The bespoke piece is the result of eight weeks’ intensive work in the Cartier high jewellery workshops in Paris, but the necklace actually dates back to the 1930s. The original was designed in 1931 for the Maharaja of Nawanagar by Jacques Cartier, and was described as “the finest cascade of coloured diamonds in the world,” and “a superb realisation of a connoisseur’s dream.” It is called the Jeanne Toussaint necklace in tribute to Cartier’s former creative director, who was key in shaping the maison’s identity during the decade.
Though the Maharaja’s commission no longer exists, photographs of the design and its owner have been preserved in Cartier’s archives, and were resurfaced to remake the silver screen centrepiece. The necklace was reduced in size by 15 to 20 percent and adjusted to Hathaway’s measurements as the initial dimensions were for a man. The coloured diamonds were replaced with natural zirconium oxides mounted on white gold, and meticulous attention was paid to the finishing of the settings and polishing, because close-ups would not allow for any imprecisions.