Jean Cocteau designed costume jewelry
Jean Cocteau designed costume jewelry
Writer, poet, artist, director – Parisian intellectual and dandy Jean Cocteau in 1924 offered his friend Louis Joseph de Cartier, the son of the founder of the brand, to create a special ring. In particular, the ring that would combine the three incarnations of love – friendship, love-passion and loyalty. Thus, he became the designer of one of the most famous rings of the 20th century. He created a ring consisting of three inseparable rings made of three different precious metals. Yellow gold symbolized friendship, rose – passion, and platinum – loyalty. Besides, already in the 1990s the name “Triniti” stuck to it. The ring was ordered for Natalia Paley – aristocratic, fashion model and actresses. The cult ring, produced to this day for more than 90 years, has become a symbol of absolute love and was ingeniously simple. Noteworthy, Jean Cocteau wore the very first ring on his little finger all his life until his death (1963).
Also, Cartier jewelers have created a whole collection on the basis of this design – pendant on a chain, bracelets of the same type (since 1927), etc. The romance of the very idea of three sides of one feeling made Trinity a very popular ring for weddings and engagements.
Noteworthy, after the death of Jean Cocteau, craftsmen made jewelry based on his sketches. Among them was Madeline Flammarion, who created a line of silhouette costume jewelry in the 1990s based on Cocteau designs.
Cocteau worked with Marie-Madeleine Jolly and Philippe Madeline in their studio between 1957 and 1962. It was the time when he designed jewelry.
Jean Cocteau designed costume jewelry
In 1960 Cocteau worked with the goldsmith François Georges Hugo (1899— 1981), who used to make jewelry for Picasso and Ernst. Hugo and Cocteau created a collection of gold medallions based on Cocteau’s sketches inspired by human figures, mythological and astrological symbols.