The Cartiers: Bejewelled India

In this video, Francesca Cartier Brickell explores her great-grandfather Jacques Cartier's transformative journeys through India in the early 20th century. Following in his footsteps with his diaries and letters as guides, she traces how Jacques built relationships with India's maharajahs—among the world's wealthiest and most bejeweled men—who commissioned him to remodel their family heirlooms into pieces in the distinctive Cartier style. These commissions, from the Maharajah of Pájaros's diamond necklace to the Maharajah of Copper Sheila's emerald turban ornaments, became some of Cartier's most significant creations.

Francesca's investigation takes her to the palaces, temples, and ports Jacques visited, and she witnesses firsthand the gemstone sourcing that powered Cartier's reputation. She observes sapphires being mined in Sri Lanka and documents how rough stones are transformed through washing, polishing, and cutting into gems worthy of the Cartier name. Jacques, the most gemologically knowledgeable of the three brothers, became renowned for sourcing the finest emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, and pioneered the bold "tutti frutti" style by mixing vibrant colored stones together—a technique that captivated trendsetters of the era and continues to break auction records today.