A STRIKING CORAL, PEARL AND GOLD SAUTOIR NECKLACE, BY CARTIER, CIRCA 1965-70

The hippie chic necklace composed of a series of large tubular and spherical links with beading and filigree details,...

A STRIKING CORAL, PEARL AND GOLD SAUTOIR NECKLACE, BY CARTIER, CIRCA 1965-70

The hippie chic necklace composed of a series of large tubular and spherical links with beading and filigree details, accented with baroque pearls, the frontispiece highlighted with two marquise-shaped coral corallium rubrum plaques suspending a large carved coral corallium rubrum fish within gold lace and with polished gold eyes, mounted in 18K gold, signed Cartier Paris, numbered, maker's mark for 'Cartier Societé Anonyme', French assay mark, necklace length 57.5cm, pendant length (starting from the spherical link): 13cm, fish length: 7.5cm

 

Accompanied by its written invoice from Cartier Munich, located on Briennerstraße 12, München, dated June 16th 1975

(Cartier in Munich has since relocated on Maximilianstraße 20)

 

For similar examples of coral necklaces by Cartier from the early 1970s: ref: Francois Chaille, La Collection Cartier Joaillerie, Volume 2, éditions Flammarion, pages 578-583

 

Since the 1970s, bold jewels were all on trend. Sautoirs became oversized, chunky and even more colourful. This Cartier necklace has clearly been inspired by the "hippie chic" fashion trend of the late 1960s that carried over to the early 1970s. However, while raw coral, polished but left in its natural, branch-like form was a hot accessory for hippies, jewellers, such as Cartier, carved orangy-red pieces out of coral setting them with yellow gold and diamonds. Cartier's love of coral, combined with their popular animalier themes, is beautifully demonstrated in this fish coral and gold sautoir.

 

While there was a proliferation of different styles and shapes in jewellery since the 1960s, which seemed to defy a single trend, it is undeniable that the work of goldsmiths was the most prevalent aesthetic. In this period, jewellers working with gold made a concerted effort to keep the techniques of past ages alive through the creation of specialised handmade pieces, often in limited edition series. They combined the highly skilled and refined techniques with modern and innovative tastes.

 

Following the second world war, with the reconstruction of many aspects of society, as well as the advancements in technology and mass production, it ensured the success, in particular of the gold jewellery designs. This coincided with the development of women's liberty and equality in the 1960s and 1970s. No longer solely dependent upon their husbands or family for monetary protection, they expressed their new found freedom in many ways, including through their individual style and accessories. Women's fashion of the 1970s, incorporated function and style, favouring more masculine interpretations of shape and cut. There was freedom of choice, and for the first time there was a generation of women who purchased expensive jewels for themselves, rather than receiving them as gifts.

 

The jewellery designs needed to reflect this social development with goldsmiths embracing inventiveness and innovation in their creative process. The materials used had to be adapted to meet with these new aesthetic demands. The pieces made in gold were highly decorated, some returning to the ancient technique of filigree as well as embracing the emerging bohemian clothing trend of the 1970s with widespread production of longer chains and pendants. They could be worn in many different ways, no longer limited to only the neck and wrists, but also around the waist or ankles. They were multifaceted in their design and purpose, moving away from the traditional and often more limited interpretations of how jewellery should be worn and enjoyed by the owner.

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