Cartier: Jewellers to Royalty and Stars
Lecturer: Andrew Prince
It was only when King Edward VII proclaimed Cartier “the king of jewellers and the jewellers of kings” that the three brothers’ fortunes were assured. Previously, celebrated courtesans had been their clients, which was not an assured path to fame. With tiaras for the Coronation in 1902 and again for the Delhi Durbar in 1911, Cartier became synonymous with royalty from their late Majesties the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II to Diana with her Tank watch always on her wrist. The interwar years saw the creation of some of the most spectacular pieces in Paris, New York and London, each operating separately but passing gems between them for whichever market seemed best. The post war years with stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly, who became princess Grace of Monaco, confirmed Cartier as the jeweller to Royalty and the Stars.
Andrew Prince has had a passion for jewellery since he was a child. In fact his enthusiasm can be traced back to the time when, at the age of 3, he swallowed a pearl earring, having found his mother’s jewel box hidden in a cupboard.
Leaving school at the age of 16, he joined a Bond Street jewellers and his true education began. He developed a taste for jewellery that was valued more for the design and craftsmanship than for the value of the stones.
He started collecting vintage costume jewellery and soon after began creating his own pieces. British Vogue and Tatler featured his jewels in their magazines and he was then commissioned to make a large shoulder jewel for Michael Jackson as well as pieces for Shirley Bassey and others.
Film and TV work came in and he created many jewels for “The Young Victoria”, “Mrs Henderson Presents”, “Downton Abbey”, Disney’s “Cinderella”, “The Princess Switch” and even the Muppets, to name but a few.
Andrew is a respected lecturer on fashion and jewellery history and has spoken many times at the Victoria and Albert Museum amongst other places.
This lecture is kindly sponsored by Titan Wealth:
