Pierre Rainero, Cartier's Image, Style and Heritage Director, reveals that they finished recreating the piece in eight weeks.
- Jun 19, 2018
AceShowbiz - Top jewellers worked with Cartier's experts to create a replica of the priceless Toussaint necklace for the new OCEAN'S 8 movie.
Named in honour of Jeanne Toussaint, Cartier's Creative Director from 1933 to 1970, the necklace was designed in 1931 by Jacques Cartier for the Maharaja of Nawanagar and once described as "the finest cascade of coloured diamonds in the world".
The jewels no longer exist but Cartier bosses have preserved a design sketch and photographs of the piece, which were used as the primary references for the realisation of the film's Toussaint, worn by Anne Hathaway's diva character Daphne Kluger.
"The people at Cartier were incredible consultants and their expertise was a huge help to us," executive producer Diana Alvarez tells WENN, "and they allowed us to shoot at the Cartier Mansion (in Paris). To be able to go into their world and put it on screen was a big deal".
Pierre Rainero, Cartier's Image, Style, and Heritage Director, reveals the filmmakers' requirements for the story's diamond necklace were twofold: "It had to be a necklace of importance, in terms of carats, and have a historic touch. We immediately thought of one of the most significant diamond necklaces in our history".
Rather than create an exact copy, Cartier used the art deco masterpiece as an inspiration and recruited the best jewellers to complete the task on a tight deadline.
"Normally, for a special order of such importance, the minimum would be eight months," Rainero explains. "We actually made this necklace in eight weeks".
The film's Toussaint is comprised of flawless, colourless diamonds, mounted in white gold.
The movie's press notes read: "Meticulous attention was paid to the finishing of the settings, as close-ups - and Cartier's exacting standards - would not allow for any imperfection. Even as a re-creation, the Toussaint meets the Cartier High Jewellery requirements, in terms of craftsmanship and excellence".
"They did a beautiful job," says Hathaway, who wears the piece in the film. "I honestly didn't fully appreciate how special the necklace was until I saw a shot of me walking up the stairs and caught the way it sparkled. I suddenly understood that it was a very big deal, which is the magic of movies".
