CARTIER: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® 2026 at the National Gallery of Victoria belongs firmly in the latter.

Exclusive to Melbourne, this Australian-exclusive presentation brings together nearly 400 extraordinary jewels, timepieces and precious objects, alongside original design drawings, sketchbooks and archival photographs that reveal the creative journey behind one of the world’s most celebrated jewellery houses. Created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria and in collaboration with Cartier, the exhibition explores the Maison’s remarkable evolution through more than 125 years of exceptional creations.

Walking through its galleries feels less like visiting an exhibition and more like stepping inside the history of one of the world’s greatest jewellery houses. Thoughtfully curated and beautifully presented, every room reveals another chapter in Cartier’s remarkable story, reminding visitors why the Maison continues to define the language of high jewellery.

Founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, the Maison has spent nearly two centuries shaping jewellery history through exceptional craftsmanship, technical innovation and an unrivalled appreciation for extraordinary gemstones. This exhibition captures that legacy beautifully.

A Grand Welcome

The journey begins with a magnificent tiara welcoming visitors into the world of Cartier. It is an elegant introduction to what lies ahead, immediately setting the tone for an exhibition filled with history, craftsmanship and remarkable gemstones.

The Early Years

Among the earliest masterpieces is the exquisite Lily stomacher brooch from 1906 along with stomacher brooch 1913, showcasing the refined elegance that defined Cartier’s early twentieth-century creations.

Soon after comes the celebrated Berenice Tiara, completed in 1925 and centred on an extraordinary 141-carat Mughal emerald. It is a remarkable example of Cartier’s ability to transform historically significant gemstones into timeless works of art.

Cartier’s Golden Age

The 1930s are particularly well represented throughout the exhibition, reflecting one of the most creative periods in Cartier’s history.

One of the highlights is the spectacular 143-carat carved emerald necklace created in 1932 for Beatrice Mills, perfectly demonstrating the Maison’s fascination with exceptional gemstones.

Nearby, visitors encounter the celebrated jade necklace commissioned for Barbara Hutton, alongside the magnificent 148-carat diamond necklace created in 1934 for a member of the Sassoon family.

Then comes one of Cartier’s most recognisable design languages: Tutti Frutti.

Created in 1936 for the legendary Daisy Fellowes, the necklace is a masterpiece of color and imagination. Incorporating gemstones from her own Tutti Frutti bracelet, it combines more than 240 carats of sapphires with carved emeralds, rubies and diamonds. In 1963 her daughter Comtesse de Casteja remodelled the necklace with Cartier.

Legendary Clients, Legendary Jewels

As the exhibition progresses, so do the extraordinary stories behind Cartier’s most celebrated commissions.

Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic ruby and diamond necklace from 1957 is among the unforgettable highlights.

For me, however, the undeniable star of the exhibition was the extraordinary serpent necklace created in 1968 for María Félix.

Set with 178 carats of diamonds, the articulated snake is one of Cartier’s most iconic creations, embodying both technical mastery and fearless creativity.

Nearby, another legendary commission for the Mexican actress commands equal attention: her famous crocodile necklace, completed in 1975 and set with 66 carats of emeralds and 60 carats of fancy yellow diamonds. These extraordinary pieces perfectly capture the unique relationship between Cartier and its most visionary clients.

The exhibition also presents faithful recreations of two of Cartier’s most celebrated commissions: the legendary Patiala Necklace and the magnificent Toussaint Necklace, allowing visitors to appreciate two creations that have become part of jewellery history.

A Fitting Finale

The exhibition concludes with what is undoubtedly one of its most breathtaking galleries: a room dedicated entirely to Cartier tiaras.

Although spanning more than a century of design, seeing these creations brought together in one space is a fitting finale to the exhibition.

Among my personal favourites is the radiant Sun Tiara, created in 1907, alongside one of Cartier’s most recent masterpieces, the emerald cabochon tiara completed in 2017 and centred on an extraordinary 140-carat emerald.

Standing before these creations, it becomes clear that Cartier’s approach to jewellery has always been about far more than precious materials. It is about imagination, craftsmanship and creating objects that transcend generations.

Beyond the individual jewels, what makes CARTIER: Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® 2026 so memorable is the way it tells Cartier’s story through its creations. These are not simply beautiful objects displayed behind glass. They are witnesses to history, symbols of extraordinary craftsmanship and expressions of the remarkable relationships between Cartier and some of the world’s most influential collectors.

Whether you are captivated by exceptional gemstones, fascinated by jewellery history or simply appreciate beautiful craftsmanship, this is an exhibition that deserves to be experienced.

This is not simply an exhibition of jewellery.

It is an exhibition of excellence.

Ruby is from , a variety of the mineral corundum, same mineral as sapphire. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, together with sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium. Ruby is defined to be red, and all other hues of the gem species corundum are called sapphire. Ruby may exhibit a range of secondary hues, including orange, purple, violet, and pink. The finest ruby has a pure, vibrant red to slightly purplish red color. In most markets, pure red colors command the highest prices and ruby with overtones of orange and purple are less valued. The color must be neither too dark nor too light to be considered finest quality. The most valuable color is Burmese pigeon-blood, which is a bright, rich, full red with a slightly bluish hue. One of the main reasons that Burmese rubies are so valuable is because of their very specific, extremely saturated colour, caused by a high chromium content in the ground from which they are extracted. Another factor is their natural fluorescence, which has the effect of making the stone ‘come alive’ and appear internally illuminated.

Rubies date back to 200 BC ,  there are records of ruby trading on Silk Road, China. Historically, rubies were mined in Thailand, Colombia, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, Namibia, Japan, and Scotland, and after world war II deposits discovered in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Vietnam.

The “Valley of Rubies”, the mountainous Mogok area, in north of Myanmar (Burma) was the main source of rubies for centuries. It is noted as the original source of ruby including the world’s finest “pigeon’s blood” rubies. In central Myanmar, the area of Mong Hsu began producing rubies during the 1990s and rapidly became the world’s main ruby mining area. The most recently found ruby deposit in Myanmar is in Namya (Namyazeik) located in the northern state of Kachin. In Pakistani Kashmir there are vast proven reserves of millions of rubies, worth up to half a billion dollars. However, as of 2017 there was only one mine (at Chitta Katha) due to lack of investment. In Afghanistan, rubies are mined at Jegdalek. In 2017 the Aappaluttoq mine in Greenland began running. The rubies in Greenland are said to be among the oldest in the world at approximately 3 billion years old. The Aappaluttoq mine in Greenland is located 160 kilometers south of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The rubies are traceable from mine to market.

5 most important Rubies:

1- The Sunrise Ruby

The Sunrise Ruby is a 25.59-carat Mogok Burmese ruby that was accompanied by reports from the SSEF and Gübelin, verifying the origin of ruby as Burma and “pigeon-blood” color, also certifying no indication of heat treatment. Sotheby’s also noted that the ruby “displays a homogeneous and richly saturated ‘pigeon blood red’ colour, which typifies the finest of these gems. The depth of colour, combined with a high clarity and brilliance, all contribute to the beauty of the gem. The shape and finely proportioned cut provides vivid internal colour reflections.” It was set into a platinum signed and numbered Cartier mounting and flanked by shield-shaped diamonds. The Sunrise Ruby sold for a record price of US$30.42 million on 12 May 2015 at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva, Switzerland.

2- The Jubilee Ruby

The Jubilee Ruby a 15.99 carats Burmses ruby accompanied by three reports from the AGL American Gemological Laboratories, SSEF and Gübelin, all stating that the origin of this ruby would be classified as Burma (Myanmar), and possesses extraordinary characteristics and merits special mention and appreciation. The ruby has a remarkable size and weight of 15.991 cts and exhibits an attractive vivid colour, combined with fine purity. The inclusions found by microscopic inspection represent the hallmarks of classical ruby mines in the Mogok valley in Burma (Myanmar), well known for its wealth in gems since historic times. Its attractive vivid red colour is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in this gemstone, characteristic for the finest rubies from Mogok. In addition to these qualities, this ruby has been spared exposure to heat treatment and its clarity and colour are thus all naturalwith no gemological evidence of heat.  Set in a distinctive gold and diamond mounting by Verdura, and sold for $14.2 million, which equates to $885,000 per carat in 2016 at Christie’s.

3- The Crimson Flame Ruby

The Crimson Flame Ruby is an exceptional 15.04ct Burmese ruby, accompanied by reports from SSEF and Gübelin  stating that the ruby is of Burma (Myanmar) origin, with no indications of heating and this colour variety may also be called “pigeon’s blood red” in the trade; also accompanied by an appendix stating that the ruby possesses a combination of outstanding characteristics. It displays a homogeneous and richly saturated colour, which typifies the finest of these gems. The depth of colour, combined with a high clarity and brilliance, all contribute to the beauty of the gem. Such a combination of characteristics is very rare in Burmese rubies of this size. The Crimson Flame Ruby by Boghossian fetched just under $18.5 million at Christie’s Hong Kong in December 2015.

4- The ‘Graff Ruby’

The ‘Graff Ruby’ is a 8.62ct cushion-shaped Pigeon’s Blood Burmese Ruby weighing 8.62 carats, set between triangular diamond shoulders within a mount decorated throughout with brilliant-cut diamonds, signed Graff sold for $8.6 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

5- Magnificent Ruby & Diamond Necklace by Etcetera

Etcetera designed an articulated brilliant-cut diamond lattice-work necklace, centering thirteen pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 5.14 to 1.00 carats, framed by two rows of forty-eight oval and cushion-shaped rubies weighing approximately 120.00 carats. Accompanied by reports from the SSEF and Gubelin stating that the total are of Burma (Myanmar) origin, with no indications of heating and the colour of these rubies may also be called ‘pigeon’s blood’ in the trade; The rubies exhibit a highly matching vivid colour and an outstanding fine purity, rarely encountered in rubies of Burmese origin. The rubies have been spared exposure to heat treatment and their colour and purity are thus entirely natural. Assembling a matching selection of natural rubies from Burma of such quality and size – all showing the most sought after “pigeon blood red’ colour – is extremely rare and exceptional. Thus this ruby necklace can be considered a true treasure of nature. This magnificent necklace sold for $13 million at Chritie’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels.

References & Credit
Information gathered collectively from Wikipedia, Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

Images:
The Sunrise Ruby courtesy of Sotheby’s
The Jubilee Ruby courtesy of Christie’s
The Crimson Flame courtesy of Boghossian & Christie’s
The Graff Ruby courtesy of Graff & Sotheby’s
The Etcetera Necklace courtesy of Christie’s