A Cartier “Tabriz” brooch, on the road to India

At the end of the 1980s, Cartier returned to the exoticism that had helped shape its history and launched the “Tabriz” brooch.

This gold “Tabriz” brooch, simulating a precious basket made of onyx for the basket, chrysoprases and cornelians for the Indian-cut leaves, and diamonds and sapphires for the flowers, was created in 1989. Part of the “Route des Indes” collection, it tells the story of Cartier’s long association with the subcontinent. It goes back to 1911. That year, Jacques, the youngest of the three Cartier brothers – whose homonym with the great explorer from Saint-Malo cannot be coincidental – set off on a long journey to the British colony, meeting suppliers and customers, including the maharajahs. He visited the country for six months and, fascinated by the carved, cut and engraved gems, brought back a large number of them, as well as fascinating jewels that fed his imagination and infused his creativity. Elegant European women fell in love with jewelry directly inspired by this culture. In the 1980s, Cartier looked back at its history and developed a strategy of enhancing its heritage by buying back old pieces, while at the same time producing more affordable jewelry. It was in this context that the “Tabriz” brooch was born, its name evoking an aesthetic imagination. The brooch was an immediate success, and is now sold at auction.