FAMILY SECRETS

The discovery of a battered trunk in the cellar of her grandfather’s house in the south of France – filled with old documents and correspondence – led FRANCESCA CARTIER BRICKELL on a 10-year journey of discovery. FRANÇOIS OOSTHUIZEN speaks to her about her book, The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire

- FRANCOIS OOSTHUIZEN

First published by Ballantine Books in 2019 (hardback) and last year as a paperback, the story of the family behind the jewellery empire is a captivating tale filled with intrigue, drama, and fascination – all the more significant since it is told by the granddaughter of Jean-Jacques Cartier. Ten years of Francesca Cartier Brickell’s life went into researching and writing the book. It was an experience that would reveal never-before-published details about the family behind the global jewellery dynasty, but also give Francesca a deeper understanding of her own roots.

The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire offers a behind-the-scenes look at the French maison’s most iconic jewellery – the notoriously cursed Hope Diamond, the Romanov emeralds, the classic panther pieces – and the long line of stars from the worlds of fashion, film, and royalty who wore them. It is also a compelling family story. It tells of Louis Cartier, the visionary designer who created the first men’s wristwatch to help an aviator friend tell the time without taking his hands off the controls of his flying machine, and Pierre Cartier, the master dealmaker who bought the New York headquarters on Fifth Avenue for a double-stranded natural pearl necklace. And Jacques Cartier, the globe-trotting gemstone expert whose travels to India gave Cartier access to the world’s best rubies, emeralds and sapphires, inspiring the celebrated Tutti Frutti jewellery.

What was it like growing up in such a famous family, and did the status of the family name also bring along certain expectations to live up to?