Style Edit: Cartier En Équilibre’s colourful new chapter

The collection was first unveiled to the world in a drop of more than 100 pieces in the middle of last year, which took place in Stockholm, paying tribute to Scandinavian notions of harmony. Chapter two followed a few months later, first seeing the light of day in another harmonious location, next to the Summer Palace in Beijing. Now a third chapter has been written into the story, with the release of a quartet of spectacular necklaces. Like their predecessors in the collection, they embody Cartier’s mastery of balance, from their elegant form to their palettes of complementary colours.

Clean, geometric lines define the Euphonia necklace – both the overall shape of the piece and those of the stones that are pleasingly yoked together to form it. At the heart of the necklace is a dusting of emerald-cut rubies and emerald-cut diamonds, which irregularly alternate across three rows to form an abstract pattern of perfect balance. On this platinum piece, they’re supported by rows of square-cut, baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds. Those rows can be adjusted in length, thanks to a clasp that slides over both strands at the back.

The beauty of simplicity is expressed to the maximum in another of the pieces of the new chapter of the collection, the Splendea necklace. This remarkable creation creates absolute harmony among 34 diamonds of a wide variety of sizes, combining perfectly with the almost imperceptible platinum settings. The diamonds are meticulously arranged to form an undulating pattern of unmatched brilliance and sparkle.

To see how geometric lines can bring out the best in the most opulent of stones, take a look at another of the new En Équilibre pieces, the Parcae necklace. Its centrepieces are a trio of pear-shaped Madagascar sapphires, arranged on top of each other for another rendering of perfect balance, with the middle stone by far the most imposing: together, they weigh in at a hefty 16.59 carats. This statement dazzler is given added dynamism by its strands of diamonds in an unpredictable arrangement of kite, diamond and brilliant cuts.

The most showstoppingly ornate of the new En Équilibre additions, however, has to be the Ondora necklace. That’s expressed through its maximalist design and its harmonious yoking together of stones in a range of colours. First drawing the eye are the beads and cabochons of jade-hued chrysoprase, which are set among a combination of spinels and both square-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds, all separated by triangles and strands of elegant turquoise, against a backdrop of white gold. The piece is inspired by the jellyfish, with a pair of pendants – front and back – mimicking the sea creatures’ shape, with the one on the back also being adjustable.