Cartier launches [Sur]Naturel high jewellery: a psychedelic celebration of nature

The Hemis necklace from Cartier's new [Sur]Naturel high jewellery collection

As we reach the end of five days of digital presentations during what should have been Paris Haute Couture Week, it takes something seriously special to jolt through the Zoom fatigue. Cartier’s new [Sur]Naturel collection, launched today, was just the tonic.

Forget ghosts and ghouls, the collection was all about the magic of nature - appreciated through Cartier’s psychedelic lens. Nature has been a source of inspiration for the house, and high jewellery in general, since its earliest days in the 19th century, but these pieces are far removed from the naturalistic, romantic depictions of flora and fauna that dominated back then.

Here, it’s a more abstract take on the theme: some pieces zoom in on a specific detail of a plant or animal, while others capture the essence or energy of a creature, but leave much of their inspiration open to interpretation.

Cartier Hemis necklace - Maxime Govet

The Hemis necklace, for example, features a patchwork of opals, irregular in size and shape, each one polished into the smoothness of a pebble in a riverbed. It’s a remarkably organic design for a house better known for its sharp, symmetrical geometry.

Interspersed with further pavé-diamond pebbles which the house describes as ‘shagreen set’, these stones form an electric-blue backdrop for a 71.80-carat purplish-pink kunzite, an unusual stone to feature in high jewellery but one that is typical of Cartier’s dedication to mineralogical diversity.

The watery inspiration behind this necklace is clear; more abstract is the way the pebbles hint at the coat of the house’s big cat mascot, the panther. Championed by Jeanne Toussaint in the 1940s, Cartier’s panther has become emblematic of the bold and fearless nature of its creations - and the women who wear them.

Cartier Panthère Tropicale watch

The panther made its first abstract appearance at Cartier in 1914, when Louis Cartier introduced onyx spots onto a diamond evening watch, evoking the panther’s fur. The Panthère Tropicale watch from the [Sur]Naturel collection pays homage to that heritage, while evolving the design into almost hallucinogenic territory.

The bejewelled cuff is divided vertically: on one side, that onyx-speckled diamond pavé, on the other a smooth curve of gadrooned coral, its vivid orange hue the perfect colour-clash against the blue-green aquamarines and tourmalines that sit on top.

An archive design by Jeanne Toussaint from 1963 brought together the panther pattern and textured coral in a domed cocktail ring, and this watch harks back to the experimental era of psychedelia.

Cartier Sinopé necklace

Throughout the collection, stones and design share equal billing. The Sinopé necklace, with its gently undulating waves of articulated diamond-set white gold, showcases five of the finest Madagascan sapphires, over 39 carats in total, their cornflower blue hue complemented by the sculpted lapis lazuli that borders the inside edge.

Fluidity and flexibility are also integral to the Opheis necklace, a stylised representation of another animal to feature in Cartier’s archive: the snake. Graphic scales of pavé-set gold overlap as the piece coils around the neck, a central seam of onyx reminiscent of a snake’s dorsal ridge. The sinewy serpent culminates in a 53.94ct rectangular cabochon emerald that is no less alive for its lack of facial features.

Cartier Opheis necklace

The fabric-like effortlessness of this necklace is the result of tremendous toil on the part of Cartier’s team of craftspeople. Their job is to make their effort invisible: the coral in the Panthère Tropicale watch, for example, was carved by hand from a single piece, a daunting task even for the most skilled lapidarist: one slip of the hand and the piece would be ruined.

While the Hemis necklace’s opals appear to float, as though buoyed by a stream, the reverse reveals a complex matrix in which gold is used to both level the irregular depths of the raw stones, and highlight or hide certain patterns that emanate from their source rock. It takes serious engineering to achieve such a feat, but it’s the type of challenge the Cartier workshop relishes.

The virtual preview of the [Sur]Naturel collection gave us a glimpse of just a handful of the full 93 pieces. But judging by the results, no degree of Zoom fatigue could stop me from tuning in for the next installment.

More 2020 High Jewellery

• Beyoncé's favourite jeweller Messika presents dazzling 'back to basics' diamond high jewellery

• Boucheron experiments with materials used by NASA in its new Contemplation high jewellery collection

• Diamond chains and gemstone-studded rainbows shine in Pomellato's first high jewellery collection

• Chopard brings a playful edge to its red carpet-worthy high jewellery

• Bulgari's Barocko high jewellery collection pays tribute to the pomp and grandeur of the Eternal City

• Chaumet pays homage to the 'couturier of jewellery' in its new Perspectives collection

• Piaget transports us to the jungle with Wings of Light, its joyous new high jewellery collection

• Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Gioielleria collection took holiday jewellery to new extremes

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