Wallis Simpson's Cartier Panther Bracelet

Wallis Simpson's Onyx & Diamond Panther Bracelet by Cartier. Source: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth. The Wallis Simpson panther bracelet, with its single-cut diamonds and calibré-cut onyx, was the third and most inspiring in a series of Big Cat jewels made for the Duchess by Cartier. With its diamond-encrusted ears turned back and its menacing green emerald eyes staring boldly into you, baring its sharp platinum teeth, this life-like panther appears to be stalking anyone who comes near. Wallis Simpson's panther bracelet, arguably the most famous bracelet in the world, represents a trifecta in jewelry history. In the first corner we have one of fashion's most famous style icons, Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Though denied the right to become Queen of England, Ms. Simpson, alongside her dashing husband, the former King Edward VIII, rose to become Queen of Style. Through boldly designed jewels and a dedication to incomparable clothing, Wallis Simpson became one of the world's best dressed women, setting style trends that endure today, over 70 years after she took center stage. Two times at auction, her jewels have commanded record-breaking prices. Indeed, it was the sale of the Duchess's jewels through Sotheby's in 1987 which changed the face of auctions, rendering them solid contenders in the world's market for jewelry and launching a new trend in art jewelry. Furthermore, it was this exquisite bracelet, commissioned and co-designed by the Duchess in 1952, which in 2010 smashed the record for highest bracelet ever sold at auction. In the second corner of our main event, we have another woman whose astute design analysis has forever linked her name to panthers, Cartier, and the Duchess of Windsor: Jeanne Troussaint. According to Gilles Auguste and Michel Gustatz, Mme. Troussaint was "a true original," a woman who "embodied a type of feminine elegance which was very assertive and independent" {cited: Luxury Talent Management, p. 35}. Her reputation earned her the nickname La Panthère, and her conceptual genius and keen eye for detail established one of the most enduring motifs for Cartier, the Panther. In the third corner, we have the world-renowned Maison de Cartier. Beginning in 1914, under the direction of La Panthère, the panther began its rise to its prominent position as one of the most recognizable trademarks of the esteemed jewelry house. Beginning in 1914, with a wristwatch featuring onyx-and-diamond flecking suggestive of panther skin, the Maison went on to incorporate the panther into more and more designs until the motif culminated in the three-dimensional Big Cat jewels, which were first made for the Duchess of Windsor. In a tête-à-tête with Peter Lemarchand and his intricate drawings of the big cats at the Zoo de Vincennes in Paris, Mme. Troussaint brought to life the Duchess's desire for a lifelike, stalking panther to adorn her wrist. This bold cat, crafted entirely of articulated platinum paved in single-cut diamonds and calibré-cut onyx, swiftly became one of Ms. Simpson's absolute favorites. In repose it lies flat with one paw stretched out, appearing to languish in its velvet-lined box. However, upon the wrist of its wearer, the panther curls around the wrist "seductively" {cited}, assuming a menacing stalking pose. In all, the Duchess owned three of these revolutionary Cartier cats, and together this trio started a trend that has been reinterpreted throughout ensuing decades, right up to the present contemporary era. In 1987, Mohammed Al Fayed purchased this breathtaking Cartier panther bracelet for over $1.4 million during Sotheby's Exceptional Jewels and Precious Objects Formerly in the Collection of the Duchess of Windsor sale, along with at least 19 more of Wallis Simpson's personal jewels. It was this sale that changed the face of jewelry auctions forever, with total sales reaching $71.7 million, more than 10 times the market-value estimates set forth in the sale catalog. Twenty-six years later, this iconic bracelet came under Sotheby's hammer once again, at which time four telephone bidders drove the price higher and higher until one of them, who to date remains anonymous, outshone the rest with a staggering bid of just over $7 million. In a surprising twist of fate, the $12.5 million realized from this jewel and the 19 others sold that day, which once belonged to a woman of style scorned by the British Royal family, have been earmarked for a children's charity in honor of Mr. Al Fayed's son, Dodi, who perished in a tragic accident alongside his mistress, another woman of style scorned by the British Royal family. {cited}