We’ve always seen the biennale as an event that requires the exception. We can’t present at the biennale what we would present in our boutique, so our entire collection of over 100 unique pieces has been especially created for the event,” explains Pierre Rainero , image and heritage director at Cartier. Befitting its nickname of ‘jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers,’ the French house will be presenting at the prestigious Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris a “Royal Collection” inspired by spectacularly-sized gemstones, such as a D IF (Internally Flawless) diamond weighing 30.21 carats, in a faceted pear-shape that can be worn as the centerpiece of a dazzling necklace, attached to a 17.40-grain natural pearl, or adapted easily on a ring; a 26.6-carat, cushion-shaped Colombian emerald of noble provenance, now the focal point of a removable pendant necklace with a surround of calibrated triangular diamonds interspersed with emerald beads; or a 15.29-carat ruby from Mozambique, currently the centerpiece of a “drapery” necklace. But perhaps the scene-stealer will be the Royal Pearl — all 166.16 grains or 8.3 grams of it — that boasts an illustrious provenance, having been the property of Queen Mary, wife of King George V. Cartier has incorporated the pearl as the centerpiece of a grand diamond necklace that can be also be worn as a tiara, and is completed with a pair of earrings, using two natural pearls of 77.44 and 72.16 grains.

“We always work with exceptional stones but to gather so many exceptional stones in one place, that’s unique. Usually all our pieces are spread around the world in our different boutiques,” muses Rainero.

The Royal Collection has been created around several main themes, said Rainero, ‘Majestic Stones,’ with some pieces using the art of glyptic (the engraving of gems), ‘Stone of the World,’ where the provenance of the stone inspired the design (look out for a Maya pyramid design on a stunning diamond ring), and ‘Design is King,’ with the jeweler’s optical illusion design that it first introduced at the 2012 biennale des antiquaires.

Rainero is especially proud of some of the jewelry innovations that will be unveiled, such as a stunning cravat-like necklace woven out of threads of gold and natural silk, giving the overall piece a very fluid, silky feel, as well as a panther pendant created with stone mosaic in relief – another first – using black, white, and gray agate. “It is truly a sculpture, a work of art,” he muses

The Biennale des Antiquaires takes place Sep 10-21.