In a city that dazzles with heritage, design, and reinvention, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has unveiled a cultural moment that feels both majestic and intimate. "Cartier: Crafting the Extraordinary" is more than an exhibition — it’s a time capsule of beauty, desire, and power, refracted through diamonds.

Open from April 12 to November 16, 2025, this landmark showcase presents over 350 masterpieces from the house of Cartier — many never-before seen in the UK — drawing visitors into a story not just of jewellery, but of identity, imagination, and the pursuit of timelessness.

Because Cartier, as this exhibition makes clear, has never just made adornments. It has made statements.

ARTS & CULTURE /

Necklace, Cartier Paris, special order, 1928.Restored in 1999-2002. Made as a special order for Sir Bhupindra Singh, Maharaja of Patiala, Cartier Collection. Photography: Nils Herrmann for Cartier Collection

Inside the V&A’s Most Dazzling Exhibition: Over a Century of Jewels, Power, and Prestige

12.04.2025 | By Elena A. Hart

Tiara, Cartier Paris, 1910. Cartier Collection. Photography by Cartier

The Weight of a Diamond: A Story in Stone

Jewels are often admired for their sparkle — but here, they shimmer with meaning.

The exhibition opens with a masterpiece: the Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch, commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. This 23.6-carat stone is as rare as it is resplendent — a whisper of royalty, craftsmanship, and diplomacy. It is the kind of piece that doesn't just reflect light. It reflects history.

Moments later, you're drawn toward another icon — Grace Kelly’s engagement ring. A 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond, set in platinum, it glows with the quiet glamour of a woman whose life transcended fairytale. It’s not simply a ring; it’s the pulse of Monaco, of 1950s cinema, of an era where romance was a royal act.

Nearby rests The Scroll Tiara, originally worn by the Countess of Essex in 1902 — and more recently by Rihanna, proving Cartier’s uncanny ability to remain relevant across centuries, from imperial courts to global stages.

In one corner, a small but significant display: Jacqueline Kennedy’s Cartier Tank watch. Its understated design stands in contrast to its story — gifted by Aristotle Onassis, later auctioned, then owned by Kim Kardashian. It is perhaps the ultimate example of what Cartier does best: crafting objects that travel through time without aging.

A Living Archive: Curated Elegance

This isn’t a traditional museum show. It is a mood, an atmosphere — a curated rhythm of light, shadow, and sparkle.

Curators Helen Molesworth and Rachel Garrahan have divided the exhibition into three elegant chapters:

• Creativity & Inspiration explores the natural, global, and architectural references that fuel Cartier’s imaginative fire.

• The Atelier places focus on the craftsmanship: hand-drawn gouache sketches, wax moulds, tools, and the minute alchemy of jewellery-making.

• Shaping the Image examines Cartier’s rise from Parisian atelier to cultural symbol — worn by queens, actors, and rebels alike.

Designed by architect Asif Khan, the exhibition space is immersive and architectural — a dreamscape of soft shadows, reflective chambers, and velvet-lined vitrines. Here, Cartier is both art and object, legend and luxury.

Cartier diamond rose brooch crafted with brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds.

Cartier panther brooch with sapphires and diamonds perched on a blue sapphire cabochon.

Cartier Crash watch with a surreal, melted dial design and leather strap.

Cartier’s Eternal Language

Cartier’s genius has never been just in its diamonds — it lies in how those diamonds speak.

In this exhibition, jewellery becomes language. A ruby necklace speaks of revolution. A brooch reveals a monarch’s taste. A watch marks the passage not just of time, but of style. And threaded through it all is a distinct, often elusive quality: restraint. Nothing is overdone. Everything is calibrated. For Cartier, elegance is economy.

This is why, over 175 years later, Cartier remains essential. It is not a brand that chases attention. It earns reverence.

Plan Your Visit

Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL
Dates: April 12 – November 16, 2025
Opening Hours: Daily 10.00–17.45 (Friday 10.00–22.00)
Tickets: £27 (weekdays), £29 (weekends)
Booking: vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/cartier

Booking in advance is strongly recommended.

Model A mystery clock, Cartier Paris, 1914.Cartier Collection. Photography: Nils Herrmann for Cartier Collection

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