An icon of femininity, sensuality, and freedom. There are stories, and then there is the story of the Panthère de Cartier. Here it is.
An icon of femininity, sensuality, and freedom. There are stories, and then there is the story of the Panthère de Cartier. Here it is.

The universe of jewelry is full of animal references, but few are the creatures that achieve a top place in the collective unconscious. Among these beings there is one animal that is arguably the leader of the animal kingdom: the panther - to be more precise, the Panthère de Cartier. The first appearance of this feline dates back to the year 1914, when Cartier introduced a watch in onyx and diamonds that imitated the pattern existing in the panthers' fur. It took only three years from abstract to figurative representation when Louis-François Cartier gave Jeanne Toussaint a cigarette case with the image of the Panthère. It was not until 1948, however, that the first three-dimensional panther appeared, when Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, commissioned Cartier to make a piece to give to his wife Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. The piece in question was devised from a 116.74-carat emerald that Edward VIII kept in his personal collection, resulting in a pin that had a panther in gold and onyx sitting atop the emerald. A year later, and following the motto "new year, new panther", the couple again ordered another pin from the French house, this time in sapphire. The evolution of this feline within Cartier was inevitable and very natural, going from orders for bracelets, pins, watches, necklaces, earrings, rings, wallets and small objects, thus establishing itself as an inseparable image of the maison.
"Onyx, diamonds, emeralds - a brooch!" As the legend goes, these were the words Jeanne Toussaint shouted when she saw a panther during a safari with Louis-François Cartier, with whom she had a romantic relationship. Toussaint was one of the first women to lead the creative department of a jewelry brand in the 1930s - first she oversaw the department of wallets and small accessories, and later she was responsible for Cartier's Fine Jewelry department. The designer was known as the Panthère, a nickname that Louis Cartier gave her for her elegance, confidence, strength and glamour, characteristics that eventually carried over into the jewelry she designed - and into the brand's imagery. "Jean Toussaint was a very avant-garde woman, both in her private life and in her profession. Toussaint was an important figure in paving the way for a new generation of women in the jewelry industry. But not only that. She designed each piece of jewelry so that it would enhance the beauty and personality of the wearer. The Panthère, part of Cartier's history for over 100 years, is proof of this. It was she who gave this feline a more sculptural aesthetic - the designer encouraged her creative team to visit the zoos of Paris so they could design the panthers from every angle.
Today, the Panthère is more than an icon, it is an institution. "For more than 100 years, no other creature has achieved such iconic status, either in Cartier or in 20th century jewelry as a whole," Pierre Rainero, Cartier's director of image, style and heritage tells Prestige magazine. The bracelets with the head of this feline are a centerpiece of the La Panthère collection. They reveal gracefulness, are flexible objects that wrap around the wrist like a second skin and are as magnetic as Cartier's iconic Panthère. Daisy Fellowes, Nina Aga Khan, Barbara Hutton, Elizabeth Taylor, María Félix and Monica Bellucci are some of the personalities who have brought the feminine and daring spirit of these jewels to life. Today it is names like Ella Balinska, Willow Smith and Annabelle Wallis who take this energy further. An energy that will never fade away.
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