Cartier's latest high jewelry collection gets back to nature

Cartier presented its new high jewelry collection, “Sur-Naturel,” recently in Shanghai, revealing a "nature that is more than nature" and fleeing from reality’s constraints with more than 500 pieces made from precious, archaic, beautiful and mysterious gemstones.

It is the first time the brand has released its latest global high jewelry series in Shanghai.

The jewelers have intensified the stones’ evocative powers, blending wilderness with fantasy. Diamonds, emeralds and sapphires are combined with opal and kunzite, coral and aquamarine, beryl and quartz. As a result, the stones show off their transparency and depth.

Natural scenes such as the Ganges of India, the sunset in Santorini, Scandinavian bays and the cherry blossoms under  Fujiyama are all epitomized in the gemstones, a tribute to the mighty nature.

The necklace SINOPÉ, inspired by water and the way it moves, is a creation of sapphires and diamonds, with an organic and supple shape. The curves and counter-curves capture the crystal-clear quality of water as ice or rippling waves.

The necklace features five oval-shaped sapphires from Madagascar, totaling 8.55, 8.40, 8.14, 7.23 and 6.88 karats. These stones are collated based on color, crystallization and their beautiful "medium cornflower blue" color. Some barely visible inclusions are testament to natural quality. The lapis lazuli edge is a stroke of gem-cutting mastery, as cutting hard stones into tiny curved pieces is delicate work. One wrong move can cause the material to break.

Ti Gong

The ORPHEIS necklace, in a stylized serpentine design, boldly captures a snake's scales and accumulating rings. The jewelers have designed it in such a way that the diamonds overlap in a staggered pattern, creating a snakeskin effect. The onyx-stone triangles evoke the creature's dorsal ridge, providing symmetry, perspective and movement.

The stone in the middle is a Zambian emerald totaling 53.94 karats, made remarkable by its ridge and rare shape: a rectangular cabochon with rounded sides. Its unique shape evokes the head of the snake, the source of inspiration behind the design. Boasting an intense blue-green color with hints of gray, it appears beautifully crystallized.

Ti Gong

The PANTHÈRE Tropicale wristwatch is a newcomer to the Cartier's menagerie. This hybrid piece lies somewhere between animal and organic.

The powerful contrast of colors and materials, and boldly graphic rendering give birth to a new creature at Cartier, a hybrid made of gold and coral, speckled with onyx stones and diamonds.

The size of the coral in this bracelet is a feat in itself. This ultra-delicate and organic material is gadrooned to make it even more exquisite. The gem-cutting process gives the material grooves and raised lines. One mistake, and the material cracks.

Ti Gong