Deepika Padukone as global ambassador for Cartier makes a stunning debut in her first-ever campaign for the legacy house

Florence in Tuscany, a city that has always been an opulent celebration of culture, architecture and art, served as an apt backdrop for the unveiling of Cartier’s high jewellery 2023 collection—Le Voyage Recommencé, which is all about paying homage to the Maison’s creative journey through its legacy that spans over 175 years, and giving it a new, fresh spin. 

Deepika Padukone, who became one of Cartier’s global brand ambassadors last year, is the face of the new High Jewellery campaign along with French actors Pom Klementieff and Stéphane Bak. Recently, she was spotted wearing a statement Cartier necklace featuring a pear-shaped yellow diamond at the Oscars this year, which she matched with a diamond bracelet and ring. 

Jacqueline Karachi, director of High Jewellery at Cartier summed up the French luxury giant’s artistic vision perfectly—“(this collection is) a journey back to the heart of Cartier creation, an uninterrupted story being told over time.” 

For the launch, the brand brought the who’s who of the fashion industry under one roof at the lush Giardino Corsini location in Florence—Cartier’s global ambassadors Elle Fanning and Vanessa Kirby were in attendance, among others.

The new High Jewellery collection, 'Le Voyage Recommencé' has been launched with 90 never-seen-before pieces, and finds inspiration in everything from its emblem the panther, to Islamic art and architecture. 

We take a closer look at some of our favourites from the collection. 

Sama necklace

In this piece, drama unfolds around the striking 19.27 carat Ceylon sapphire in the form of swirling curves of diamonds. The design, which gives the impression of jewellery in motion, was created using Computer Aided Design (CAD) to get every swirl just right.  

Panthère Givrée necklace

The panther has long been an iconic emblem of Cartier—it started with Louis Cartier using the animal’s spotted motif to decorate a platinum, diamond, and onyx watch in 1914, leading to the feline’s popularity in the jewellery world. In this necklace, the panther’s head has been replicated realistically down to the last detail—from the tip of its nose to emerald eyes and pointed ears.  Its coat is spotted with onyx, with a set of three aquamarines completing the necklace. 

Girih necklace

Louis Cartier discovered the "Islamic arts" exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1903, which led to a long-standing presence of Islamic inspired geometric motifs, arabesques, and peacock motifs in the brand’s pieces. The peacock motif in particular, which brought two bold colours blue and green together, became a Cartier signature over the decades. 
The Girih necklace is an ode to that, featuring emeralds from Zambia along with turquises cut to measure. The central pendant, which is detachable from the piece, can be worn on its own. 

The Claustra necklace and Ondule ring

Other notable pieces from the collection include—Claustra necklace and ondule ring. The neckpiece can be split into two, and features the iconic combination of black and white through onyx, platinum and diamonds. The ondule ring on the other hand is crafted with white gold and diamond, however, it’s the stunning purple 0.92-carat grey-violet diamond at the centre of the ring that steals the show.

The Unda and Voltea Sets

In addition to the one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces in the High Jewellery collection, there are two sets that have been specially crafted for the occasion too. The Unda set comprises of a necklace, a pair of earrings, a ring and a bracelet all featuring emeralds and dazzling white diamonds, while the Voltea set has a trio of diamond pavé necklace, earrings and ring in the Maison’s classic colour combo—red and black.