Cartier Paris Diamond and Ruby Chimera Head Bracelet

Created by Cartier Paris circa 1969, this rare and unusual chimera bracelet is composed of yellow "jonquille" diamonds, diamonds, rubies, 18K gold and platinum. It is designed as a fancy yellow diamond sea monster head with pear-shaped diamond eyes and baguette diamond crest, completed by ten strands of ruby beads and a diamond and yellow diamond clasp. A house lietmotif since the 1920s, resurrected mid-century by artistic director Jeanne Toussaint, this opulent, vividly-colored chimera bracelet is unmistakably Cartier.
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Category: Bracelets Cartier Jewelry New Acquisitions Ruby Red
Product Details

Item #: BA-21779
Artist: Cartier
Country: France
Circa: 1969
Dimensions: 7.75" length.
Materials: 2 pear-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.70 carat); 5 baguette diamonds (approximate total weight 0.75 carat); 3 round-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.75 carat); 240 round-cut fancy yellow diamonds (approximate total weight 10.00 carats); 600 ruby beads (ranging from approximately 2.00 to 4.00mm); 18K Gold; Platinum
Gram Weight: 60.0
Signed: Cartier Paris, 012899, French Assay marks for gold and platinum, maker's mark
Documentation: Accompanied by certificate of expertise no. XP2053-181124 dated November 18, 2024, stating that in the expert opinion of Olivier Bachet of IAJA, the bracelet is a genuine Cartier item dating from 1969.
Literature: For a history of the chimera bracelet, see Amazing Cartier: Jewelry Design Since 1937, by Nadine Coleno, pp. 78-87. For a bracelet from the era of this jewel, see p. 82.

Item #: BA-21779
Artist: Cartier
Country: France
Circa: 1969
Dimensions: 7.75" length.
Materials: 2 pear-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.70 carat); 5 baguette diamonds (approximate total weight 0.75 carat); 3 round-cut diamonds (approximate total weight 0.75 carat); 240 round-cut fancy yellow diamonds (approximate total weight 10.00 carats); 600 ruby beads (ranging from approximately 2.00 to 4.00mm); 18K Gold; Platinum
Gram Weight: 60.0
Signed: Cartier Paris, 012899, French Assay marks for gold and platinum, maker's mark
Documentation: Accompanied by certificate of expertise no. XP2053-181124 dated November 18, 2024, stating that in the expert opinion of Olivier Bachet of IAJA, the bracelet is a genuine Cartier item dating from 1969.
Literature: For a history of the chimera bracelet, see Amazing Cartier: Jewelry Design Since 1937, by Nadine Coleno, pp. 78-87. For a bracelet from the era of this jewel, see p. 82.

Curator's Notes
Spectacular, colorful bangle bracelets, beloved of 1920s and 1930s tastemakers, are among Cartier's iconic creations, inspired by the jewelry arts of India. Drawn from the makara of Indian mythology, the creatures were featured in a group of 1920s carved coral, diamond and gem-set jewelry and objets, works created by designer Charles Jacqueau in collaboration with artistic director Louis Cartier, who wore a chimera stick pin. When Louis passed the torch to Jeanne Toussaint in the 1930s, she guided clients including the Duchess of Windsor toward adding this important form to their collections. Sea monster chimeras with friendly and appealing faces, realized in voluminous gold and ruby/diamond combinations, appeared in the 1960s and 1970s. For a 1964 Cartier advertisement for bead bracelets centering opulent closures, described as representing "Jeanne Toussaint's Taste", see Cartier Design: A Living Legacy, p. 209.
Spectacular, colorful bangle bracelets, beloved of 1920s and 1930s tastemakers, are among Cartier's iconic creations, inspired by the jewelry arts of India. Drawn from the makara of Indian mythology, the creatures were featured in a group of 1920s carved coral, diamond and gem-set jewelry and objets, works created by designer Charles Jacqueau in collaboration with artistic director Louis Cartier, who wore a chimera stick pin. When Louis passed the torch to Jeanne Toussaint in the 1930s, she guided clients including the Duchess of Windsor toward adding this important form to their collections. Sea monster chimeras with friendly and appealing faces, realized in voluminous gold and ruby/diamond combinations, appeared in the 1960s and 1970s. For a 1964 Cartier advertisement for bead bracelets centering opulent closures, described as representing "Jeanne Toussaint's Taste", see Cartier Design: A Living Legacy, p. 209.
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