Daisy Fellowes's Cartier Iris Brooch

An iris to celebrate 1st May. This brooch was made by Cartier London c. 1940: a flower in war time. Was reminded of it today as the #irises in the garden are bursting with purple life, gloriously unaffected by the current world crisis in which we find ourselves... a reminder perhaps that ‘this too shall pass’. Jacques Cartier who ran the London branch at the time this was made had travelled to be in his native France during wartime, and his son (my grandfather) had been called up to his cavalry unit. In London, meanwhile the Cartier New Bond Street showroom remained open (engagement rings being particularly popular in wartime) and with it the English Art Works jewellery workshop upstairs, albeit at significantly reduced capacity. Many of the employees had either been called up to fight themselves or drafted to help the war effort in other ways (one designer for example was asked to exchange designs of #tiaras for those of fighter jets, while some skilled craftsmen were asked to turn their hands to creating munitions instead of #jewels). Made of #diamonds and #sapphires, with an #emerald stem, this #flowerbrooch belonged to society heiress #DaisyFellowes. I’ve talked a bit about her before - strong, chic, savvy and rebellious (she famously had a penchant for cocaine and other women’s husbands), she was the perfect Cartier client- not just because she loved jewels (and had the funds to buy them) but because she made the trends others followed. Perhaps no surprise then that when her #iris brooch came up for auction @sothebysjewels in 2009, its exotic heritage attracted significant interest (it ended up selling for more than triple its estimate, over $650,000). Today though, with so many of us confined at home and unsure about the future, I just wanted to share it with you to wish you Happy May 1st, where-ever you are...