PARIS — Just as jewelry inspired by its heritage has catapulted Cartier’s sales to recent highs, the historical jeweler’s revamped Rue de la Paix flagship here delivers a message of pedigree tempered by contemporary creativity.
The Richemont-owned jeweler has been on a roll the past few years, riding luxury’s resurgent wave. In November, the Swiss luxury conglomerate reported that sales at its jewelry division — mostly driven by Cartier — increased 14 percent in the first six months of the year.
The renovated store here points to Cartier’s continued ambitions and activity, which has resulted in a barrage of product launches and publicity events.
At 6,000 square feet — twice the selling space it had before it closed in August 2004 to be renovated by architect Sylvan Dubuisson — the store boasts an enfilade of paneled high-jewelry salons, an intimate private fragrance room, a sweeping staircase and an impressive atrium.
“There are historical aspects,” explained Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s director of strategy and patrimony. “And there were changes done with respect to the heritage. Essentially, the store reflects our ideas on what a jewelry store should be today, how it should be organized and what it should represent.”
In other words: intimacy and grandeur.
Salons have intricately carved paneling dating to the shop’s opening in 1899, but are meant to be friendly and warm, with leather-covered wood desks and modern columnar table lights. Crystal chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, while sleek display cases are outfitted with the latest fiber-optic lighting technology.
Louis Cartier’s office has been turned into a sales salon, furnished with books from his personal collection, a royal warrant from the King of Serbia, as well as Cartier’s desk and chairs. Reflecting the legendary jeweler’s affection for fine furniture, a sculpted 18th-century chair by Pluvinet and an important 1904 gravity pendulum by Cartier round out the decor.
Each of the so-called salons on the ground floor is named for the royal warrant that decorates it, from Edward VII to the Russian Imperial salon. The rooms are sure to whir with equally extraordinary activity next Tuesday. That’s when Cartier will fly in some 600 of its top clients from around the world for a supper and ball in a tent being pitched in the Tuileries Gardens to mark the store’s reopening. The press will not be invited. But Cartier plans to host a bevy of celebrities, likely to include Tina Turner, Elton John and Sean Connery.
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In tandem, a special collection of 13 one-off high-jewelry pieces, with prices running into the millions of euros, will be unveiled. Some pieces are believed to be already reserved, underscoring the recent boom in high-jewelry sales experienced by the house and many of its prestigious neighbors on nearby Place Vendôme.
Cartier, with about 215 shops worldwide, operates six stores in Paris, including a recently opened “maison” on the Champs-Elysées, designed by architect Bruno Moinard.
But the Rue de la Paix unit, along with the ones on London’s Bond Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, are considered most “emblematic” of the house’s history, and are treated with designs unique to them. The Rue de la Paix store, for instance, has a private perfume salon where clients can order custom-made fragrances concocted by recently hired nose Mathilde Laurent.
The price tag? Some 50,000 euros, or $58,500, a pop.
The biggest of the store’s renovations is a two-floor sweeping atrium space with an Art Deco-inspired staircase, towering columns and, overlooking it all, a portrait of Louis Cartier. Rainero explained that the space was carved out of what used to be the store’s customer service area and was inspired by unused plans Louis Cartier had drawn up in 1910 to expand the boutique.
Also renovated within the building were several floors of the company’s jewelry ateliers, the archival library (updated with high-tech climate control) and an exhibition room. The first exhibit will have some 30 pieces of important Cartier jewelry stretching from when Louis Cartier opened the boutique in 1899 to 1914. It was an innovative time for Cartier — when he used platinum for the first time and developed his famous garland style.
Three such thematic Cartier exhibits are planned each year, but the general public won’t be invited. Top clients, researchers and select press alone will be able to view the baubles.
“It’s the ultimate exclusiveness,” offered Rainero.