From April 12, 2025, through Nov. 16, 2025, South Kensington’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is set to host the United Kingdom’s first major exhibition in nearly three decades dedicated to Cartier, exploring how the maison became a global leader in jewelry and watchmaking. With more than 350 pieces on display, the exhibition will chart the house’s rise to prominence, showcasing its influence on art, design, and craftsmanship since the early 1900s, when the grandsons of founder Louis-François Cartier aimed to establish a world-renowned luxury brand, expanding to Paris, London, and New York.
Often referred to as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers,” Cartier attracted a prestigious clientele, including global royals and aristocrats alike. Over time, it captured the imagination of prominent figures in cinema, music, and fashion, broadening its appeal. The exhibition will present a dazzling array of rare jewels, iconic timepieces, and other extraordinary objects, drawing from both V&A and Cartier collections. Highlights include historic gemstones, unique watches, and previously unseen archival sketches, with loans from His Majesty King Charles III’s Royal Collection and renowned museums in the United Kingdom and abroad, as well as from private collectors.
This show marks just the beginning of the museum’s extensive lineup for the year. “From showstopping jewels and ancient amulets to innovative architecture and product design to fashion fit for a queen, the V&A’s ambitious 2025 program across our family of sites will celebrate creativity, ingenuity, and craftsmanship,” said V&A’s director, Tristram Hunt, in a statement. “The V&A will mix the historic with the contemporary and academic rigor with spectacular exhibition design to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators, and innovators everywhere.”
Among the 2025 must-sees, the museum will also host the first-ever UK exhibit focused on Marie Antoinette’s style from Sept. 22, 2025, through March 22, 2026, naturally including famous (and infamous) jewels attributed to the 18th-century French queen.
Top: A Cartier bandeau bracelet, circa 1928, in platinum with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds in the V&A’s 2025 Cartier exhibit (photo courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
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