Cartier’s Tutti Frutti: A rich mosaic of artistic expression
by Tamanna Bhasin | October 21, 2024 2:27 am
By Dr. Lucille Daver
Cartier’s Tutti Frutti style, a hallmark of early 20th-century jewellery art, is a testament to vibrant South Asian designs. The style, known for its bold combinations of bright colours and Mughal-inspired motifs, was popularized by high society figures such as French socialite Daisy Fellowes. Cartier’s Tutti Frutti jewellery feature carved ruby, emeralds, and sapphires in leaf and flower shapes, and diamonds dancing supplely on an articulated platinum setting.
The emergence of a style
In 1901, Alexandra of Denmark, Queen consort of the United Kingdom, commissioned a piece from Pierre Cartier. She requested a single necklace to complement three outfits that Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, had brought her from India. The resultant necklace was reflective of traditional South Asian ornaments and vivid colours (emeralds, rubies, and sapphires). This jewel forged Cartier’s cultural link with India and was the first in a series of works influenced by the subcontinent’s gems and motifs.
In 1911, Pierre’s brother Jacques, travelled to India to attend the coronation of King George V. This initial trip was pivotal for the House of Cartier, as it allowed him to meet several maharajahs and other affluent clients who later commissioned masterpieces from the company. He also discovered, through contact with Indian lapidaries, opulent jewellery featuring engraved and sculpted stones, stemming from Mughal jewellery-making traditions. Gems cut in novel ways in the shape of berries, leaves, and flowers, rubies and emeralds, captivated the Cartier brothers.
In the 1920s, after several trips to India, the Cartier brothers began to integrate these South Asian influences into their creations, setting carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires on platinum structures adorned with diamonds. A perfect marriage between the exuberance of Mughal designs and the streamlined look characteristic of art deco, these pieces stand out for their vivid colours and natural motifs— a departure from the more conventional, geometric designs and white diamond-heavy garlands and bows that dominated offerings at the time.
The house called this style “Hindu,” and then “leaf jewel.” In the 1970s, the style was renamed “Tutti Frutti” to emphasize how the carved gems resembled berries, leaves, and flowers.
One of the first pieces in this style was sold to a Linda Porter in 1925. It was a bracelet adorned with carved rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, set off by small diamonds and onyx beads. Porter fell in love with the style and bought another bracelet and a double-clip brooch in a similar design. These pieces became a sensation, and Cartier customers started lining up for similar items.
The creation of an iconic piece
One of the most significant and emblematic pieces of the Tutti Frutti style was commissioned by Daisy Fellowes, Paris editor of American Harper’s Bazaar. A famous socialite and heiress, Fellowes played a key role in popularizing the style. Inspired by a necklace made in 1925 for the Maharaja of Patna, Pierre Cartier set approximately 200 carved and bead emeralds, sapphires (including 13 briolette sapphires of approximately 145 carats), rubies, and 238 diamonds in a masterly necklace. He completed the piece in 1936 for Fellowes.
The necklace was a resounding triumph for its creativity and versatility—the perfect incarnation of the Tutti Frutti style. It was designed to be worn around the neck with a black satin cord or transformed into a brooch, so the central part of the necklace stood out (formed by two large cut sapphire buds, diamond-set emerald pearls, cut ruby leaves and diamonds).
The Tutti Frutti style was propelled into the global spotlight when Fellowes was featured wearing the necklace in Vogue. The magazine published a double-page spread devoted to the “oriental splendour” and “barbaric” gem cuts of the style.
After her death, the necklace passed to her daughter, Emmeline de Castéja, who had Cartier modify it in 1962. The piece was fashioned into a fixed necklace, and the two large sapphires which had previously formed the central part of the necklace were integrated into the new clasp. Her transformation adapted the necklace to contemporary trends while preserving its original essence.
In 1991, five years after Emmeline’s death, the necklace was auctioned in Geneva. It was bought back by Cartier for US$2,655,172—setting the world auction record for a Cartier Tutti Frutti jewel.
Tutti Frutti’s continuing influence
To this day, Cartier’s Tutti Frutti line remains one of the most sought-after, and therefore most expensive, in jewellery history—persisting as an object of desire among collectors and art lovers alike. The unique blend of colours and shapes inspired by South Asian designs, combined with the modernity of art deco, lends lasting value and appeal to the pieces. Much to the delight of Sotheby’s, who regularly orchestrate auctions of these precious jewels.
In 2014, a bracelet (circa. 1928) from the collections of Estée and Evelyn H. Lauder sold for US$2.1 million, setting a new world record. In 2017, another bracelet (circa. 1928) sold for US$1.8 million, and one more in 2020 for US$1.34 million, setting a new record for an online jewellery sale.
In 2016, Cartier relaunched the Tutti Frutti collection. Tutti Frutti creations are not just jewels, but testaments to a cultural exchange that has enriched the history of jewellery design.
References
1 Bauwens, M., 2022. Le « Tutti Frutti » : un cocktail moderne de l’Inde moghole, Beaux art, février 2022, <https ://www.beauxarts.com/grand-format/le-tutti-frutti-un-cocktail-moderne-de-linde-moghole/>.
2 Cartier Brickell F., 2020, The Story of Cartier Tutti Frutti Jewels, As Told by a Descendant , Apr, 2020. Sothebys. <https ://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-story-of-tutti-frutti-jewels-as-told-by-a-cartier-descendant>.
3 Menkes, S. (2013). Reign of Cartier, jeweler to royalty; Grand Palais exhibition captures the vision and expertise of luxury house. International New York Times, NA-NA.
4 Raden, A. (2016). GEM : The definitive visual guide. Penguin.
5 Brickell, F. C. (2019). The Cartiers : The untold story of the family behind the jewellery empire. Ballantine Books.
6 Volandes, S., 2020, The Story of the Cartier Tutti Frutti Is a Marriage of French Design and Indian Royalty, Town&country, April 2020, <https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/jewellery -and-watches/a32252985/cartier-tutti-frutti-design-history/>.
Dr. Lucille Daver is a mineral exploration researcher in Quebec, specializing in mineralogy and diamond geology. A gemmologist awarded with the internationally recognized title of Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, she has been periodically teaching gemmology since 2020. Daver started a jewellery company in 2023 (Lucille-daver.com). She can be reached at lucilledaver1@gmail.com[1].
- lucilledaver1@gmail.com: mailto:lucilledaver1@gmail.com
Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/features/cartiers-tutti-frutti-a-rich-mosaic-of-artistic-expression/