Cartier was not merely inspired by motifs from distant cultures: the jeweler’s new creations have also often incorporated elements from old jewelry or precious objects. So-called “apprêts” such as clasps, enamel plates, etc. Two pieces of jewelry not to be missed in the exhibition illustrate this approach perfectly. Firstly, this magnificent bracelet created around 1925, which was originally a shoulder ornament: it is composed of five Iranian chalcedony seals/amulets, engraved with a Koranic script dating from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Almost a century later, in 2017, this bracelet also features a a beautiful 18th-19th century Iranian nephrite jade amulet engraved with a surah from the Koran. Thanks to the designers and craftsmen, these Islamic elements have had several lives.

Giant screens loom above the center of the nave of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, each projecting a 3D image of an Islamic building whose lines are broken down and recomposed into a jewel emblematic of the exhibition. A glimpse at three examples…

This exhibition does not merely tell us that jewelry is inspired by the arts of Islam. It shows us!