Jacques Cartier (joyero)

Jacques-Théodule Cartier (February 2, 1884 – September 10, 1941) was a French jeweler and executive of the Cartier company.

Early Life

Cartier was born in 1884 in Paris. He was one of three sons of Alfred Cartier (1841–1925) and Amélie Alice (Griffeuille) Cartier (1853–1914). His two brothers were Pierre Cartier and Louis Cartier. His grandfather, Louis-François Cartier, had taken over the jewelry workshop of his master, Adolphe Picard, in 1847, thus founding the famous Cartier jewelry firm.

Jacques graduated from Collège Stanislas.

Career

Together with his two elder brothers, Jacques helped build the world-renowned Cartier brand, dedicated to jewelry and watchmaking. While opening and managing the London store, his brother Pierre was in charge of the New York store. Jacques took over Cartier's London operations in 1909 and eventually moved the store to its current location at 175 Bond Street. Meanwhile, Louis was the designer who created the Cartier style that remains the brand's hallmark.

The brothers divided and expanded the company's market. Cartier's early success was boosted by a recommendation from Princess Mathilde, the young cousin of Napoleon III, which helped promote the business. In the early 20th century, "Cartier became the jeweler to the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Fords, Morgans, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Zog I of Albania, and Chulalongkorn of Thailand, who alone in 1907, according to Cartier biographer Hans Nadelhoffer, purchased bracelets worth $450,000 from the firm."

While Louis and Pierre married early, Jacques remained single for several years, busy catering to the needs and desires of royalty and traveling abroad in search of gems of unique and exceptional beauty. He traveled to the Persian Gulf to find the perfect pearl. He later visited India, bringing magnificent jewelry from local maharajas to the London workshop for redesign and modification. Together, Pierre and Jacques bought a significant collection of pearls and gemstones from an Indian prince. The uniqueness of these pearls and gemstones gave each piece of jewelry a sense of exclusivity, contributing to the firm's success.

Jacques led the London store until his death in 1941. His brother Louis died the following year, in July 1942. The Cartier family relinquished control of the business in 1964 following the death of Pierre.

Personal Life

In 1912, Cartier married Anna Margaretha "Nelly" (née Harjes) Gardiner (1878–1972). Nelly, previously divorced from Lion W. Gardiner of Gardiners Island, was the mother of Mary Dorothy Gardiner (wife of Victor Louis Marie Jean Dupont) and sister of banker Henry Herman Harjes, a partner of J.P. Morgan in France. Together, Jacques and Nelly had four children:

• Jacqueline Elma Cartier (b. 1913), who married American Sylvester Gardiner Prime of Shelter Island (a descendant of Nathaniel Prime) in 1939.

• Alice Cartier (b. 1915), who married Carl Nater, son of the mayor of Sankt Moritz, in 1945.

• Jean-Jacques Cartier (1920–2010), who married Lydia Baels (1920–1990), daughter of Henri Baels. Lydia's sister, Lilian Baels, was the wife of King Leopold III of Belgium.

• Alfred Harjes Cartier (1922–1974), who married Elizabeth Conn (1911–1976) in 1945.

Cartier died on September 10, 1941, in Dax during the Axis occupation of France. He was buried in the Cartier Family Mausoleum at Gonards Cemetery in Versailles.

External Links

• Cartier Official Website