The black-dappled white panther, sometimes curling around the wrist as a bracelet, sometimes crouched low as a brooch or glaring from a choker, is Cartier’s most emblematic animal.
But it is not the only one.
Tigers striped with black spinels and emerald-studded crocodiles gripping dials in their teeth were among the many animal-inspired timepieces Cartier put on display at the recent Watches & Wonders fair in Geneva, serving as a prelude to the brand’s Nature Sauvage high jewelry collection to be introduced later this month.
In an email, Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s image, style and heritage director, highlighted what he called the “visual richness” and “evocative power” of animal motifs to explain why they are a mainstay for the brand.
Cartier’s new call of the wild is timely, with all sorts of animals, from insects to mammals, recently claiming more territory in the jewelry world. Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron have been expanding their menagerie of bejeweled beasts: new brooches shaped as frogs, horses or pandas at Van Cleef & Arpels and new renderings of the family’s former house cat Wladimir by Boucheron.
At Tiffany & Company, the cockatoo designed initially by Jean Schlumberger for the Bird on a Rock brooch has been nestled on pearls or a watch, while Bulgari (serpents) and Chanel (lions) have been reimagining their favorite motifs. “For its first foray into fancy fauna at the end of last year, Pomellato chose the scarab, while mighty African beasts such as lions, zebras and elephants inspired a series of De Beers’ engagement rings that were unveiled in January.
