A huge and absolutely bling-filled exhibition on the history of the luxury jewellers Cartier will open at the Victoria and Albert Museum in April 2025.
Through over 350 objects, the Cartier exhibition promises to chart the evolution of the jewellery house's legacy, and to show how it went from modest beginnings in Paris in 1847 to a global super-brand.
Visitors will see precious jewels, historic gemstones, and iconic watches and clocks. These will include works lent by His Majesty The King from the Royal Collection, and special items from the Cartier archives. And as it's a V&A blockbuster show, there'll also be loans from major UK and international museums, and private collections.
The survey will be the first major exhibition in three decades dedicated to Cartier.
While the show will highlight the art, design and craftsmanship of Cartier pieces, the story of the jeweller is also the enormous global brand it built up over decades. They successfully crafted a status as the most desirable jewellery pieces in the world, and projected that wearing a Cartier piece was a symbol of success. They did this in part through their famous fans, and so well-known wearers such HM Queen Elizabeth II and pop-superstar Rhianna are also part of the exhibition's narrative.
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Some of the most eye-catching items going on show will include Grace Kelly’s engagement ring from 1956, a rose clip brooch from 1938 that was worn by Princess Margaret at her sister’s coronation, and the spectacular and opulent Manchester Tiara.
The tiara — from the V&A collection — was made in 1903 for the Dowager Duchess of Manchester and it features over a thousand brilliant-cut diamonds and more than 400 rose-cut diamonds.
Cartier was founded in 1847 when Louis-François Cartier, a 28-year-old apprentice jeweller, took over his master’s modest workshop in Paris. Located on Rue Montorgueil, the business catered to a small but growing bourgeois clientele in the bustling French capital. It quickly gained a reputation for fine craftsmanship.
Louis-François Cartier may have founded the business, but it was his ambitious grandsons —Louis, Pierre, and Jacques — who transformed Cartier into a global powerhouse. Each brother took on a strategic role in expanding the brand’s reach and reputation around the turn of the last century.
"This exhibition will explore how Louis, Pierre and Jacques Cartier, together with their father Alfred, adopted a strategy of original design, exceptional craftsmanship and international expansion that transformed the Parisian family jeweller into a household name" the Cartier exhibition curators said when announcing the exhibition.
Helen Molesworth and Rachel Garrahan added that they were "excited to be able to share with visitors some of Cartier’s most famous creations as well as revealing previously unseen objects and archive material that further enriches our understanding of a jewellery house that continues to influence the way we adorn ourselves today.”
Cartier exhibition tickets
A limited number of tickets for Cartier at the Victoria and Albert Museum went on sale in December 2024 — but they quickly sold out. The rest of the tickets are expected to be released early in 2025, and will be priced at £27 for adults.
A brand new Cartier book will also be released to accompany the exhibition. It'll be published in March 2025 but is available for pre-order now.
This show will definitely be popular, but so will the other 2025 exhibitions at the V&A. They include a fascinating-sounding survey of the style of Queen Marie Antoinette.
Cartier runs at V&A South Kensington in London from 12 April 2025 until 16 November 2025