The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire by Francesca Cartier Brickell

Author:Francesca Cartier Brickell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: history, biography
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2019-11-26T05:00:00+00:00

A CONNOISSEUR’S DREAM

By the end of 1931, Jacques and Nelly were back in the comfort of Milton Heath, suitcases filled with Indian gifts for the children. It had been a volatile year, with Harjes being so ill and also from a business perspective, as Cartier London had struggled with the repercussions of the American financial crisis. In August, as Jacques learned he had been awarded the Légion d’Honneur, the British government had collapsed, sending the economy into a tailspin. By autumn, Britain had been forced to abandon the gold standard, with devastating effects on the currency. The price of imports had skyrocketed, and Jacques had feared for his firm’s future. Thankfully, by year end, it wasn’t looking quite as dire. There was no getting away from the ripple effects of the American Depression, but the recent election of the MacDonald national coalition in England promised short-term stability.

Against such a difficult backdrop, the trip to India had been a welcome respite. As Jacques had suspected, his Indian clients were largely unaffected by the economic crisis that was sweeping the West and saw no reason to rein in their spending. Already that year, Cartier had completed several important commissions from maharajas, including a fantastic ruby necklace for the Maharaja of Patiala and, most significant for Jacques, a colored diamond necklace for Ranji, the Maharaja of Nawanagar.

Ever since his 1927 trip to the palace of Nawanagar, when Jacques had sold Ranji the emerald necklace, the two men had been musing over the idea of creating a truly exceptional diamond necklace together. With Jacques’ design expertise and Ranji’s means to buy the best gemstones, it would be, they envisaged, like nothing else. They had made a start in 1929, but it had taken many months to track down some of the best quality white and fancy-colored diamonds in the world. Before purchasing each important gemstone, Jacques would check with Ranji that his client was in agreement. In the instance of the most important diamond of all, Ranji sought multiple opinions from experts before making up his mind.

One such expert was the diamond dealer Albert Monnickendam, who visited the Maharaja at his English house. After luncheon, Monnickendam was asked to accompany the Maharaja into a large room flooded with northern light, where a servant extracted from a safe a large gold jewelry box.

His Highness asked me to sit near him and to my amazement opened the lid of the box and took out a magnificent diamond of about 130 carats set in a pendant. He placed it in my hands asking, “What do you think of this?” On examination I found the stone to be absolutely perfect, of the finest color and quality. Whilst I was examining the diamond, I felt the Maharaja’s eyes continually watching me, and when I looked up there was an expression of pleasure and hope on his face. It was obvious he was greatly fascinated by the stone. When I was asked its value, I put it at approximately £250,000, though no true market price can be given for such a stone.

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