Vintage Cartier Jewelry

The Cartier brand had humble beginnings when it was established in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier in Paris, France. Cartier set up shop in the area immediately surrounding the Palais-Royal with the ambitious intention to become jeweler to the French imperial family, gaining an aristocratic clientele composed of counts and and receiving his first order from the Empress Eugenie in 1859. Cartier again upgraded his premises in Paris and continued as a purveyor of luxury items to the imperial family and other members of the international elite. The brand was not confined merely to the crafting of bijouterie and haute joaillerie, however, as the firm also produced charming objets d’art, elaborate clocks and silver sets. Today, Cartier jewelry continues to be desired for its sophistication and elegance by a wide-ranging international clientele and many of the designs have become truly iconic, including the Love collection, the Panthère, the Tutti-Frutti and the instantly recognizable watches such as the Santos, the Ballon Bleu and perhaps the most well-known of all, the Tank.

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FAQs

How does Beladora verify authenticity?

Authenticating jewelry requires nuanced expertise. Many thousands of pieces of jewelry from every era and every maker have passed through our hands for over 40 years. This familiarity enables us to know what a piece should look and feel like, if it has the expected quality of material and workmanship, if the metal and makers marks are correct and if the expected signature is authentic.

As a first step, we look at the front and back of every bracelet, ring or brooch, turning it over in our hands to see that the workmanship on the reverse is as fine as the detail on the front. Using a loupe, the jeweler’s essential tool, we look carefully at many different touch points, some of which include examining the precision with which diamonds are mounted in their settings, the manner in which gold or platinum links are connected to each other, the fineness of the material, the quality of the azuring - a difficult and refined aspect of metalwork and lastly, the flawlessness of the polish.

If we have any doubts whatsoever as to authenticity, we submit the piece to the relevant firm, be it Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Verdura, David Webb and others. We also request the original bill of sale, box and papers for those items most commonly faked such as Cartier Love brackets and VCA Alhambra pieces. And just as banks know their customers, we, too, ensure we know enough about our clients to assure ourselves of their ownership and provenance.

Our team of GIA-certified jewelry experts has such a well-regarded reputation in the international jewelry industry that we are frequently called upon to advise auction houses, appraisers and other dealers in matters of authenticity and value.