Cartier Ring 1988

For its extraordinary range of bracelets, watches, rings and other adornments, French luxury house Cartier is undeniably one of the most well known and internationally revered jewelers in the world among clients both existing and aspirational.

Perhaps 1847 was not the ideal time to open a new watchmaking and jewelry business, as the French Revolution was not kind to the aristocracy who could afford such luxuries. Nevertheless, it was the year Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904) — who was born into poverty — founded his eponymous empire, assuming control of the workshop of watchmaker Adolphe Picard, under whom he had previously been employed as an assistant. Of course, in the beginning, it was a relatively modest affair, but by the late 1850s, Cartier had its first royal client, Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon Bonaparte, who commissioned the jeweler to design brooches, earrings and other accessories.

Under the leadership of Louis-François’s son, Alfred, who took over in 1874, business boomed. Royalty around the world wore Cartier pieces, including Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the Maharaja of Patiala and King Edward VII, who had 27 tiaras made by the jewelry house for his coronation in 1902 and issued Cartier a royal warrant in 1904. (Today, the British royal family still dons Cartier pieces; Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, regularly sports a Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch.)

Cartier’s golden years, however, began when Alfred introduced his three sons, Louis, Pierre and Jacques, to the business. The brothers expanded Cartier globally: Louis reigned in Paris, Pierre in New York and Jacques in London, ensuring their brand’s consistency at their branches across the world. The trio also brought in such talents as Charles Jacqueau and Jeanne Toussaint.

One of Cartier’s earliest major successes was the Santos de Cartier watch — one of the world's first modern wristwatches for men. (Previously, a large number of people were using only pocket watches.) Louis designed the timepiece in 1904 for his friend, popular Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who wanted to be able to check the time more easily while flying.

Cartier’s other famous timepieces include the Tank watch, which was inspired by the linear form of military tanks during World War I, and the so-called mystery clocks. Invented by watchmaker and magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin and later crafted exclusively for Cartier in the house’s workshop by watchmaker Maurice Couët, the mystery clocks were so named because the integration of glass dials on which the clocks’ hands would seemingly float as well as structures that are hidden away within the base give the illusion that they operate without machinery.

On the jewelry side of the business, Cartier’s internationally renowned offerings include the Tutti Frutti collection, which featured colorful carved gemstones inspired by Jacques’s trip to India and grew in popularity during the Art Deco years; the panthère motif, which has been incorporated into everything from brooches to rings; and the Love bracelet, a minimal, modernist locking bangle inspired by medieval chastity belts that transformed fine jewelry.

While the Cartier family sold the business following the death of Pierre in 1964, the brand continues to innovate today, renewing old hits and creating new masterpieces.

Find contemporary and vintage Cartier watches, engagement rings, necklaces and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Find memorable jewelry to mark your special day — a collection of antique and vintage wedding rings is waiting for you on 1stDibs.

Wedding rings have symbolized love and devotion for centuries. The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt believed that wedding rings were symbols of eternity. The “ouroboros” rings of the era, which depicted a serpent swallowing its own tail, represented renewal and eternal life — a motif at the center of the Serpenti collection from Italian fine jewelry house Bulgari. Preferred materials in the production of wedding bands have changed over time; metals such as iron in early Rome replaced the wedding rings of bone and ivory that came before them. But the circle has always symbolized an unending pledge of love to one’s partner.

In the case of Cartier’s Trinity wedding ring, the “trinity knot” depicts unity and eternity. The legendary French brand’s minimalist Love wedding band is inseparable from immutable love, in that it joined the iconic Love bracelet, which initially could only be unlocked with its accompanying gold-vermeil screwdriver. Wedding rings designed by Tiffany & Co., one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, have also long been popular for the newly betrothed.

Although wedding bands were traditionally given to women, the practice of men donning wedding rings became popular during the mid-20th century, as devoted husbands wanted to wear a symbol of their love when they shipped off to war. Wedding rings are often worn by both partners today, and men’s engagement rings are becoming more fashionable too (see our engagement ring buying guide).

On 1stDibs, shop diamond eternity bands, gold wedding rings, diamond wedding rings and other antique and vintage rings from the world’s best jewelry dealers.