Cartier

Belle Époque

The gracious years before World War I, when the world turned in waltz time, are fondly remembered for intricate, elegant dress styles and grand, romantic jewels of garland design.

It was, however, also a time of tremendous innovation and change. In women’s fashion a shift towards a looser silhouette and shorter skirts took place around 1910. In jewellery, the introduction of platinum allowed for reinterpreting the bow, ribbon, floral and foliate motifs dating back to the 18th century, with a never-before-seen level of execution. By the 1910s, a geometry announcing the nascent Art Deco style could be distinguished in Parisian jewellery.

This superb diamond devant-de-corsage by Cartier is a prime example of how the garland style took inspiration from eighteenth-century decorative art. During the 18th century, bows and tassels were the most prevalent motif in jewellery, whereas the openwork laurel leaf pattern brings to mind finely chiseled gilt-bronze on exquisite Louis XVI furniture.