The Cartier Sardine Necklace and Today’s Google Doodle
The Cartier Sardine Necklace and Today’s Google Doodle
The necklace that Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and all the other Ocean 8 heroines are wearing is actually a replica of a historic design from the French jewellery house Cartier. It was reworked specially for the movie.
The Udyana necklace, a one-of-a-kind creation that takes its name from the Sanskrit word for garden, features ribbed and gadrooned emerald balls set with rubies and engraved emeralds. It is a tribute to Indian expertise in cut and engraved precious stones, which inspired the workshops at Cartier.
Trinity for Chitose Abe of Sacai
Chitose Abe, a Japanese designer and businesswoman, is known for her innovative approach to design. She has a history of hybridizing casual sportswear with elevated tailoring, and her label sacai is a prime example.
After eight years of work under Junya Watanabe, she launched her own label sacai in 1999 and quickly became a name to know. Her eponymous label is a play on her surname (which means “she reimagined”), and it has been the basis for a long list of successful collaborations with a host of well-known brands including APC, Lacoste, Petit Bateau, Birkenstock, Uggs and Nike.
Abe is an entrepreneur at heart, and her business acumen has helped her to grow Sacai into a multi-label empire that continues to surprise and excite with every collection. She has built her empire by teaming up with a wide range of established labels, but she has also taken a more personal approach to collaboration.
Cartier’s Trinity rings have always been popular, but the maison is reimagining them in a series of bold new iterations with help from Abe. Each of the six-piece jewelry collections, based on the three interlaced yellow, rose and white gold bands of the original Trinity, is a one-of-a-kind creation.
The new designs, all made in Cartier’s Parisian studio, alter the scale and proportion of the classic Trinity ring. The single band in bracelets is blown up over the arm, while rings and earrings stretch over several fingers.
As a result, the jewels look like they’ve been lifted directly from the original Trinity ring, but they’re made of 18-karat yellow, rose and white gold and have a more feminine feel. The pinky ring, for instance, has been fashioned to resemble a flower.
Originally created in 1924, Cartier’s Trinity rings have been worn by some of the most famous fashion icons of the 20th century, including Jean Cocteau and Grace Kelly. The three colors represent different qualities, with the white symbolizing friendship, the rose representing love and the yellow representing loyalty.
Cartier is a luxury jewelry brand that prides itself on pursuing partnerships with artists and creatives, so it was no surprise when Abe approached the Maison for a reimagining of its iconic Trinity rings. The end result is nothing short of breathtaking.
Trinity for Alberto Santos-Dumont
When it comes to Brazilian aeronautical pioneers, few have left their mark on the world like Alberto Santos-Dumont. The dapper man’s name is synonymous with dirigible flight and his flamboyant style has a place in many of the country’s monuments, streets, avenues, schools, and cafes.
Born in 1873 in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Santos-Dumont grew up on a coffee plantation where he was fascinated by machinery. He was a big fan of Jules Verne’s novels and learned to drive the steam tractors and locomotive used on the family farm.
At the age of seventeen, he moved to Paris and started studying in physics, chemistry, mechanics, and electricity with a private tutor. He was also introduced to the automobile.
During his studies, he developed a love for the air and wanted to learn how to pilot a balloon. He was so excited that he built a small balloon, the Bresil, and began to make test flights with Alexis Machuron.
When he returned to Paris, his fame had spread throughout the city. He won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize for the first flight from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than 30 minutes.
After this success, he designed several other aircraft. He also popularized the wristwatch, a device that was still in its infancy at the time. He always carried his Cartier wristwatch, which he used to keep track of his flight times.
In 1904, Santos-Dumont complained to his friend Louis Cartier about the difficulty of checking his pocket watch while flying. Cartier solved the problem by designing a leather-strapped wristwatch that allowed him to check his time while keeping both hands on the airplane controls.
The result is a beautiful piece of jewelry that was created to commemorate Santos-Dumont’s achievement and his pioneering work in aviation. It is also a reminder that no matter how great our accomplishments may be, we must never forget the people who helped us along the way.
Santos-Dumont’s life was full of whimsy and excitement, but it was also plagued with tragedy. He suffered from multiple sclerosis and was depressed over the fact that his inventions were being used in warfare. This caused him to commit suicide in July 1932.
Trinity for Wallis Simpson
Despite the fact that Meghan Markle and Harry have just married, a dark echo of history is lurking around their new home, Frogmore Cottage. It’s a reminder of Wallis Simpson, a woman who became a royal duchess whose reputation as a gold-digger, a Nazi sympathizer and a cold, ambitious bitch is still a source of derision in British society today.
She was a socialite with two husbands before she met Edward, Duke of Windsor, at a party and soon became his mistress. Their affair was a scandal, and a national one. It led to a rift between Bertie and Edward, who were once close. And it forced Edward to abdicate so he could marry her and assume the title of Duke of Windsor, which he did.
At the time of her marriage to Edward, Wallis had already been divorced twice and was considered unsuitable as a potential royal bride. The Church of England had previously decreed that a divorced person couldn’t be King, and Wallis would have been socially unacceptable to many people in British society. She spent the next few years in exile, primarily in France, until she died in 1986.
While her first marriage to Earl Winfield Spencer was strained by his heavy drinking and depression, Wallis’s second husband Ernest Aldrich Simpson was a shipping magnate who was also a well-connected American subject. He divorced his wife and married Wallis in July 1928.
The couple had three children: Eleanor, Ernest and William. After her husband’s death in 1972, she went into seclusion, living alone at Frogmore House, her mother’s former home.
Aside from the family business, which remained profitable after the Great Depression, Wallis’s other sources of income were her social activities and occasional charity work. She was a regular contributor to the National Council of Women and an active member of the Royal Freemasons.
In addition to her love for her family, Wallis was passionate about the arts, especially music. She was a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and a frequent guest on TV and radio shows.
Trinity for Maria Felix
Today’s Google Doodle pays tribute to Maria Felix, the Mexican actress who was a leading light of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She starred in 47 films and died in 2002 at the age of 88.
The star’s talent and fearless character made her one of the most important figures in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, especially during the 1940s. She was the inspiration for artists and writers like Diego Rivera, Juan Gabriel, and Jean Cocteau.
Born in Alamodz, Sonora on April 8, 1914, she had a career spanning four decades. The daughter of an Indigenous Yaqui father and a Spanish mother, she was known for her beauty and fearlessness, and starred in many iconic films that were influential to Mexican culture.
She first became famous with her role in the film Dona Barbara, directed by Fernando de Fuentes and inspired by a novel by Romulo Gallegos. She later made several more movies with de Fuentes, including La Mujer sin Alma and La Devoradora.
After she returned to Mexico in 1955, she filmed period pieces inspired by the Mexican Revolution. These included La Escondida/ The Hidden One (Roberto Gavaldon, 1955) and Canasta de cuentos mexicanos/Basket of Mexican Tales (Julio Bracho, 1955). She also worked with Pedro Armendariz again in Tizoc (1956), which she did not enjoy despite its success.
As a result of her popularity, she was invited to Hollywood to work with Hollywood stars. She refused to do this unless she got her big break from a “big door” rather than working in the small roles that were offered to her by the film industry.
In her career, she worked with a number of directors, and was successful in the delightful comedy Enamorada/In Love (Emilio Fernandez, 1946), Rio Escondido/Hidden River (Roberto Gavaldon, 1947) and Maclovia (Cesareo Gonzalez, 1948). She also acted in La pasion desnuda/Naked Passion (Luis Cesar Amadori, 1952) at the side of Carlos Thompson.
Her last movie was Beyond All Limits (1957) with Jack Palance, which is a modern melodrama about two women reunited after they separate. The film was a box office success in Mexico.
The Cartier Sardine Necklace and Today’s Google Doodle
