Ocean’s 8: The Cartier Toussaint Necklace Plays a Key Role
If you’ve ever seen Ocean’s 8, then you’re likely enamored with the breathtaking Cartier Toussaint necklace at the center of a $150 million heist starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett. The necklace, a breath-taking cascade of diamonds and colored diamonds in its original format, was designed by Jacques Cartier for the Maharaja of Nawanagar in 1931.
1. It’s a tribute to Jeanne Toussaint
During her years as Cartier’s jewelry department director, Jeanne Toussaint revolutionized the company’s jewelry design. As The Jewelry Loupe reports, she brought a “joie de vivre, relentless creativity and eye for contemporary fashions” to the table.
In 1933, Louis Cartier appointed her to head the jewellery department of his thriving luxury goods business. It was the first time a woman had been given this important position at Cartier, and she quickly sparked an innovative artistic direction that would define one of the most exciting periods in the company’s history: 1930 to 1970.
Born in southern Belgium and surrounded by hand-made lace, Toussaint grew up with a deep understanding of quality and craft. She knew the difference between good and bad craftsmanship, and she was always interested in new styles and trends.
She was a trailblazer in her field and paved the way for women to pursue their careers without having to settle down. She also made a mark by challenging traditional social norms, such as the expectation of women to have children and stay home to care for them.
To celebrate her life and contributions, Cartier recreated a necklace that was originally designed in 1931 for the Maharaja of Nawanagar. The original, which had been gifted to a French prince, no longer exists but the sketches of the piece are still in Cartier’s archives.
For Ocean’s 8, the Maison drew on these sketches and called on the best artisans in its high jewellery workshops to replicate the piece in eight weeks. The jewellers sized it down by 15 to 20 percent, and the resulting necklace matched actress Anne Hathaway’s proportions perfectly.
It was made from white gold and set with zirconium oxide to withstand the frequent handling that happens during filming. This meant it was ready to be flown out to New York for the film’s premiere.
The Ocean’s 8 necklace was crafted by craftsmen in Cartier’s high jewellery workshops on Rue de la Paix in Paris. They completed it in less than eight weeks and were able to fly it out to New York for the film’s opening weekend.
2. It’s a tribute to Jacques Cartier
Cartier has a long legacy of providing jewels for the silver screen and creating pieces for high profile celebrity clients, particularly during Hollywood’s heyday. This time, it’s collaborating with Warner Bros to create an incredible piece that plays a pivotal role in the Ocean’s 8 movie, which opens in theatres nationwide on June 8.
The breathtaking necklace in question is named after Cartier’s legendary Creative Director Jeanne Toussaint, who favored Indian jewelry as a source of inspiration and was a crucial figure in establishing the brand’s stylistic identity in the 1930s.
To recreate the iconic necklace, Cartier called on their best jewellers at their High Jewelry workshops in Paris. After referencing drawings and photographs of the original necklace in the Maison’s archives, they replicated it “in no more than eight weeks” with zirconium oxides and white gold.
Unlike the original, however, this copy was resized to fit Anne Hathaway’s neck perfectly. The necklace also features 11 moveable bezels that allow for a more accurate size adaptation to the actress’s measurements.
It was crafted in the Paris workshop by Cartier’s best jewellers, who worked with Anne Hathaway’s team to get her likeness right. Using historical photographs, archival drawings and the necklace’s original plans, they were able to re-create the masterpiece with a fidelity that is unmatched.
The process is so meticulous that the re-created version even includes a special inscription from the original necklace’s designer, Jacques Cartier. In his own words, he described the creation as “a really superb realisation of a connoisseur’s dream.”
In addition to replicating the jewel, Cartier was also the exclusive on-site jewelry provider for the film, dressing cast members in timeless selections from the Maison’s collection and current new jewellery, high jewelry, watches and accessories. In addition, key scenes were filmed at the iconic Cartier Mansion on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The film’s premise is pretty simple: a crew lead by Sandra Bullock and Anne Hathaway attempt to steal a $150 million diamond necklace from a famed annual event in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s an entertaining heist and it’s worth checking out when you can!
3. It’s a tribute to Ocean’s 8
In the new female-led blockbuster Ocean’s 8, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) enlists her crew – including expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson), street con Constance (Awkwafina) and hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna) – to pull off one of the biggest jewelry heists in history. While the cast is made up of some of Hollywood’s most iconic actors and actresses, they all have something in common: a $150 million Cartier Toussaint necklace that they plan to steal off the neck of Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway).
The original 1931 Cartier Toussaint was designed for the Maharaja of Nawanagar. In addition to blue and white diamonds, the original had a cascade of colored diamonds as well. However, the real piece was actually quite a bit bigger than the replica seen on screen, which is why it had to be slightly shrunk for Ocean’s 8.
To create the movie version of the Toussaint, Cartier turned to its archives and retrieved drawings and photographs from the era. Those were then used to make a copy of the necklace, which was then created in Cartier’s High Jewelry workshops in Paris. The team of master jewellers completed the re-creation in eight weeks, so it fit Anne Hathaway’s neck perfectly.
As the film’s official jewelry partner, Cartier also provided numerous other pieces for the film, including a 1956 necklace and earring set for Mindy Kaling and Anna Wintour, and a Lavaliere necklace from 1906 for Helena Bonham Carter. Additionally, key scenes were filmed at the Met Museum in New York City and at the landmark Fifth Avenue Cartier Mansion, where multiple jewels and accessories were loaned to those making cameos in the film.
Despite the fact that it’s not a real necklace, the Cartier Toussaint has managed to grab the attention of countless fans. So much so that the jewellery house has opened a public exhibition in the company’s New York City headquarters, which includes all the pieces featured in the movie.
The opulent jewellery was designed as a tribute to Jeanne Toussaint, the first woman to take up the reins of creative director at Cartier in the 1930s. The homage is a fitting one in light of the brand’s commitment to women’s empowerment and its bold spirit.
4. It’s a tribute to Ocean’s 8 fans
The stars of Ocean’s 8 are Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, and Helena Bonham Carter, but what really shines in the film is a $150 million Cartier necklace that becomes the center of one of the most spectacular heists ever. In the latest installment of the Ocean’s franchise, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) enlists her best friend Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett), street con Constance (Awkwafina), expert fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna), and fashion designer Rose (Helena Bonham Carter) to pull off what will go down as the largest jewelry heist ever.
As the exclusive jewelry partner of Ocean’s 8, Cartier crafted the movie’s only piece that was custom-made for the film: the stunning Jeanne Toussaint. Originally designed for the Maharaja of Nawanagar in 1931, it’s an opulent creation that drew inspiration from Indian jewelry and the style of Cartier’s pioneering Creative Director Jeanne Toussaint.
To make the Toussaint recognizable in the Ocean’s 8 set, Cartier’s master jewelers worked on it in eight weeks at its High Jewelry workshops located in Rue de la Paix, Paris. They then flew it to New York for filming.
In the film, Anne Hathaway’s character, Daphne Kluger, attends the Met Gala wearing the necklace. The costume department was faced with the challenge of shrinking it down to fit her, but the design still looks gorgeous in her dress, a Valentino gown that was also created for the film by the French house.
It’s hard to know how a $150 million diamond necklace would look in real life, but Cartier’s artisans did an excellent job making it feel as close to the original as possible. They based their designs on the exact dimensions of the real-life necklace, as well as photos and sketches from the brand’s archives.
For fans of the movie, they’ll get to see this gorgeous creation up close in an immersive exhibition at Cartier’s Manhattan mansion. It’s the only place in the world where they’ll be able to see this breathtaking historic high-jewelry piece until June 8.
As an added bonus, Ocean’s 8 fans will be able to see the Panthere de Cartier watch that Mindy Kaling’s character, jeweler-expert Amita wears throughout the film, as well as many other pieces from the House of Cartier. In addition, the iconic Fifth Avenue Cartier mansion, which was used as a backdrop for several of the movie’s scenes, will be open to visitors for a limited time.
Ocean’s 8: The Cartier Toussaint Necklace Plays a Key Role