For Cartier’s grand reintroduction this month of its Coffee bean jewelry collection, the channeled luxury house the golden age of cinema and the chic opulence of Coast of azure in the 1950s.
Originally launched in 1938, the collection came to life after legendary Cartier artistic director Jeanne Toussaint found unlikely inspiration in a coffee bean. Decades later, Grain de Café became a big hit when screen siren Grace Kelly wore the designs, several of which were given to her by Prince Rainier III for their wedding, during a getaway to the Coast of Azure. After its heyday in the 1960s, Grain de Café ceased production and the series became a coveted collector’s item.
Cartier has now brought the collection back with a reimagined limited-edition suite of new models and a reissue of a 1955 necklace. A study in sparkle and movement, the intricate pieces – which require 30 artisans to create – combine sensuality and mobility.
The Coffee Bean collection. Courtesy of Cartier.
To mark the occasion, the heritage house committed photographer and filmmaker Alex Prager—who has captivated art and fashion audiencences with her, canny takes cinematographic tropes—to direct a glamorous campaign reminiscent of the classic Hollywood productions. Over the course of the series, a bewitching blonde performed by her Fan embodies THE carefree spirit of the time while recalling the great ladies of Alfred Hitchcock. Thanks to her distinctive style defined by painstakingly staged cinematic scenes, Prager, who has been steeped in the Los Angeles film industry since childhood, was a natural choice to craft this modern riff on mid-century films and the South of France.
Elle Fanning stars in the campaign film directed by Alex Prager. Courtesy of Cartier.
Prager’s aesthetic also resonates with the codes of the collection. Blending etched gold beads with encrusted obsidian, princess-cut diamonds and cabochon rubellites, Grain de Café is designed to elevate everyday designs with precious materials and exceptional craftsmanship. Leveraging his expertise with light, Prager has brilliantly illuminated Cartier’s exquisite jewelry and what it stands for: celebrating beauty in the unexpected, as Toussaint has always sought, even in such an ordinary object as a coffee bean.
The Coffee Bean collection. Courtesy of Cartier.
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