A SUPERB ART DECO DIAMOND AND ROCK CRYSTAL BANGLE, BY CARTIER

PROPERTY FORMERLY FROM THE COLLECTION OF MADAME YVONNE COTY The Magic of the Mineral "Unlike man-made crystal , rock crystal is given to us in its pure, natural state. If it had really been made of frozen water, as the ancient Greeks believed, it would have been the miraculous crystallization of a cascading waterfall, captured as the impetuous tumult of its spray." Alain Boucheron, 1999*. Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle's, wrote a treatise on mineralogy in about 300 B.C. in which he noted that the most beautiful samples of rock crystal came from mountain peaks in regions where it is very cold, thereby deducing that the mineral must be formed from water, frozen at such extreme temperatures it is impossible to melt again. This belief gave rock crystal its name, derived from the Greek word krystallos, meaning "ice". In fact rock crystal is the colourless variety of the mineral quartz, and naturally tends to form as rather cloudy-looking crystals, riddled with numerous tiny inclusions and flaws which the Roman naturalist Pliny described as "mist". Rarely are perfect crystals of water-clear transparency - such as the raw material used for Lot 767 - found. Considered magical from time immemorial, ancient craftsmen revered this material as early as the Egyptian predynastic era (5,000-3,000 B.C.), slowly cultivating the skill of carving and cutting it into sumptuous objects. Yet it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that jewellers rediscovered the esteem with which rock crystal was held in ancient times, and it took some courage to introduce this mineral to the exclusive world of luxury jewelry - and patience too, to revive the ancestral know-how needed to work it. Carl Faberge did much to contribute to this "rebirth", using native Russian deposits of rock crystal to produce, for instance, the "Winter" Imperial Easter Egg given by Czar Nicholas II to his mother Maria Feodorovna in 1913. The company register for that year reads: "An egg made from a large white topaz (the Russian term for high quality rock crystal) decorated with frosted motifs and icicles composed of 1308 encrusted rose-cut diamonds." Apart from the Russian Imperial family, another fervent admirer was Emmanuel Nobel, nephew of Alfred Nobel, celebrated founder of the Nobel Prize. Emmanuel prided himself on organising fashionable society gatherings and dinner parties, ensuring their success by placing under each lady's table napkin a piece of "ice" made of rock crystal and inlaid with tiny diamonds, created by Faberge and mounted as pendants, brooches, or other similar delights. Cartier also began its successful relationship with rock crystal at about this time, exploiting its transparency to create the famous "mystery clocks" produced from 1913 onwards. But an equally successful partnership developed between this maker and material in the field of fine jewelry. Following the trend launched by the Art Nouveau movement, precious stones were now combined with semiprecious or hard-stones to produce new decorative effects. Rock crystal, either smoothly polished in its transparent form or frosted (using sand as an abrasive), became a favourite in this respect. Indeed the growing infatuation of jewellers with it reached its apotheosis in the 1930s, prompting an article published in Vogue, August 1926, to comment on the current wave of enthusiasm for rock crystal jewelry: "So we have seen each fashion come and go using amber, jade and onyx, and now it is the turn of frozen or polished crystal - in necklets, necklaces, bracelets, pins, belt buckles, bag clips, cigarette holders and pendant earrings..Innumerable imaginative creations have been born of this fad." In the wake of the ensuing economic crisis set off in 1929, the Art Deco style evolved into its purest form: immaculate whiteness. The dual black and white colour scheme (a fashion known as demi-deuil) and the dazzling chromatic contrasts of coloured gems previously adopted by all were now replaced by white alone: diamonds and platinum reigned supreme. As in all other fields of art, jewellery seemed to be searching for solidity and purity, and in this context rock crystal came into its own. Worked in large pieces, it enabled solid structures to be produced, on which diamonds of varying cuts could be set to create different patterns and reliefs. Sculptural, abstract designs took over from the pretty naturalism of the 1920s, as jewels became inflated in size and scale, highlighting by contrast the return of femininity to fashion. Curvaceous silhouettes clad in silken bias cut dresses were complemented by increasingly massive jewels, and together with the double clip, the bracelet became the quintessential jewelry item of the 1930s. The great leading ladies of Hollywood, glamour capital of the world, became highly influential jewelry patrons and role models who set the style to which all aspired, often using their own lavish, large-scale jewels in their film roles. Such was the environment in which Cartier's artistic director for almost half a century, Jeanne Toussaint (1887-1978), created this ingenious bangle-bracelet, which represented a dramatic departure from previous designs. It's sheer size, imaginative blend of materials, and three-dimensional, bombe form marked a radical move away from the ubiquitous "flat strap" style of bracelet so favoured in the 1920s. Cleverly composed of a flexible, expanding row of carved hemispherical crystal discs, it has no clasp, but instead is slipped on by means of coiled sprung wire. This was Art Deco design at its zenith, and such a masterpiece could not fail to win instant approval. The first example to appear was the bracelet made by Cartier Paris in 1929 and sold to the Polish opera and concert singer Ganna Walska, renowned in the inter-war years both for her singing voice and stunning collection of jewels. Two further versions of the bangle were sold as a pair in 1932 to another star - this time of silver screen - Gloria Swanson. A favourite from the moment they were purchased, they became her trademark both on and off-screen, featuring in films from Perfect Understanding (1933) to Sunset Boulevard (1950) and frequently in between. A third variation of the design, here present, was sold to Madame Coty. One of the strongest expressive elements of Art Deco is the opposition it sets up, and the bracelet seen here captures such a play of contrasts with all the hallmarks of the House of Cartier, probably the greatest exponent of this style. The cool cleanliness of rock crystal "ice" contrasted with the warmth and dazzle of diamonds - winter sun sparkling on snow and ice. This is more than star quality; it is timeless, graceful and serene; sheer sophistication at its very sharpest.

Details

A SUPERB ART DECO DIAMOND AND ROCK CRYSTAL BANGLE, BY CARTIER
The flexible bracelet comprised of a series of carved rock crystal links, each bordered by a tapering line of single and circular-cut diamonds, joined by coiled wire, mounted in platinum, circa 1935, with French assay marks and maker's marks, in original fitted leather case
Signed Cartier, Made in France, No. 0292 (partially indistinct)
With maker's mark for Cartier, Paris

Literature

Cf. Judy Rudoe, "Cartier: 1900-1939", Harry N. Abrams, Inc., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997, page 276-277

Franco Cologni and Eric Nussbaum, "Platinum by Cartier", Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, 1995, page 152

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