pictures courtesy of NGV and Cartier
phrases by style journal
Prepare to be dazzled.
Today, the National Gallery of Victoria has unveiled its Winter Masterpieces presentation, Cartierthe largest exhibition on the worldwide jewellery home ever staged in Australia.
Coming direct from London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and opening completely in Melbourne at NGV International on 12 June 2026, the exhibition explores Cartier’s world-renowned design and craftsmanship by way of a blinding collection of over 300 jewels, necklaces, tiaras, brooches and extra, owned and worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Rihanna, Princess Margaret and The Duchess of Windsor.
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The exhibition charts the evolution and inventive legacy of the jewellery home, together with its transformation on the flip of the 20th century by brothers Louis, Pierre and Jacques Cartier, grandsons of the home’s founder Louis-François Cartier. With an enviable consumer listing of royalty and aristocracy, Cartier was described as ‘the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers’ by King Edward VII, who granted his Royal Warrant in 1904. Cartier’s fame later broadened thanks to the devotion of main creatives from the worlds of cinema, music and style.
A serious spotlight of the exhibition can be a show of greater than 20 beautifully-crafted tiaras, together with Cartier’s celebrated Scroll tiara (1902), crafted in the home’s signature ‘Garland style’ and worn by Clementine Churchill on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and by Rihanna on the quilt of W journal in 2016.
Others embody the Sun tiara of 1907 with a 32-carat fancy intense yellow diamond in its centre and the Art Deco diamond and platinum Halo tiara of 1934, which was impressed by historical Egypt and owned by Her Highness the Begum Aga Khan III.
The exhibition features a 1951 necklace gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by her third husband and movie producer, Mike Todd, whereas on vacation within the French Riviera in 1957. The necklace contains a geometric latticework design of diamonds that showcase seven Burmese rubies, distinctive for his or her measurement and matching color. Taylor herself described the necklace as ‘like the sun – lit up and made of red fire.’
The exhibition additionally focuses on Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, who was an early consumer of Cartier when the agency was turning into recognized internationally for its ‘Garland style’ jewels, typically that includes floral swags and bows wrought in platinum and valuable gems. Pierre Cartier was a fan of Dame Nellie, and a signed 1902 {photograph} of Melba, as soon as owned by Pierre, will characteristic within the exhibition together with necklaces and bodice ornaments that the world-famous opera singer owned and wore each on and off the stage.
On show can be an intricate diamond rose clip brooch (1938) worn by Princess Margaret at her sister’s coronation, in addition to a serious collection of distinctive jewels belonging to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor and spouse of former King Edward VIII. These embody her well-known Flamingo brooch (1947), a unprecedented Bib necklace encrusted with diamonds, amethysts and turquoise, and her 1949 Panther sapphire clip brooch which options a formidable 152.35-carats Kashmir cabochon sapphire.
Named for his or her vibrant use of rubies, emeralds and blue sapphires, a wealthy collection of Cartier’s iconic Tutti Frutti jewels can even characteristic. Additionally, there can be a standout collection of Cartier timepieces that showcase the jeweller’s industry-leading improvements in watchmaking, alongside a collection of modern works that includes Australian opals.
The never-before-seen exhibition design is a collaboration between the NGV, Studio Sabine Marcelis and Cloud, two multidisciplinary design practices primarily based in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The exhibition design can be impressed by color, gentle and materiality, three components which might be synonymous with the aesthetic qualities of Cartier’s jewellery. The exhibition design will mirror Cartier’s expansive community of cultural and gemological sources that encourage their jewellery creations.
The Cartier exhibition can be on show at NGV International from June 12 to October 4 2026. For data and tickets, head to the right here.