It is a name that requires no introduction. No titles are necessary, no descriptives needed. The name of Cartier alone evokes the milieu in which it reigns supreme, its bejewelled creations having adorned personages of privilege and power for nearly a century and a half. Its history is a chronicle of the modern age, its explorations into its art remain signposts of innovation.

A genius for originality has been embellished by the application of impeccable taste throughout the many generations of Cartier's existence. It was in 1917, when twenty-eight year old jeweller Louis Francois Cartier purchased the premises of his employer on Paris' Rue Montgueil and hung out his own shingle, that the legend of Cartier was born.
Emperor Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie presided over this 'Second Empire' with its large court and wealthy haute societe and a culture that looked fondly back to the Ancien Regime for guidance. The completion of the Louvre created a strong interest in the Renaissance whilst the Empress' admiration for her predecessor, Marie-Antoinette, determined the fashion for the style of Louis XVI. A purchase by the city's School of Fine Art heralded a revival of Greek, Etruscan and Roman jewellery whilst the Suez Canal project once again brought Egyptian culture into vogue. A burgeoning railway system made Paris an international destination and the Expositions Universelles of 1855 and 1867 celebrated its achievements.