The magnificent jewelry, like all things in nature, not only exudes beauty but also radiates dazzling vitality. Cartier recently held a high jewelry exhibition inspired by nature at the Yuz Museum on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Over 500 exquisite pieces of jewelry were showcased in this “warehouse of art,” including the new [Sur]naturel collection, which explores the natural world through a unique jewelry aesthetic.
Cartier creates a natural fairyland with pure colors and simple lines at the exhibition site, and hangs artist Ankon Mitra’s folded art pieces in different themed exhibition areas, including “shells” and “bird’s nests,” echoing the theme of nature.
The new [Sur]naturel series is the highlight of this high-end jewelry exhibition, designed to vividly shape the forms of animals and plants with lifelike lines, and present a rich visual effect through color contrast. Every detail reveals the designer’s intentions, such as depicting the rounded lines of plants, or creating spots with color, vividly imitating animal fur. In order to gradually present the creative ideas of the series, the exhibition is divided into three themes: “The Origin of All Things,” “Instinctive Charm,” and “Imaginary World,” guiding everyone into the natural world of the [Sur]naturel series.
The source of all things
Cartier condenses natural wonders from around the world into high jewelry pieces. In the “Origin of All Things” exhibition area, you can admire the scenery of growth and changing seasons through a series of meticulously designed pieces. For example, the Vatna necklace, resembling a glacier, is crafted with emerald-cut diamonds to create continuous geometric lines, outlining intricate shapes like ice edges, snowflakes, and waterfalls. The Sinopé necklace, on the other hand, depicts winding rivers and rippling water waves with 5 “cornflower blue” sapphires and turquoise, exuding a sense of tranquility with movement.
“Instinctive Charm”
The wild nature in the natural world also brings inspiration to the [Sur]naturel series, and the jewelry in the “instinctive charm” exhibition captures the dynamic movements of snakes and tigers, brimming with vitality. The Opheis necklace is a winding spirit snake, with layered diamonds and striped agate highlighting the snake’s gracefulness; the Panthère Pétillante necklace explores the cheetah in the ocean, with convex round-cut aquamarines resembling its vigilant and leaping gaze.
“Imagine the world”
The [Sur]naturel jewelry series in this exhibition area showcases the designer’s imagination, symbolizing the blending of all things, such as natural wonders and ancient architecture, dazzling stars and mysterious mazes, the morning sky and ever-changing lake waters. The Hemis necklace, created with irregular gemstone arrangements and gradient hues, resembles both an agile cheetah and a serene pebble; while the Panthère Tropicale watch features octagonal sapphires and blue tourmalines, paired with coral and striped agate, creating a unique combination like an unexpected encounter between a cheetah and coral.
The exhibition also features a Cartier antique collection area, a high-end watch exhibition area, a special custom area showcasing a variety of gemstones, and a high-end jewelry craftsmanship demonstration area, showcasing the entire process from hand-drawn designs to diamond setting, from gem selection to diamond polishing, highlighting the long-standing craftsmanship. The exhibition will be open to the public from the evening of October 24th to the 26th, and will share brand new jewelry online with the public. Even if you are unable to fly to Shanghai in person, you can still enjoy it through the brand’s official Weibo and WeChat accounts if you are interested.
圖片來源：Cartier
