In The Abstract

Nature has played muse to haute joaillerie for centuries. So how does one channel a time-revered inspiration into creations that bring freshness to the metier? Jacqueline Karachi-Langane, Creative Director for Cartier Prestige, walks Charmaine Ho through the process with the Maison’s [SUR]naturel high jewellery collection

The world in which Cartier’s [SUR]naturel collection launched was inconceivably different from the one in which it was conceptualised. When the high jewellery collection was unveiled at the start of July 2020 (during Paris Haute Couture Week), the globe was adjusting to being in lockdown while Singapore stepped gingerly out of its circuit breaker. But if there’s one thing that can be gleaned from the reaction to [SUR]naturel, it’s that the desire and demand for craftsmanship and beauty will always have a place in society. (By the time BAZAAR’s live digital presentation took place on 9 July, several of the pieces had already found their forever homes).

Comprising 93 creations that look to Mother Nature for inspiration, the collection presents designs that range from the figurative to the abstract, with a visual stream of consciousness that shows the Maison’s confidence and mastery over the theme. “Cartier has put forth a robust interpretation of nature from its very beginning,” says Cartier’s Creative Director for Cartier Prestige Jacqueline Karachi- Langane, who joined the brand as a jewellery designer in 1982 before moving up the ranks to helm its fine jewellery, exceptional objects and fine jewellery watches today. “There has always been something fundamental about the way Cartier represents nature: It should never be taken at face value; it is always reflective and never literal. There has always been a desire to say more, make something unique to Cartier, tell a story and present ideas that fuel the imagination— now more than ever,” she says.

What is the driving force behind [SUR]naturel?