Enamelling
One of the most loved forms of métiers d’arts is enamelling which can be done with different techniques. The skilled enamellers from Cartier don’t limit themselves to a single style of the ancient craft. They work across a spectrum of related techniques including champlevé, cloisonné, plique-à-jour, grisaille and grisaille gold paste.
Marquetry
In addition to enamelling, Maison des Métiers d’Art also excels in marquetry which involves combining tiny pieces of rose petals, straw or stone to create richly textured birds, panthers, lions or anything that the artisans could dream of.
While gems setting is far from a forgotten art, Cartier prides itself in the traditional jewellery making know-how. Cartier’s master gem-setters excel in a variety of gem-setting styles, from the common bezel setting and claw setting, to more exotic ones like cutdown pave setting and snow setting. Cartier’s master craftsmen and women accomplish these skills and bring the favorite motifs of the maison like the panther, flora and fauna to sparkle with life.
Cartier’s collection to be entirely dedicated to métiers d’art was first unveiled in 1999, and the manufacture has repeated this performance every year. The Cartier artisans reveal new Métiers d’Art , using special techniques and showcasing different reinterpretations on the panther, which was first introduced to the collection in 1914.
This year, Cartier unveiled two new Métiers d’Art creations, created around the natural and precious exchanges between marquetry craftsmen, jewellers, enamellers, gem-setters and miniature painters.