In Cartier’s high jewellery, exceptional stones are front and centre

Cartier has unveiled a new high jewellery collection, ‘Chœur des Pierres’, which marries much-loved motifs with clever design philosophies.

For the director of Cartier high jewellery creation, Jacqueline Karache-Langane, the story of a piece begins with the stone. It is a philosophy that guides the new high jewellery collection, ‘Le Chœur des Pierres’, which unites gems, from intensely coloured Colombian emeralds, to uniquely shaped diamonds and weighty topazes.

The series is named after a play on words – chœur can mean a chorus of voices or, without the ‘h’, as cœur, refer to the heart – which reflects the multi-faceted nature of the jewellery itself. Necklaces and rings showcase the singular nature of the stones while also incorporating sculptural swirls of precious metals and vividly coloured materials.

The collection encompasses more than 125 pieces, requiring more than 85,000 hours of work. Familiar Cartier motifs are interspersed throughout, from the geometric structure of a row of diamond-studded pendants in the Olorra necklace to the Tutti Kanya necklace, an interpretation of the classic Tutti Frutti style, with an exceptional 30.33ct engraved Zambian emerald at its heart. In the Haryma necklace, a jewelled tiger skulks over five imperial topazes.

Classical motifs and stones, too, are given an avant-garde spin, demonstrated in the fluid lines of the Tellura necklace, where the unique shapes of 30 diamonds lead a design that appears to tremble on the neck of the wearer. In the Specula ring, triangular diamonds are paired with onyx for a modern take on the Toi & Moi style, while elsewhere, rare cognac-coloured diamonds sink into rings lined with brown diamond cabochons.

“Each gemstone is an encounter, an alchemy that resonates with our vision and our quest for the Cartier ideal,” said Jacqueline Karache-Langane, Cartier’s creative director. “The creation serves the stone, revealing its nuances, its brilliance, its sparkle and its inner vibration.”