“When Jacques Cartier came for the Delhi Durbar in 1911 (to mark the coronation of King George V as King-Emperor of India), he had bought several gems, tiaras, jewellery and unique pieces. My grandfather Jean-Jacques Cartier, Jacques’s son, used to tell us that what surprised his father and, in some ways disappointed him, was that it was the men who was doing all the buying and for themselves! The men’s silver pocket watch was much in demand as the men from royal families wanted to be in fashion,” says Francesca Cartier Brickell, laughing as she narrates the incident.
It is anecdotal gems like this that make her book The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewellery Empire , which was released in India in January, a captivating read. Speaking to MetroPlus on the sidelines of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters in the city, Francesca talked about how the book came about.
Francesca’s great-grandfather was the youngest of the three brothers who made Cartier a synonym for high-end jewellery. To write about her family's history, she had to travel the paths her ancestor had covered nearly a 100 years ago and piece together the glittering success story of the brothers as they bought diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearls and more from all over the world.
Francesca Cartier Brickell going through archival photographs while researching for her book ‘The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewellery Empire’
“My grandad was not in the habit of throwing things out. So when we were talking about the past, I told him there must have been letters. He told me there were letters but they were all lost when he moved from UK to France after selling the business in 1970,” narrates the author. That is when serendipity gifted her an heirloom.
- One of the most famous and enduring innovation of Cartier was a wrist watch for men. “In those days, women wore wrist watches. Elizabeth I had one. But men wore pocket watches. They had to change that attitude of of men towards wrist watches. So they did something clever. They made a wrist watch for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. He wore the wrist watch designed by Louis Cartier and became a kind of brand ambassador for the men’s wrist watch,” Francesca narrates.
During her grandfather’s 90th birthday celebration at his house in France, Francesca was sent to the cellar to get a bottle of Champagne. Instead, what she stumbled upon was a treasure trove of memories in a battered trunk. “It was truly fortuitous because grandad was still alive. If I had discovered it later, I would not have been able to go through the letters with him. In this case, he was there to fill the gaps, to explain. It had letters written by my grandfather and his brothers. In a way, those epistles traced the growth of Cartier from a small shop in Paris into one of the most famous jewellery dealers in the world,” she explains.
The letters, telegrams, sketches and so on were the correspondence of four generations of her family and went back a 100 years. Francesca points out that It was the third generation that really made the firm a global presence. The three sons of Alfred Cartie were specialised in different fields: one was a creative genius, one was a bold entrepreneur and the youngest an expert in gems. “The letters are really moving. When they are really young, they are talking about building a business empire and then missives through the next decade is about how they made that dream come true. They are very human and depict the brothers’ affection for their father and for each other. When you read the letters, you read their thoughts. They had arguments, got excited and annoyed like any other people. Thanks to the letters, they came alive for me,” explains the author.
Talking about the link between the Cartiers and India, she says that since her grandfather’s father was the one who came to India, his house was full of Indian artefacts. In addition to precious gems from India, he also brought back rugs, tables, statues and more. “Our branch of the family has always had a close bond with India. I grew up hearing anecdotes about the Maharajas. For instance, the Nawab of Nawanagar (Jamnagar) was a client who became a close friend of grandpa’s (her great grandfather). He was part of the family and used to stay with them when he used to come to the UK and my great grandparents used to stay in his palace when they visited India. He had a big estate in Ireland because he loved fishing. My grandpa remembers going there,” she recounts.
Indian connection
The evidence of the deep bond between India and Cartier lay in the precious tiaras, neck pieces and jewellery they designed for the royal houses. In fact, it is estimated that the Indian connection ensured that the jewellery dealer was not hit by the wars and political turbulence in Europe or the Great Depression in the United States. He travelled to India several times during the years from 1910 to 1939.
The book written by Francesca Cartier Brickell
Two years ago she travelled to India and traced Jacques footsteps as he visited royal households in Baroda, Kapurthala, Patiala and so on. “It was surreal. When I went to Baroda, it was the same palace I had seen in photographs. I met the descendants and their families, showed them the snaps that Jacques had taken and they showed me pictures of the jewels he was talking to about. I also met descendant of jewellery dealers. While we can count four generations in the family business, here in India, it is like 10 and 14. It is amazing how their businesses stay in the family,” she says.
At the height of their fame, the Cartiers counted amongst their clients members of royal families, fashion divas, reigning stars and newly-minted millionaires. However, Francesca points out that while they had had a close relationship with their clients, her grandfather pointed out that “they never forgot they were salesmen. They never got too big for their boots. But it was a lot of work to be a good salesman. They kept a close watch on the social columns to find out what party was happening where, who was marrying who and who was having an affair. You had to know that the man had bought a piece of jewellery for his mistress and so you could not tell his wife, you had to be extremely discreet about it,” she elaborates.
For the author, it was also an opportunity to meet the craftsmen who made the famous pieces and interact with them. They told her about the hours of work that had gone into each piece and the hours that they had spent in training, with apprenticeship ranging from five to six years. “They had such pride and respect for their work. They felt honoured to work for the business. It was like an extended family,” she recalls.
She says she considers herself blessed to have got the opportunity to write about the family and the business. “I studied literature but went into finance. So I feel the stars were all aligned for me to write this book,” she muses.
