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Property of a lady is all you get about the owner. In 1984 the owner's father commissioned Cartier to make this piece for his wife. I digress for a brief instant for this question: Is 1984 a long time ago or not? I remember that year as being the title of a book written about a distant future. And now it seems but a scant moment in a nearby past. Hey ... what's going on here?!!!
The piece took Cartier eight months to complete and was finally presented as a special gift in 1985. It was made to complement a bangle that had been purchased in Paris some ten years earlier.
During WW1 an American lady by the name of Elsie De Wolfe introduced the Panther motif in the world of interior fashion and soon became the darling decorator of the elite rich. Cartier ... quick of wit and keen of eye ...quickly recognized the power of our little kitty and quickly used it as an inspirational fount of creativity to be used for his jewelry. His first Panther creation was a wristwatch.
However--I know this is all a little dry folks ... but sometimes good stuff is. However ... it was Jeanne Toussaint ... close friend of Louis Cartier ... that gave the panther the iconic status it had at Cartier. She loved all things feline--a trait I might add that is to be admired--and was nicknamed by those who knew and loved her as "Panthère".
Not to get too pedantic ... and to keep this as short and sweet as I can ... I shall end this brief narrative with a short list of famous folks who loved Cat Jewelry. Let's see. There was the Duchess of Windsor who owned a Panther brooch. And there was the Princess Nina Aga Khan who owned a suite of Panther jewels. And there was Barbara Hutton who owned yellow diamond and onyx striped tigers not much unlike the necklace you are about to see and which was worth ... back in 1984 ... a measly $600,000. Don't know what that is in today's bucks folks ... but I bet it's a tad more.
Go take a look. Let me know what you think. I live for your reactions.
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