For the first time in thirty years, Cartier has its day at the V&A with an extensive exhibition celebrating the jewelry house’s revered craftsmanship.
Tiaras have served as a representation—a physical manifestation—of the regality and glamour of monarchy and aristocracy since time immemorial. Harkening back to the headdresses of the Egyptian pharaohs and the laurels of the Roman Empire, these gem-encrusted headpieces announce, celebrate, and dignify the very heads of heads of state, cultural icons, leading members of polite society, and the ruling class. However, placing these fine diadems upon regal heads is not the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury, but Maison Cartier, globally recognized as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers.”
With their crisp-cut precious stones, intricate designs, and a glittering barrage of color set against cool silvers and warm golds, the bandeaus, brooches, and other divine creations of the French jeweler have served a greater ideal since its founding in 1847. For those born outside palaces and dynasties, this ideal comes with a chilly exclusivity, but it also gives us something loftier to aspire to. Between 12 April and 16 November 2025 at London’s V&A Museum, visitors can experience these wearable works of art up close, reflecting against our necks, wrists, and heads in an accessible royal fantasy. In finding the proper home for this exhibition, curators Helen Molesworth and Rachel Garrahan remarked that, “[with] its world-class jewellery collection, the V&A is the perfect stage to celebrate the pioneering achievements of Cartier and its transformative ability to remain at the centre of culture and creativity for more than a century.”
The V&A exhibition features over 350 treasures in the first comprehensive celebration of Cartier finery that the U.K. has seen in thirty years. Among them is the 1902 Garland Style Scroll tiara, which was worn to one queen’s coronation: Elizabeth II’s in 1952, by Clementine Churchill. It later crowned the head of another, pop icon Rihanna for W Magazine in 2016. On loan from the Monaco Princely Palace Collection is the engagement ring of Grace Kelly, Princess of Golden Age Hollywood and later Monaco, a 10.48-carat diamond ring that she wore in her final foray into cinema, 1956’s High Society. Several displayed items are on loan from the Royal Collection, courtesy of King Charles III. That said, there is something almost egalitarian beneath these famous jewels. The promised grandeur bridges the gap between hereditary and pop culture royalty: whether you are heir to a throne or hold the coveted No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, you can crown your glory with Cartier.
An exhibition of this breadth offers more than tiaras and other royal regalia; some of the house’s most striking and avant-garde creations lie in their smaller pieces. A particular item of note is 1967’s Crash Wristwatch, made by Wright & Davies for Cartier London. With a gold-lined bezel warped like a melting candle, the numerals wonky and distended, the instantly recognizable piece resembles a Salvador Dali painting. Cartier conjures ancient Egypt with Art Deco sensibilities in its 1925 Scarab Brooch, designed by Nils Herrmann and featuring an impressive array of inlaid rubies, emeralds, citrine, and diamonds surrounding blue-glazed Egyptian faience.
Asif Khan, MBE, the architect and artist who designed the exhibition, sees a harmony and unity in the jewels displayed: “I wanted our collaboration to be a dreamscape where art and science converge, with Cartier’s pieces suspended in light, time, and sound, allowing history to breathe and the future to linger.” The magic of Cartier is not simply drawing attention to one’s wealth, style, or social status. These jewels represent a rich tapestry of history, art, culture, and science. The exhibition blends family history—the story of an upstart group of brothers and how they transformed their family name into a lasting cypher of elegance—with an artistic journey through changing stylistic mores, exemplified by the Edwardian sophistication of the 1903 Manchester Tiara to the Art Deco modernism of Cartier London’s 1937 Aquamarine Tiara. With this diverse array of treasures, there is something to delight every visitor’s aesthetic senses.
All imagery courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum. The exhibition Cartier runs at Victoria & Albert Museum, London, from 12 April 2025 – 16 November 2025.
Homepage image Grace Kelly in Sunset Boulevard Corbis via Getty Images. Inside images left to right, Tiara, Cartier London, 1937. Aquamarine, diamonds and platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier, Patiala Necklace, Cartier Paris, 1928, Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier and Bandeau in Tutti Frutti style, English Art Works for Cartier London, 1928, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and platinum.
