Cartier’s Maria Felix Snake Necklace
If you are looking for a unique necklace, you should consider purchasing a Maria Felix snake necklace. This necklace was inspired by the artist’s love of snakes. She had a few in her garden, and one of them was immortalized in the necklace. Her friends included Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Jean Cocteau.
Cartier’s tribute-to-nature collection
The Maria Felix snake necklace is an exquisite piece from Cartier’s tribute-to-nature collections. The necklace is shaped like a pair of small crocodiles, and is paved with yellow diamonds and emeralds. It can be worn as a necklace or as two brooches. Part of Cartier’s patrimonial collection, this piece celebrates the beauty and diversity of nature.
Cartier’s tribute-to-nature jewelry is not only beautiful and exotic, but also a statement of the French brand’s aristocratic heritage. The Maria Felix snake necklace was commissioned by the house in 1983, and the piece is a novelty that will draw attention for years to come. The necklace features an extraordinary design created by Gabriel Raton. However, the artist’s name has never been mentioned in any of Cartier’s official biographies. The reason behind the commission is unknown.
A companion book to the exhibit is also available. The exhibit includes 100 exquisite pieces of jewelry inspired by various animals. The pieces in the exhibit range from the mid-19th century to the present. The exhibition is organized by museum curator Marion Fasel, who also wrote a book about the collection.
In the nineteenth century, Cartier created pieces for wealthy San Francisco women. Their luxurious tastes allowed them to commission elaborate pieces of jewellery from the French house. A few of their famous clients included the wife of a clothing manufacturer on Market Street. Her favorite design was a diamond studded choker with a large pendant underneath. Then, Lady Granard, a San Francisco socialite, became a frequent client of Cartier London. She had a fascination with tigers and commissioned a three-dimensional ear clip featuring one of her favorite tigers.
Another piece from Cartier’s tribute-to-nature series is a flamingo brooch designed by Jeanne Toussaint. It measures 9.65 x 9.59 cm and is set with diamonds and calibre-cut sapphire feathers. The piece was a gift for the Duchess of Windsor, and she was devoted to Cartier’s creations.
Maria Felix’s snake necklace
Maria Felix was known as the “Grand Dame” and “La Dona,” and gained fame with the 1943 film “Dona Barbara.” As her career grew, she continued to expand her extensive collection of jewels. She was never photographed without snakes, alligators, or her Cartier snake necklace.
The snake was a symbol of creativity, wisdom, and strength, which Maria Felix often embodied. She wore snake jewelry throughout her adult life, starting with a necklace in 1959. As her fashion taste evolved in the mid-1960s, she began wearing even more flamboyant pieces of jewelry. In Paris, she visited the Cartier flagship store on the rue de la Paix and commissioned a large necklace that was meant to symbolize her creativity and strength.
In 1975, Mexican actress Maria Felix visited a Cartier boutique with a baby crocodile. She asked the brand to recreate the animal in a necklace. The designer took several months to create the necklace, which featured two interlocking crocodiles studded with diamonds. The necklace weighed 126 carats, and Maria Felix also commissioned other diamond-inset snake necklaces and bracelets.
Maria Felix was a popular actress in Mexican cinema. She earned the nickname “La Dona” for her role in the 1943 film “Dona Barbara.” Dona is the feminine form of the word “don,” and is a title given to Spanish women of high rank, such as female bosses and housewives. She was known for her fiery nature and fierce presence. Her snake necklace was one of her most famous pieces of jewelry.
Aside from being a celebrity, Maria Felix never took on every role offered to her. She never wanted to be a “typecast” actress and turned down parts from other actors, such as Ava Gardner and Kim Novak. She was so beautiful that Diego Rivera painted a charcoal portrait of her. She also served as a model for a number of other artists.
Cartier’s crocodile necklace
Cartier’s crocodile for Maria Felix was a commission for the renowned French jewellery brand. The necklace is shaped like a pair of small crocodiles, and is paved in yellow diamonds and emeralds. It can be worn as a necklace or converted into two brooches. It is also suitable as a table ornament. The necklace is now part of Cartier’s patrimonial collection.
The necklace was created in tribute to Maria Felix, the renowned Mexican artist who was famous for wearing a variety of jewelry from the house of Cartier. The piece was a brilliant example of Cartier’s naturalism style, which emphasizes realism in fauna and adds a sense of playfulness to the otherwise serious and conservative pieces.
The necklace was inspired by the legendary crocodile necklace Maria Felix commissioned from Cartier. The actress brought her live crocodile pets to the Cartier boutique in Paris, and asked the renowned jewelry house to replicate the crocodile’s features. The designers studied the animal closely and created a necklace with articulated crocodiles that could double as brooches.
Cartier has been crafting reptile-inspired jewelry since 1910. In 1968, Maria Felix wore a stunning necklace by Cartier, with 178,21ct of diamonds. Unlike other gemstones, natural stones have different lustre and inclusions. It can take years to find the right gemstones to compliment the other jewelry in the necklace.
In addition to being a celebrated actress, Maria Felix also worked as a fashion model. During the golden age of Mexican cinema, she worked with renowned artists in different genres. In her early career, she appeared in 47 films. As the supreme goddess of Spanish-language cinema, she was well known for her love of crocodiles and Cartier jewelry.
Collier Hindou necklace by Daisy Fellowes
The Collier Hindou necklace by Cartier is probably the best-known example of the Tutti Frutti style of jewelry. This necklace is one of the most striking pieces of Cartier’s Tutti Frutti collection, and features carved rubies, sapphires, and diamonds.
Daisy Fellowes, an heiress of the Singer empire, became the editor of Harper’s Bazaar in the US, and was one of the most prolific jewellery collectors of the 20th century. This necklace is perhaps her most extravagant piece of jewellery and is the most popular example of the ‘tutti frutti’ style. This style of jewellery has many elements inspired by Art Nouveau and natural forms.
In 1936, a fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar commissioned Cartier to create a necklace inspired by her own collection. This necklace was made of rubies and other gemstones and had a flexible design that could also be worn as a brooch. The necklace eventually ended up in the collection of Cartier, who bought it at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1991.
The Collier Hindou necklace was secured around the neck with a black silk cord. Fellowes’ daughter altered the necklace by adding a clasp, which secured the necklace to the wearer’s neck. The necklace also had sapphires, which were regarded as unlucky in India.
Daisy Fellowes was a major figure in Parisian society. She was also a writer and a poet, and her fame made her a wealthy and famous woman. During the 1920s, Fellowes was considered one of the world’s most stylish women and a trailblazer in the fashion industry. Her aristocratic and fashionable style was admired by many, including Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli.
Cartier’s Maria Felix Snake Necklace