A Hundred Years of Trinity: Power Squared

Back in 1924, everything relied on the fluidity of the moving rings. Convex on the outside and smooth on the inside, they slid over each other, stacked, and assembled. The concept seems simple. It's not, especially when, a century later, angular lines add complexity to the exercise.

To mark the centenary of the jewel, "Cartier dared to break the circle to reach for the square," recounts Pierre Rainero, Director of Style, Image, and Heritage at Cartier. "When I first discovered the square Trinity, I wondered. Would it slide on the finger? A powerful and essential shape, the Trinity ring created by Louis Cartier in 1924 was immediately a mysterious and magical object. Mysterious, because each ring is connected to the other two, it's not a chain. Once worn, it rolls, even if it's square. This magic goes beyond the design. Trinity lets the essence of shapes speak, those of the three rings that unite, which our creative studio has reinterpreted with great freedom. It retains this playful aspect, this movement of the rings among themselves, that one can't help but engage in when wearing it. This game creates an intimate connection with the jewel."

Throughout its century-long existence, the Trinity has enjoyed much freedom. Sometimes slender or ample, fluted, faceted, or gadrooned, by three or up to ten, the rings have seen their appearance evolve. But the classic Trinity in three golds - yellow, rose, and gray - is the iconic piece, embedded in the collective unconscious alongside the little red box trimmed in gold, the one that four generations have seen passed from hand to hand. This is also the symbol chosen by the jeweler for its campaign. A myriad of celebrities can be seen in the campaign, passing the Trinity relay. Many had attended the Parisian celebration of its launch at the Petit-Palais.

On that February evening, the entire Belle Époque building was dressed in red, in the jeweler's colors. It's also where one can admire until the end of April the exhibition "Le Paris de la modernité," which offers a glimpse into the wild creativity of the years 1905 to 1925. Nothing is left to chance at Cartier.

This modernity, precisely, is at the heart of Pierre Rainero's reflections: "Trinity conveys modernity through its essential design, but it's important to remember that a century ago, it symbolized a break with the established codes of the time. It was a jewel that could be worn from morning to night, whereas at the beginning of the century, one didn't wear the same jewelry at different times of the day or at different ages. It left a mark because of its daily wear, which contrasted with the ceremonial nature of jewelry for which Cartier was well known. Today, it's more difficult to be revolutionary because freedom is almost total. It stems from affirming to which point fun is allowed with one’s values. It's because we believe in those values that we can afford to play with them."

This modernity is also measured by the relevance of that jewel in today's world. He continues: "Many young people are not familiar with the Trinity ring. This modernity will appeal to the younger generation, sensitive to the history and rootedness of things. They appreciate appropriating an object without feeling that it was created especially for them."

Being able to define oneself as legitimate through one's history, iconic through one's shape, and appealing to both men and women is a highly coveted value in luxury today; a universality that gives depth to the object, according to Arnaud Carrez, Vice President and Marketing Director of Cartier: "Our objects are created to be worn by everyone. Trinity embodies this symbolism. There's no preconceived idea about who will wear a Cartier jewel or watch when creating a Cartier watch. Since 1924, Trinity has embodied the dimension of love in all its forms; it speaks to everyone, all generations, genders, and nationalities. It's the universal character of the house, but also its singularity. In the 1930s, Jean Cocteau wore the ring on his little finger. He used to say, addressing his partner Jean Marais, 'One ring is me, the other is you, and the third is our love.' These stories are encapsulated in Trinity."

Multiple variations of Trinity have existed since 1924. This year, in addition to the simple ring or its diamond-set version, Cartier is reissuing the Trinity bracelet, a true cult piece, in its maximal version. The first Trinity bracelet, a century ago, acquired by the famous American decorator Elsie de Wolfe and worn by the actress Kendall Lee, had been photographed in 1925 for Vogue, doubling them up. It's a vast playground, according to Arnaud Carrez. "The Trinity one, which assembles and disassembles while preserving the Trinity vocabulary, is a real challenge. But it's worth noting that work has also been done on the existing collection, on the convexity, on the edges, for more comfort and softness to the touch. Our ambition is to bring value at all times. Trinity is an iconic, historical, and contemporary collection. The hundred years of Trinity represent a very important moment for Cartier."