Radiant Elegance: A Haute Look At Cartier’s New Grain de Café Collection

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cartier

This June, step into a world of absolute elegance as Cartier unveils its stunning Grain de Café collection, a tribute to the radiant beauty of Grace Kelly and the timeless glamour of the 1950s French Riviera. From a simple coffee bean, Cartier has crafted a collection that embodies the Maison’s iconic stylistic vocabulary, fusing delicate flora in yellow gold with a celebration of the extraordinary found in the ordinary.

The collection includes an array of rings, pendants, earrings, and brooches that effortlessly elevate the wearer’s allure, much like the warmth of summer sun on the skin. The coffee beans, delicately arranged in clusters, create a precious rustle with every subtle movement, their sensual curves adorned with fiery diamonds set in white gold.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cartier

Cartier’s signature artistry shines through in the collection’s lush interpretation, as rubellite beads embellish rings and bracelets, resembling half-flowers and half-fruits. These scattered berries, adorned with gold nails or diamonds, intertwine with engraved gold hemispheres and diamonds set in platinum, pushing the boundaries of creativity. The pinnacle of opulence is reached with a necklace composed of two rows of gold beads adorned with coffee beans and gold-studded rubellites. Additionally, the Maison pays homage to the creative history of Grain de Café and the visionary Jeanne Toussaint by reissuing a necklace dating back to 1955.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cartier

Marie-Laure Cérède, Creative Director of Jewellery and Watchmaking at Cartier, describes Grain de Café as a collection that transcends literal translation, creating a new preciousness through the interplay of light, finishes, and volumes. The iconic coffee bean motif, first introduced by Cartier in 1938, rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to two extraordinary women: Jeanne Toussaint and Grace Kelly. Jeanne Toussaint, the Maison’s Creative Director from 1933, recognized the motif’s potential for exploration and crafted coffee beans in yellow gold or noble materials like coral, often adorned with diamonds or colored stones. 

Grace Kelly, the captivating Hollywood star turned Princess, wholeheartedly embraced this inspiration and received a Grain de Café set for her wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She effortlessly personified the chic opulence of the 1950s, forever intertwining Monaco, the French Riviera, and the allure of Cartier. To honor Grace Kelly, Cartier collaborated with American director Alex Prager, whose artistic sensitivity perfectly complements the collection’s essence. Prager’s mastery of light brought a decisively contemporary touch to the glamorous spirit of the 1950s, and today he has created a  45-second trailer featuring an elegant and enigmatic woman— Elle Fanning, a Global Ambassador of Cartier — guiding viewers through a captivating sequence of shots that seamlessly blend past and present.