Art Deco Coral, Onyx, and Diamond Brooch by Cartier, Paris, circa 1922

Biography

Cartier was founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier. His three grandsons, Louis, Pierre, and Jacques, built the house into a famous international jewelry empire serving royalty, Hollywood stars, and socialites. Cartier has created some of the most important jewelry and objects of art of the twentieth century with many iconic designs such as mystery clocks, Tutti Frutti jewelry and the Panthère line. In 1983, The Cartier Collection was established with the objective of acquiring important pieces that trace the firm’s artistic evolution. Today, Cartier has 200 stores in 125 countries.

Significance

By the mid 1920s, the colorful geometric style of the Art Deco period was at its height, exemplified by the fine and decorative arts shown at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Jewelry was exhibited in the Grand Palais, but Cartier chose to display their selections with the fashion houses Callot Soers, Jenny, Lanvin, and Worth, in the Pavillon de l’Elégance. Cartier occupied the center of the elaborate double-height colonnaded space, with the clothing designers arranged around the edges. They presented jewelry in cases amidst topiaries much like the fantastic gardens reflected in some of their work. Like the couturiers, Cartier exhibited some jewelry on mannequins that had been created in the modernist style, influenced by Brancusi and Modigliani sculptures.

Designed as a circle, the strongly geometric form of this brooch evokes the ancient penannular brooches that were used to secure cloaks in medieval times. These brooches often featured a long pin that is referenced by the diamond and onyx elements at the top and bottom. This brooch modernizes the form with the bright coral contrasting the black and white palette of onyx, enamel, and diamonds. This was an important color palette for Cartier in the Art Deco period, a similarly patterned coral, black enamel, and diamond tiara was created in 1922, followed by a bracelet in 1924 that was shown at the 1925 exhibition and featured in Vogue as a highlight. A selection of coral, diamond, and onyx jewelry was featured in the 150 pieces Cartier displayed in the Pavillon de l’Elégance, all created between 1922 and 1925.

This magnificent brooch is an important example of the boldly colored geometric pieces created by fine jewelers in the Art Deco period. The use of the warm bright coral against the cool black and white palette makes the coral appear even more lush. This jewel cleverly modernizes the ancient penannular brooch motif, an ancient and familiar form, that is abstracted into the clear geometry important to 1920s design. This iconic brooch would be an unparalleled addition to any collection.