Beauty and the Beast...

Contemporary and incredibly iconic, delicate, and surprisingly powerful, the panther has featured in Cartier window displays for over a century. Having become queen of the House’s bestiary, it leaves its mark on the history of the largest jewellery house.

The Cartier panther appeared  in 1914, on a woman’s wristwatch with onyx and diamonds for the coat. Since then, it has continued to fuel the jeweller’s collections. An adored animal, the panther lends itself to all daring, covers itself in gold, adorns itself with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and is placed on lapis lazuli or even coral … before in 1980 becoming  a cult watch from the Cartier House.

If the panther slips from one collection to another, we sometimes forget that they are two that have punctuated Cartier’s history! During the First World War, Louis Cartier fell under the spell of Jeanne Toussaint, a socialite who was nicknamed “the panther”. In love with the young Belgian, he appointed her Director of Haute Joaillerie (High-end Jewellery). Free to create and free to dare, she shook up the codes and brought the panther out of its cage. In  1948, she created a brooch for the Duchess of Windsor and for the first time represented the animal in volume. The jeweller innovated brilliantly, transcending with accuracy. Since her departure in 1970, Jeanne Toussaint has left the Maison with an exceptional legacy which she cultivated with loyalty, charm and creativity.