Given the recent lackluster art auctions, people are understandably wary about the Art Basel Miami Beach show next month but the warm weather art event still hopes to attract the wealthy. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Cartier, which is the only jewelry sponsor of the event, will debut two jewelry collections, a high jewelry collection with tasseled pieces using sapphires and red spinels and Hypnose, an Art Deco-inspired line of black and white rings, pendants, bracelets and drop earrings. The collections will be displayed at the fair inside the Cartier Dome, which will feature a new visual installation, Diamonds, Gold and Dreams created by the filmmaker David Lynch, from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7. The piece includes a seven-minute "floating diamond" projection that will be displayed each hour accompanied by a musical score in an atmosphere that includes golden-fabric walls, gold-printed carpeting, gold trimmed display cases, an ornate curved display case for thePatiala necklace, and gold-accented furniture with reflective glass tops. The jewelry pieces will arrive in Cartier boutiques in March.

Some of world-famous Parisian jeweler Cartier's most beautiful creations are portrayed in a sumptuous new book due out in a couple of weeks. Cartier: Innovation Through the 20th Century (Flammarion, $65), features 165 rare gems reproduced at their actual size, "selected to highlight the milestones of 20th century design." Each amazing piece "serves as a benchmark in the world of high-end jewelry," much of it made for Europe's nobility and bon ton.

Drawing on Cartier's vast archives, many of the pictures are being published here for the first time. Cartier "consistently set new aesthetic, ornamental, technical and stylistic trends" in jewelry design, the book notes, and it continues to do so today. Even their famous red leather boxes have become something of a status symbol in and of themselves. The cover image above shows a platinum, diamond and ruby bracelet made in 1926.

A mysterious pearl necklace that may have once belonged to Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, will be auctioned off by Bonhams in New York in December. Automotive billionaire Horace Elgin Dodge purchased the necklace from Cartier in Paris in 1920 for his wife Anna Thomson Dodge at the astonishing price of $825,000 - about $8 million in today's dollars.

The original Cartier invoice states that the "five row pearl necklace, consisting of 389 pearls weighing 4305 grains" was accompanied by an "enamel clasp representing Catherine, Empress of Russia" and "two diamond alternate clasps." Several newspaper accounts from the '20s suggested that the pearls did indeed once belong to Catherine; Anna Thomson Dodge's heirs maintain that Horace bought the pearls from Cartier on that basis.

Now reduced to three strands comprised of 224 pearls and two Cartier diamond clasps, the necklace (above) is estimated at $500,000- $700,000 - a hefty sum, to be sure, but far less than Horace originally paid. The reason for the depreciation has less to do with the reduction in strands than with changing fashion and an evolving jewelry marketplace.

In 1920, before the advent of cultured pearls, they were exceedingly rare and valuable, much more so than diamonds. Nowadays pearls have become more commonplace while diamonds are more precious, though a true connoisseur recognizes the value of the Dodge necklace, which is made of all natural pearls.

Perfumer Mathilde Laurent has created a couple of new fragrances for women in the past couple of years and now turns her hand to the first men's fragrance for the jeweler in nearly a decade. Roadster is inspired by Cartier's Roadster watch. The cap resembles the Roadster's watch crown and the bottle is meant to be laid on it's side, evoking the look if a car tailight. The fragrance has notes of bergamot, mint, patchouli and vanilla and will be sold in Cartier boutiques and Bloomingdale's stores for a suggested $105 for a 3.3-ounce bottle. There's currently an interesting thread on Basenotes debating the scent.

[via Daily Breeze]

On June 19 in New York, Bonhams will auction off a selection of Fine Watches including this beautiful platinum Cartier pocket watch, estimated at $7,000 - $9,000. While overall the timepieces featured are of less importance than in some of the mega-auctions we told you about recently, there are still plenty of valuable and beautiful pieces to be had here. Also on the pocket watch front, there's a rare 18k gold open face minute repeating perpetual calendar version with phases of the moon by Patek Philippe, est. $80,000 - $120,000.

Also included in the sale: A Patek 18k gold self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases and leap year indicator, est. $25,000 - $35,000; several examples of the coveted "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" Rolex Explorer and a rare 1960 stainless steel anti-magentic Oyster chronograph, est. $40,000 - $60,000; and a limited edition titanium Panerai Luminor, est. $10,000 - $15,000.

Model and starlet, Kim Kardashian is auctioning off some of her favorite accessories, shoes and clothing to benefit the Dream Foundation -- a non-profit that helps the dreams of terminally-ill adults come true. From now until June 8th, Kim's items will be on eBay ready for bidding. The gallery below shows just a few of the special finds available -- Jimmy Choo, Cartier and Yves Saint Laurent are just a few of the names dropped at this event. I like the extra bonus of supporting such a great organization while purchasing star-touched items.

[via News4Jax]

The global economic picture may be grim but Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, the luxury goods group behind Cartier, Piaget, IWC, Panerai and many other luxury brands had a pretty good fiscal year. They reported that for their year ending March 31, the company had an 18 percent rise in net profits to 1.57 billion euros, or $2.22 billion, on a 10 percent increase in sales to 5.3 billion euros, or $7.51 billion. The strong brands included the group's watch and jewelry businesses while Chloé, its main women's wear business was relatively flat. Obviously this is good news but these days no company spokesperson can comment on earnings without a bit of gloom and doom. WWD reports that Johann Rupert, Richemont's chairman delivered the same cautious but hopeful line that we've seen from other luxury companies. Many including LVMH and Hermes have predicted that even in these tough times their profits will continue to rise.

Wine tycoon Bernard Magrez has run afoul of journalists by offering them what looks to be a classic bribe. Decanter reports that Magrez and his partner in wine, French actor Gerard Depardieu hosted journalists at a press lunch at the Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris on March 26. At the end of the lunch, journalists were giving a press kit and a box that contained a Cartier watch worth $2,641.

After what must have been some interesting moments of desire versus ethics, many of the journalists decided to either donate or return the watches. Magrez told Decanter he wasn't trying to buy good press, he was just using the watch as a way to commemorate the special occasion. The French website Backchich certainly isn't buying that. In their article titled The Advantages of Being a Wine Journalist, they feature a cartoon of a woman dressed in sparkling jewelry with a note pad and a glass of wine. My French is a bit rusty but I the caption roughly translates to this wine is rich and generous just like Mr. Depardieu.

We don't know too much about this watch except that is will be introduced during the SIHH show in Switzerland in April. The Cartier Perles watch is part of the Cartier Libre watch collection which also includes Cartier's Crash watches. The Cartier Perle is done in 18K white gold with 389 diamonds (a total of 2.9 carats) and highlighted by two pearls. The movement is a Swiss quartz module. The style is very striking but it looks like might be awkward to wear.

Lovely and pregnant Halle Berry has no plans to marry but that doesn't mean she doesn't get diamonds. Her boyfriend, Versace model and restaurateur Gabriel Aubry has reportedly given her $10,000 Cartier eternity ring to symbolize their commitment. The ring is composed of pavé-set diamonds in platinum. Berry and Aubry are also a bit non-traditional in that they share a bi-coastal relationship, he's based in New York and she is based in Los Angeles. Berry is due to give birth in the spring.

A Pierre Cartier clock that belonged to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is scheduled to go up for auction on December 4th at Sotheby's in Manhattan. Cartier gave the onyx clock with several different time zones (specific to key Allied forces locations in World War II) to the President back in 1943. Letters between Cartier and President Roosevelt regarding the gift are not part of the sale but can be viewed in the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York.

The clock comes with a red leather presentation box inscribed with "F.D.R" and is expected to sell for as much as $1 million dollars.

The rubies that are mined in the Mogok Valley in Myanmar are some of the most beautiful and prized stones in the word. The rich red color and uncommon clarity of the "pigeon's blood" stones means that they command some of the highest prices in the world. They are also coming under increasing scrutiny. Much as diamonds from certain African countries such as Sierra Leone have been used to fuel wars and have been labeled blood diamonds, there are worries that stones from Myanmar are helping to fund the country's military regime. In light of the protest which occurred last month in which people were killed as soldiers opened fire on monks and civilians calling from democracy, the focus on these gemstones has increased.

The concern is not just over the money fueling wars but also the conditions in mines in Myanmar. A recent article in the Scotsman offers a chilling portrait of mining in the area. Allegations include the fact that mine owners may get workers addicted to drugs so that they can control them better.

Bans on Myanmar gems are nothing new. There has been a ban in place for several years, since the Congress banned the importation of products from the country. Tiffany & Co stopped buying rubies from Myanmar in 2003 and Cartier and Bulgari have joined them. Also the Jewelers of America has asked Congress to amend the ruling of the original ban to specifically mention gemstones mined in Myanmar. A Reuters article mentions that the reason for this is because some gem dealers are not taking the issue seriously. A quick scan of eBay revealed many listing for "Burmese rubies." Some of these are likely not from the region, unscrupulous dealers often tag rubies as "Burmese" because the rubies have such a reputation for beauty.

For a counterpoint, check out this post from Gary Roskin who writes for JCK and is a gemstone expert. He is in contact with dealers in the region who say that the gemstone money doesn't go to the government and that instead of hurting the government, a ban could hurt the Burmese people.

Despite the controversy, Myanmar has said that they are going forward with a planned auction of gems and jade next month. Unlike the regimented world of diamonds, the colored gemstone industry is far less centralized and regulated. There is also no Kimberley Process that addresses the human rights concerns for gemstones.

The trailers for Ang Lee's latest move Lust Caution are full of glamour and intrigue in World War II-era Shanghai. As a jewelry lover one of the things I immediately noticed even in just the brief trailer was the large pink diamond ring worn by the lead actress Tang Wei. Turns out that the ring is a one-of-a-kind 6.1 carat Cartier ring. Cartier is also offering a Lust, Caution LoveCharity bracelet which has a mini 18K gold Love ring on a plum silk cord . It sells for $475 and $100 goes to benefit the Film Foundation which was established by Martin Scorsese to promote the need for film preservation.

The economy may be uncertain but don't tell that to Cartier. The luxury jewelry company has launched a new collection worth $250 million. Their four-day launch party took place in a London townhouse turned it into an Indian-themed palace with rose petals everywhere and topiary elephants draped with Cartier blankets. The party on September 19 was attended by celebs like Monica Bellucci, shown dripping in diamonds above.

As this article points out that while haute jewelry, like haute couture, used to be reserved for a select few and mainly existed to show off the brand to those who would not be able to afford it, it is now accessible to many more due to new money from Russia, China and India. The pieces from the Mysterious India collection include more than 500 one-of-a-kind pieces costing from 200,000 euros to 20 million euros. The ultra-rich will get to view the pieces at private dinners across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. You can check out a few pictures of the individual pieces here.