How the French maison became a Royal Warrant holder
King Edward VII once referred to the House of Cartier as the “Jeweler of Kings and King of Jewelers”, a testament to the brand’s reputation that was established by Louis-Francois Cartier half a century earlier. The company, which was founded at 29 rue Montorgueil in Paris, was later taken over by Alfred, the son of Louis-Francois, in 1874. However, it was under the leadership of Alfred’s three sons — Louis, Pierre, and Jacques — that Cartier began to cater to high society with its exquisite jewels.
The brand’s relationship with the Royal Family started in 1902 when Pierre Cartier opened a branch in London during King Edward VII’s coronation. The King, one of the brand’s earliest royal patrons, ordered 27 tiaras from Cartier for the event and subsequently awarded the company with a Royal Warrant, officially recognizing Cartier as a supplier of jewels to the crown. During the 1930s, the then Prince of Wales, the Duke of Windsor, became a significant client of the House amidst the economic downturn caused by the Great Depression. Notably, King Edward VIII, less than a year into his reign, proposed to American divorcée Wallis Simpson with a stunning 19.77-carat emerald ring crafted by Cartier in 1936, an event that led to a constitutional crisis and his eventual abdication.
The couple remained loyal clients of Cartier for many years, with the Duke of Windsor purchasing a flamingo brooch for Simpson in 1940 and a Panthère brooch featuring a 152.35-carat cabochon sapphire in 1949. King George VI, Edward’s brother, was also a frequent customer, acquiring numerous pieces for his wife. The Queen Mother inherited several remarkable Cartier jewels from Dame Margaret Helen Greville, including two pairs of Art Deco diamond earrings. The Greville Chandelier earrings, made of platinum and fancy-cut diamonds, were gifted to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present in 1947. The Greville Peardrop earrings, crafted by Cartier in 1938, are made of platinum and diamond, including two 20-carat pear-shaped diamonds, and were inherited by the Queen in 2002. However, the most renowned piece of Cartier in Queen Elizabeth II’s collection is the Halo tiara, purchased by King George VI as a gift for the Queen Mother in 1936. The tiara was given to the Queen as an 18th birthday present and has since been loaned to Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and most recently, the Duchess of Cambridge for her wedding to Prince William in 2011.
Francesca Cartier Brickell, a descendant of the Cartier family and author of The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewellery Empire, expresses her admiration for the timeless elegance of the Halo tiara. Francesca Cartier Brickell, a descendant of the Cartier family and author of The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewellery Empire, expresses her admiration for the Halo tiara, praising its timeless elegance. She recalls the words of her great-great-uncle Pierre Cartier: “A jewel that is classic in design, that contains stones of good quality, always remains an object of beauty. It can be worn for years and be admired as much twenty-five years afterward as it was when it was first created”. She believes that even he would be astounded by the enduring appeal of a jewel like the Halo tiara, which continues to captivate audiences worldwide, 75 years after its creation, most notably at the 2011 royal wedding. Cartier jewels also graced the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan wore a sparkling Reflection de Cartier bracelet, adorned with brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds, for the ceremony, and later sported a pair of diamond earrings from the same Cartier collection for the evening reception, along with Princess Diana’s emerald-cut aquamarine ring. Brickell emphasizes the significance of the British royal family to the success of the Cartiers, not just in England but globally, and notes that the pieces Cartier crafted for them are among the most exquisite and renowned jewels of all time.
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