The iconic Trinity turns 100, and is more relevant than ever.
Louis Cartier created the Trinity ring in 1924 – a trio of intertwining rings in platinum, yellow gold and rose gold that represents diversity, and embodies love in all its forms. Bound to the history of the Maison, the trio of rings harks back to the three brothers, Louis, Pierre and Jacques Cartier, and that of the three historic Cartier boutiques in Paris, London and New York. Over a century, its design codes have been translated into various forms, during the Must de Cartier years, and seen in lighters, pens and decorative objects during the 1970s and 1980s.
The design was bold for its time, deviating from prevailing trends of the bejewelled category to make a daring statement focused on the fluidity of the rings in their construction, and the strength it symbolises. Underlying its perceived simplicity is the perfect equation: clean lines, exact proportions, and precise shapes that achieve comfort based on ergonomics and function. The rings are round on the outside, smooth on the inside sliding over each other, and yet none of the three bands sits above the other two – a technical accomplishment and poetic too.
What’s most alluring about the Trinity, however, is how it reinvents itself. Each new iteration is a twist on its clever design premise. Whether it’s a play on volume or quantity, style details or creative materials, the Trinity shows its propensity to break new ground. To celebrate 100 years of Trinity, Cartier is reissuing the cult XL bracelet from the 2000s, and releasing an XL version of the iconic ring, along with a new cushion shape.
Like the round version, the new cushion-shaped design comes in classic and large model rings all in gold, or paved with diamonds, and also a bracelet and a pendant. More impressively, there will be a modular version, available as of March 2024, that can be worn as one wide, large band, or as three. The three interlocking bands unfold like a construction game, revealing their diamonds as they move.
Like a Kumiki puzzle, we envisioned the Trinity bands interlocked as one structure, and then designed in reverse to deconstruct them into three. This naturally creates multiple ways to wear the same ring, which makes this Trinity so contemporary and adds to its universality.
Marie-Laure Cérède, Director of Watchmaking and Jewellery design, Cartier
The first Trinity bracelet dates back to 1924, purchased by the famous American decorator Elsie de Wolfe, and worn by actress Kendall Lee, who was photographed wearing it stacked in pairs for Vogue the following year. A century on, it remains relevant. To commemorate this milestone, Cartier is reissuing the Trinity bracelet, in a maximalist fashion. The XL version ups the volume of the iconic three bands in white, yellow and rose gold, encircling the wrist with the same mobility and fluidity of the original Trinity ring. In the same play on volume, is the XL ring.
Made for everyone – famous or not – with no age limit, without boundaries, and with no need to conform. Meet the Trinity, in all its glory of a century, in store and online.
Images courtesy of Cartier, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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