued was a tantalising trail of lavish and outré accoutrements, mystery clocks, and – of course – the sort of high jewellery watches that make the passing of time a wonderful and whimsical experience of divine elegance. In 1904 the house received its first royal warrant bestowed by King Edward VII, two years after he had ordered 27 tiaras from its atelier, and soon after, other European royal families soon followed suit. Then, as far as the Maharajas of India and the rulers of the Russian empire were filling their palaces with Cartier’s grandiose designs, and donning their most opulent pieces at majestic affairs.