Well, that was majestic! Thank you to all who joined Part I of 'The Cartiers and the British Royal Family' live session yesterday.
It was such fun to explore the stories behind some of the phenomenal jewels in the Royal Collection with Caroline de Guitaut — as those of you who tuned in will know — a wealth of knowledge on the subject. We kicked off the session in the late 19th century when, while struggling to keep his father's small family firm afloat during the Paris Commune, a young Alfred Cartier fled to London with jewels to sell to the royal court. We then journeyed all the way through to 2011 when the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Queen's Halo Tiara as she walked down the aisle.
In between, there were coronations (great for an aspiring jewellery business), presentations at court (also good), Edwardian Christmases at Sandringham (remembered as 'Dickens in a Cartier setting' by the future Duke of Windsor), pearl-seeking adventures, Indian celebrations, elegant royal weddings and cataclysmic world-shaking events from war to the Great Depression.
Caroline also explained the different types of jewels in the Royal Collection, distinguishing between the Crown Jewels (kept in the Tower of London and used for coronations), historic jewels, heirloom jewels — like the diamond diadem in this image, made for the coronation of George IV — and the personal jewels of Her Majesty the Queen, including the Cartier necklace in this Dorothy Wilding portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at the start of her reign.
For me, this was a special webinar: I grew up hearing magical stories about the Cartiers' royal creations from my grandfather, so it was wonderful to share the history with so many of you.
For those who couldn't make it, the good news is that the recording is available to view. And more good news: we had just too many stories and jewels to squeeze into one event, so watch this space for details of Part II.
