Luxury doesn’t mean the most extravagant object, it's a commitment to create something proper: Francesca Cartier

A few years ago, Francesca Cartier Brickell’s family gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of her grandfather, Jean-Jacques Cartier, at his home in South of France. At some point, the birthday boy sent her off to the cellar to fetch a bottle of champagne that he had been saving for a special occasion.

While on that errand, Brickell chanced upon a leather trunk that held a treasure trove of letters and documents. And within those pages was the story of an empire in the making, and for Brickell, a story that had to be told.

The project of documenting and researching her family’s history brought Brickell to India two years ago, as Indian royals have long been Cartier devotees. Recently, she was back. ETPanache met her in Mumbai and subsequently interviewed her over email.

Excerpts:

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Visited some wonderful places on my recent trip to India but this has to be the most memorable. To be in Kapurthala hearing stories about the Maharaja my great-grandfather knew from his enormously generous, wise and kind grandson Brigadier H.H. Sukhjit Singh was one those incredible moments when past and present collide. The exotic-sounding Maharaja Jagajit Singh of Kapurthala (looking down on us from his portrait) was an ardent Francophile who spoke French at home, wrote his diaries in French and loved visiting France (check out how debonair he looked during a 1912 visit there -2nd image). It was no wonder really that he shopped at Cartier (the emerald turban ornament he wears here was made for his 1927 jubilee). He knew many of the ruling families of Europe including 4 generations of British royals (from Queen Victoria to King George VI) and became known in the West for marrying a beautiful Spanish dancer, Anita Delgado (2nd image), who he met in Spain when attending King Alfonso XIII’s marriage. But for me coming to the Punjab, it has been a real eye-opener to understand what he was like as a ruler: how he believed in equality, hired people based on their merits, and built places of worship for those with different faiths. His grandson (both alongside me in 2020 and the little boy in the B&W photo standing between his grandfather and the Maharaja of Patiala in 1941) explained how progressive he had been, integrating a modern judicial system, establishing schools and even – well before our 21st century drive towards equality for women - introducing co-education. And then there are the buildings he commissioned-many of them in sharp contrast to the traditional architecture of the region - from the French-style pink palace (5th image) to the Moorish Mosque (3rd,4th image). Too much to talk about here but suffice to say Kapurthala is well worth a visit –my kids adored it too! And best of all there is a brilliant beautiful book (last image next to #thecartiersbook as many parallels) that sheds light on a bygone era and a remarkable man: it is #princepatronpatriarch by @maharajaofkapurthala and @cynthiameerafrederick #maharaja #indianjewels #cartierjewelry

A post shared by Francesca Cartier Brickell (@creatingcartier) on Feb 8, 2020 at 9:11am PST

You must have grown up listening to stories of how Cartier was built. When you researched the history of the company, were there any surprises?
My grandfather was the last of the Cartiers to own and manage a branch of the firm [in London] before it was sold, but he had retired just before I was born. Those holidays we spent with him were often peppered with fun anecdotes — like how he fell asleep at Buckingham Palace and had to be woken up, mortified, by the Queen Mother.


I hadn’t realised how precarious the family firm had been when it was founded in 1847 [not dissimilar to many startups today], or that it depended on a series of arranged marriages that brought much-needed dowries to the table. And while I had grown up hearing about my great-grandfather Jacques, I knew far less about his two brothers, Pierre and Louis. It was fascinating to read their letters and realise that it was the combined strengths of this third generation that was so important to Cartier’s international success.

For example, Pierre, who went over to America, was an incredible networker. When he married his American wife, Elma Rumsey, in 1908, the headline of a newspaper report was ‘Heiress to wed Foreigner’. I was surprised by that. The papers didn’t even refer to the groom as a jeweller, let alone a jeweller to kings. That shows how unknown Cartier then was in America. And yet, by the 1920s, thanks largely to Pierre’s networking within New York high society, everyone from the Vanderbilts to the Astors to the Morgans shopped at the Cartier store on Fifth Avenue.

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Love this picture of my great-grandfather Jacques buying gems in India to take back with him to Europe. Below is an example of the type of colourful jewels he and his brothers would then make from those carved rubies and emeralds for their Western clients. Now known as the Tutti Frutti style, Jacques simply called them his Hindou jewels (image credit @bonhamsjewels). I recently discovered this photo was taken @kanjimull_jewellers about a century ago and I look forward to visiting there soon! Heading to Delhi on Saturday (1st Feb) for an afternoon book signing and Q&A @bahrisons_booksellers in Saket so hope to see some of you there. Invite second image - open to all so do spread the word if you know anyone who might be interested in coming along and hearing a bit about the story of The Cartiers and their glittering connection with India. #thecartiers #thecartiersbook #nevercopyonlycreate

A post shared by Francesca Cartier Brickell (@creatingcartier) on Jan 29, 2020 at 6:57am PST

Your great-grandfather, Jacques Cartier, crafted pieces for many erstwhile maharajas in India. Did he find himself at the centre of competition between the royal houses?
As far as competition between the royal houses goes, the family letters did not make much mention [of them], but I wouldn’t have expected that. The Cartiers were discreet. And, even if the Indian royal clients were buying bigger and better jewels than their neighbouring royals in a display of power or wealth, that wouldn’t have been unusual behaviour.

Jacques Cartier counted many Indian royals as close friends. What more did you learn about this?
Jacques was close to many of the maharajas. But he was especially close to the Maharaja of Nawanagar [Ranjitsingh Jadeja], who my grandfather always referred to as Ranji. It was a friendship that grew out of a shared appreciation and knowledge of gems. Over the years, Jacques would design some spectacular pieces for Ranji, including his favourite — a coloured diamond necklace that he referred to as the ‘realisation of a connoisseur’s dream’. Ranji, who had been educated in England and also played cricket for England, had an estate in Ballynahinch, Ireland. My grandfather remembered spending family holidays there as a child, and his absolute awe when Ranji called ahead to hold the train at the station because they were running late.

Were the brothers involved in the social scene, keeping track of events for possible big purchases?
The Cartiers, especially Pierre, built a huge index — nowadays we would call it a database — of current and prospective clients, keeping track of engagements, marriages, births, deaths, whether in London, New York or India. Jacques would try to attend important Indian royal weddings. If he couldn’t make it, he would send a representative. Clifford North was one salesman who travelled regularly to India in the 1930s.

On one trip, he was asked to visit Nepal for a royal wedding and set out in the company Rolls Royce, cases filled with sumptuous jewels, in the hope of tempting the king of Nepal into a large purchase. The problem was getting there: The rocky Himalayas proved impossible terrain for the large Rolls Royce to cross. But instead of giving up, the local guides set about taking the car apart and then carried each section (from the steering wheel, to the doors to the gear lever) over the mountains before reassembling the car on the other side. Unfortunately, even after all that effort, the king didn’t buy anything.

How do you view luxury?
For my grandfather Jean-Jacques, a back of a jewel had to look beautiful too, even if no one ever really saw it, and a cigarette box had to make just the right ‘click’ when it closed or it was sent back to the workshop and made again.

I love the example of a carved emerald necklace made for a maharaja. Those emeralds were so fragile that the craftsman tasked with setting them was given 48 hours off work beforehand, so he was relaxed. A slight shake of his hand could cause the gems to crack. Luxury doesn’t necessarily have to mean the most extravagant object. It is more about a commitment to taking the time to make something properly.