There is a famous phrase that goes, “happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony”. Examining the second chapter of Cartier’s latest High Jewellery collection, En Équilibre, in Beijing, we’re inclined to think that the Maison agrees wholeheartedly. The new creations find a precise equilibrium between minimalism and extravagance, gentle colours and bold hues, symmetry and asymmetry — a consonance discovered through the acceptance of opposite qualities. Jacquline Karachi, the house’s Director of High Jewellery Creation says these high jewellery pieces encapsulate “looking at things differently, but also the art of balancing them with precision”. “It’s the art of balance, at the heart of our creative approach, that reveals Cartier’s harmony,” she adds.

This art of balance is perhaps most clearly seen on the graphic Vetrata High Jewellery Necklace, anchored by an 8.15-carat rectangular cut diamond. Celebrating both the Art Deco style of bold geometry and ornamentation, as well as the symmetry and radiance of the centre stone, Cartier’s craftsmen surrounded the central diamond with an extraordinary set of 20 comparably shaped diamonds, which are arranged symmetrically, and subtly yet precisely separated by onyx accents. 

Also dressed with consummate symmetry is the Haliade High Jewellery Necklace, a perfectly balanced and proportioned wave of sapphires and diamonds, with a 41.85-carat sapphire from Madagascar sitting at its heart. By adjusting the setting and links with precision, the ample undulations are given a softness to the touch. Elsewhere, a harmonious orchestration of colour can be observed on the Cafayate High Jewellery Necklace, a complex construction of rose gold and yellow gold mesh, as well as red, orange and yellow sapphires — the warm and comforting ripples of colour surrounding not one but two fluorescent, polychromatic opals.

On the new Panthères Reflexio High Jewellery Necklace, the house brings the concept of balancing opposing forces to life with two spotted felines, which face off with penetrating emerald eyes and onyx claws. Another icon of the Maison, the bold combination of green and red stones (completely at home in the largely matching structures of Aman Summer Palace in Beijing), finds its way on to the Panthères Reflexio, with a 14.91-carat coral drop sitting below a 74.10-carat green tourmaline — the strong elements of the piece counterbalanced by the tenderness of baroque-shaped tourmaline beads, softly draped through the careful weaving of craftsmen, and on which the panthers are delicately perched. 

Alexa Abitbol, the Maison’s Director of The High Jewellery Workshops, says the real challenge in creating each of these remarkable pieces “lies in the technical transcription of the original aesthetic intention”. Summing up the marvels of En Équilibre, she says, “Everything hinges on the precision and mastery of our craftsmen, who give life to exceptional pieces that are charged with emotion.”