Transcendence Into the Sixth
The Cartier Sixieme Sens high jewellery collection functions as your personal playground to explore dimension, emotion and enigma
Exploring dimension and emotion in Cartier’s enigmatic pieces
Nobody revolutionises expressions of jewellery quite like Cartier. A virtuoso in breaking boundaries, the new Cartier Sixieme Sens collection explores the brilliantly intangible sixth sense. The seven pieces of this collection are avant-garde in every way: daring, unconventional and unexpected.
While this labyrinthine collection is a visual feast, its central essence is surprisingly simple: everything starts with the stone. “The encounter with a stone is a magical moment full of emotions that moves and delights us,” says Jacqueline Karachi, director of the Cartier High Jewellery Creation Studio. She divulges the process of selecting the very jewels that heralded all seven pieces, meticulously selecting each gem according to its energy, elegance and charm. All Cartier gemmologists must feel moved by the jewel’s innate poetry before the gems are declared Cartier. “The stone is like a work of art in itself. Each stone bears witness to the genesis of its creation,” says Karachi, her passion for these jewels glimmering in the very same way.
“Out of all creative expressions of artistic dimension, jewellery is the one that is closest to the person,” says Cartier’s Image, Style and Heritage director, Pierre Rainero, in a savoir faire tête-àtête with actress Golshifteh Farahani. Rainero emphasises on the intimacy of jewellery and revels in the way the jewels come alive when they touch skin. Her adoration for this collection as clear as day, Farahani agrees, “That in itself is so beautiful!”
Exploring beauty, form and art in three dimensions ground the unique pieces of Sixieme Sens. “The pieces precisely play with the effects of light,” says Rainero. The designs contrast the classic fine art of trompe-l’oeil with contemporary geometry to create hypnotic necklaces that seem to glisten with perpetual movement. Quivering with mystery not unlike an optical illusion, the emotional allure of these necklaces and rings are impossible to resist.”
Rainero gushes over the details of the Meride necklace: “The mirror-polished onyx reflects brilliant light, reciprocating the illumination onto the diamonds.” The design is clever in its use of planes: the gems sit on different levels and create an enigmatic illusion. The expertise of the maison reveals itself in the flexibility and fluidity of the pieces. Amidst the playful complexities of the necklace, “the eye gets lost,” Rainero says.
This state of being lost in wonder makes way for an emotional awakening of the sixth sense, the heart yearning to solve the jewellery’s deepest secrets.
“Each stone bears witness to the genesis of its creation”
From left: Playful and robust, each pink-hued jewel of the Sharkara necklace is reminiscent of sweet, succulent berries; Farahani puts the elegance of the diamond Coruscant necklace in dazzling motion; the Alaxoa necklace is an indulgent galore of emeralds, all selected and arranged with meticulous care to construct harmony within symmetry; the striking motifs of gold, black and crystal of the Pixelage necklace honour the spots of Cartier’s beloved panther
And despite triumphant revolutions in high jewellery design, Cartier still encounters inspiration in the classics: The Pixelage necklace is reminiscent of Cartier’s beloved Panther icon, ushering feline regality. “It’s these three topazes together that inspired the shape and design of the necklace,” says Rainero. Hand in hand with a ferocious feline spirit is the spirit of vitality, best embodied by the stunning Phaan ring. The complexity of this piece lies in how Cartier designers sought to enhance the already staggering beauty of its remarkable ruby. Karachi reveals, “This is how the magic works: the light filters to the heart of the piece and reveals the unexpected presence of a cushion-shaped rose-cut diamond. An illusion plays between this diamond that gives depth and intensity to the ruby’s colour, fooling our senses.”