THE KING OF JEWELLERS

A new V&A exhibition unveils some of the most precious pieces ever to glitter in the collections of royalty and Hollywood legends

- ROSALIND POWELL

In April, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum will be transformed into an exquisite jewellery box filled with dazzling gemstones and glittering trinkets, in a new exhibition celebrating Cartier, the “jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”.

More than 350 sparkling objects – from rings to watches, from brooches to bracelets, and including hat pins, ornaments and clocks adorned with the rarest rubies, largest sapphires and most dazzling diamonds – will glitter in a series of rooms specially lit to show off their beauty.

The grand finale is a space containing 18 tiaras – the “crowning moment” of the exhibition, according to the museum’s senior jewellery curator Helen Molesworth, who tells us: “Every room has something exceptional in it.”

There are pieces that were owned by senior members of the royal family, from Queen Mary to Princess Margaret, as well as items worn by some of the world’s biggest stars, among them Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Kim Kardashian and Sir Elton John, who owned a 1920s art deco shoulder brooch covered in diamonds that is in the exhibition.

There are even a couple of watches lent by US rap star Tyler, the Creator, which, Helen says, “were a big coup for us to get”.

One of the first exhibits is a majestic tiara that once belonged to Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester, and which perfectly embodies Cartier’s international appeal, beautiful craftsmanship and social significance.

GIRL POWER

Established by Louis-François Cartier in 1847, the company developed into the first globally recognised jewellery house under his three grandsons. Consuelo commissioned the tiara – gold and silver with 1,500 diamonds – from it in 1903, following the death of her husband, and supplied many of the diamonds herself.