Talismans are deeply personal items, and it is not customary to share them with others. The exception to the rule is the jewelry industry, whose famous representatives share their iconic symbols with the whole world.
Each major jewelry house has its own talismans. Many of the brand symbols have turned into truly iconic jewels that do not lose their relevance today. Some of the brightest are the Cartier panther, Van Cleef & Arpels quatrefoil and Chanel camellia.
Mascot Cartier - panther
A symbol of freedom and independence, feminine strength and magnetism, the panther became the mascot of the French jewelry house Cartier in 1914. And almost immediately acquired the status of the "aesthetic code" of the company.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the main symbolic meaning of the panther was fearlessness. A stylized image of an animal was used to decorate powder boxes, cigarette cases, caskets and handbags. A little later, the panther appeared on jewelry and watches.
The first piece of Cartier jewelry based on the brand's mascot was a watch with a black and white ornament of onyx and diamonds in the form of a spotted panther skin.
In 1925, the author of a series of illustrations for the book "Mowgli" Paul Jouvet created an iconic sketch of a wild cat for the brand, which began to appear on a wide variety of company products.
In the 30s, Jeanne Toussaint, the head of the brand's jewelry direction, who was dubbed the "Magnificent Panther" in Parisian society, took up the potential of the panther sign. Thanks to Toussaint's brilliant work, Cartier has been creating PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER jewelry and accessories for over a century.
At the beginning of its jewelry journey, the mascot of the Cartier brand had a flat design, but in the middle of the 20th century, the panther became voluminous. The first such decoration was created for Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. The precious brooch was a three-dimensional golden panther sitting on a large emerald.
A year later, the series of brooches was continued with a decoration with a wild cat on a sapphire cabochon. The third adornment of the collection was a crouching panther with onyx and diamonds.
In 2014, Cartier celebrated the centenary of the PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER line with a series of 26 hermetic rings, bracelets and necklaces, united by the brand's modernized talisman.
The line of precious panthers continues to grow year by year, helping courageous and independent women to loudly declare their individuality.
The quatrefoil is a symbol of happiness and good luck Van Cleef & Arpels
The main source of inspiration for the French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels was and remains the beauty of the surrounding nature. This is probably why the four-leaf clover has become the company's talisman, a symbol of good luck and happiness.
Alfred Van Cleef was inspired to create the brand's symbol by his nephew, Jacques Arpels, who presented the company's employees with a four-leaf clover picked in the garden as good luck charms. These symbolic gifts prompted the jewelry house to start developing jewelry in the form of a quatrefoil.
Despite the fact that the first sketches of precious talismans were made in the 20s, clover motifs turned into a full-fledged jewelry collection only in 1968. It was then that the cult sautoir jewelry series Alhambra in yellow gold framed with gold beads.
This collection also includes earrings, rings and bracelets, the design of which perfectly matched the tastes of the post-war era. These jewelry became a breakthrough in the jewelry fashion of the second half of the 20th century. They pushed the heavy jewelery meant for lush evening dresses out of shop windows, becoming a vivid example of a versatile, elegant and minimalist piece of jewelry that is relevant to any wardrobe.
“Man is the creator of his own happiness,” this phrase became the motto of the Alhambra jewelry series, which was intended to remind people that luck is man-made and smiles at everyone on one or another part of the life path.
Since its first appearance, the Alhambra collection has been constantly updated with new designs and materials. In 1971, the golden clover was diluted with inserts of malachite and lapis lazuli. Further, the collection of inlays was replenished with coral, onyx, turquoise, tiger's eye, mother-of-pearl, carnelian, blue agate and rock crystal.
In 2018, the precious Van Cleef & Arpels quatrefoils turned half a century old. For the anniversary, the brand created a collection of "vintage" jewelry talismans with lapis lazuli, crystal and gray mother-of-pearl.
Symbolic camellia CHANEL
Rose without thorns, camellia - the main mascot of the French fashion house CHANEL. According to legend, camellia flowers are beauties with a cold heart, who were turned into plants in a fit of anger by the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite because the girls did not open their hearts to the god Amur.
The ancient symbolism of the white camellia was close to the creator of the brand, Coco Chanel, but she appreciated this flower, first of all, for its incredible durability, because it blooms under any circumstances, even in winter.
The camellia became the official symbol of the CHANEL brand in 1923. There is a version that for the first time the head of the company became interested in this flower after reading the novel by Alexandre Dumas "The Lady of the Camellias".
Later, the white camellia became associated with Chanel as a symbol of loss, because it was the first flower that she received as a gift from a loved one who died in a car accident. However, a strong woman stepped over the grief and made the sign of the white camellia desired by millions of women.
Since the 20s, Coco Chanel began to actively include camellia in her collections. For this talisman, their own jewelry line, Camelia, was also allocated.
In 2019, the brand introduced to the world a new jewelry line '1.5 1 CAMÉLIA. 5 ALLURE' inspired by the beautiful white flower. The collection, whose main motive is the stylized mascot of the company, includes earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches and necklaces made of yellow and white gold with colorless diamonds, pink sapphires, bright red rubies and pearls.
Camellia is the most recognizable symbol of Chanel, it is called the "strong icon" of the brand, and it is present in all collections of clothes and accessories of the fashion house.
Talismans of large jewelry houses keep not only the well-being of their owners, but also the aesthetics of high jewelry art.
