The Institute, which first opened in 2002 in a 18th century mansion, at the heart of the historic Parisian jewellery district, provides training for 150 craft artisans each year — out of 340 craft artisans working in France — in all of the jewellery making trades. La Maison Cartier is one of the very first brands to have created a centre dedicated entirely to perpetuating and developing the expertise of its savoir-faire.
A Visitor Immersion in an Atmosphere of Sharing and Interactivity
The Jewellery Institute tour, which will take place in groups of twelve, will allow visitors to discover the building’s three floors.
The public will explore the specially designed visitor trail and will discover the techniques and handiwork involved in jewellery making, gem-cutting, mounting and polishing; as well as more undisclosed techniques, such as glyptics and casting, which, after pearl threading last year, will be put into the spotlight.
For the second edition, Cartier also wanted to enable young people, who may be considering one of these still largely unknown, yet exceptional professions, to be able to speak directly to craft artisans during the tour, who will explain their passion, their background and their daily routine.
Visitors will also be invited to discover jewellery making first-hand, and to help create a unique and collaborative panther — the emblem of Cartier.
Preservation, training and transmission
The European Heritage Days participation is in line with Cartier’s ambition to further promote and develop Jewellery making expertise and trades; both more traditional techniques such as mounting and glyptics, which Cartier safeguards and perpetuates, and more recent savoir-faire, deriving directly from cutting-edge technologies such as digital design, which helps forge the future of Jewellery making and craftsmanship.
This same undertaking to perpetuate ancestral savoir-faire, while investing in the future, led, last year, to Cartier co-creating the very first Digital Bachelor’s Degree with the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie (HEJ), a privileged partnership of La Maison Cartier. Furthermore, Cartier maintains close ties with all of the schools in the ecosystem in order to train the jewellers of tomorrow.
Cartier actively participates in transmitting skills and providing training for future artisan jewellers, with 50 work-study students and interns each year. What’s more, the company hired twice as many of these students and trainees this year.
About Cartier
A reference in the world of luxury, Cartier, whose name is synonymous with open-mindedness and curiosity, stands out with its creations and reveals beauty wherever it may lie. Jewellery, high jewellery, watchmaking, fragrances, leather goods and accessories: Cartier’s creations symbolise the convergence between exceptional craftsmanship and a timeless signature. La Maison Cartier has a worldwide presence with 270 boutiques.
Fro more information, please visit www.cartier.com.
