Cartier and America

Today my mom and I headed into San Francisco to see the Cartier and America exhibition at the Legion of Honor. Here's the press release for the event:

Cartier and America covers the history of the House of Cartier from its first great successes as the “king of jewelers and jeweler to kings” during the Belle Epoque through to the 1960s and 1970s, when Cartier supplied celebrities of the day with their jewels and luxury accessories. Derived mainly from the private Cartier Collection housed in Geneva, the spectacular array of more than 200 objects includes jewelry of the Gilded Age and Art Deco periods, as well as freestanding works of art such as the famous Mystery Clocks. With an extensive variety of jewelry forms—ranging from traditional white diamond suites to the highly colored exotic creations of the 1920s and 1930s—Cartier made its mark with the ingenuity of its designs and its exquisite craftsmanship.

The exhibition was fantastic with some pretty amazing pieces of jewelry on display. Besides those from the ultra elite of the early 1900s, they had small jewelry collections from the Duchess of Windsor, Grace Kelly (including her 10 carat diamond engagement ring), and Elizabeth Taylor. One thing I found interesting was the versatility of many pieces, which could be worn as necklaces, multiple bracelets or in other configurations. Some people even had their jewelry redesigned over the years to reflect the times. If you are in San Francisco you should definitely check out Cartier and America, which is on through April 2010.