
Tilda Swinton by Sølve Sundsbø for Cartier.
Tilda Swinton has found herself surrounded by more animals than you would normally expect on a film set. For her first project as Cartier’s new global ambassador, the Scottish actress steps into ‘Into the Wild’, a high-jewellery campaign populated by tigers, parrots, carp, crocodiles and rhinoceroses, alongside the Maison’s enduring Panthère.
Cartier’s relationship with animals goes back to the early 20th century, when birds and insects first entered the Maison’s jewellery vocabulary before reptiles, big cats, chimeras, zebras and elephants joined the cast. The Panthère eventually became the undisputed star, first appearing as a three-dimensional sculptural creation in 1948. ‘Into the Wild’ now gives some of its less familiar creatures their own moment too.
Swinton lends her voice to a series of short films exploring the artisans and techniques behind Cartier’s animal creations. Gold lacquer, marquetry, mosaic and other specialist crafts become part of the story, turning the animals from static jewels into characters with their own little worlds. “We celebrate here the exceptional beauty of these rare techniques, and the dedication of the artisans involved. They have created the perfect imaginary world to showcase Cartier’s savoir-faire and how it comes to life in precious wild fauna creations,” she says. “I am very proud to become a Cartier ambassador and to lend my voice to this shared creative adventure.”

Tilda Swinton by Sølve Sundsbø and Paola Dossi for Cartier.

Tilda Swinton by Sølve Sundsbø and Paola Dossi for Cartier.
At the heart of the collection is a series of Faune & Flore de Cartier rings, each built around the head of one of five animals: tiger, parrot, carp, crocodile and rhinoceros. They are intentionally substantial, with jaws, beaks and muzzles extending across the hand rather than sitting politely on a finger. Cartier’s artisans have pushed the sculptural quality further through combinations of white, yellow, and rose gold, lacquer and an elaborate selection of precious and ornamental stones.
The Faune & Flore de Cartier tiger ring is particularly striking in shades of blue, using sapphires, aquamarine, diamonds and dumortierite quartz to recreate its stripes, while the parrot ring turns up the colour with a platinum and yellow gold base, coral, onyx, and tsavorite garnets. The rhinoceros ring gets spessartite garnet, grey agate and smoky quartz, giving its enormous head a more muted orange and opaline palette, while the crocodile ring combines diamonds, emeralds and onyx spikes in Cartier’s familiar high-contrast language.
The tiger and crocodile also escape the confines of the ring with matching bracelets and necklaces. Their heads are comparatively realistic, but the bodies take a more abstract route, formed from articulated links and graphic stone patterns that move with the wearer. The Faune & Flore de Cartier crocodile bracelet and matching necklace feature a head clasp whose articulated mouth actually bites onto the back of the strap, while diamonds, onyx, chrysoprase and rubellites run through the flexible body.
The Faune & Flore de Cartier tiger bracelet and necklace follow the same idea in a colder palette of sapphires, aquamarine, chalcedony, and dumortierite quartz, with movable gold links creating a body that shifts around the wrist. Its clasp is hidden inside the animal’s mouth, a piece of engineering that Cartier developed specifically so the mechanism would not interrupt the silhouette.

Paola Dossi for Cartier.

Tilda Swinton by Sølve Sundsbø and Paola Dossi for Cartier.
Then, naturally, there is the Panthère. Cartier’s most famous feline returns in an immaculate white gold Panthère de Cartier bracelet, its two panther heads covered in diamonds arranged in contrasting caviar and galuchat-effect settings to suggest fur and light. The collection also introduces a Panthère jewellery watch, a medallion-shaped creation inspired by the ancient art of cameos and crafted by the Maison des Métiers d’Art in La Chaux-de-Fonds. On its dial, onyx forms the nose and surface details, tsavorite garnets become the eyes and diamonds take over the bezel and lugs. The feline footprint extends into a yellow gold Panthère de Cartier bracelet with black lacquer spots, matching diamond earrings and a sleek black karung leather Panthère Double mini bag fitted with a gold-finished chain.
“The Cartier fauna is distinguished by its character. First of all, in the choice of species – big cats, reptiles, savannah animals… – and also in the creative treatment, between naturalism and extreme stylisation,” explains Pierre Rainero, Director of Image, Style and Heritage at Cartier. “Through the interplay of design, materials, and execution, Cartier questions the very perception of the animal and opens up extraordinary possibilities for exploring forms. Each creature, each creation reveals its own symbolic force, reflects an attitude, a personality trait or a state of mind. It becomes an opportunity to deliver a message about yourself.”

Tilda Swinton by Sølve Sundsbø and Paola Dossi for Cartier.
The campaign extends the collection beyond the jewellery itself, with white and yellow gold Faune & Flore de Cartier pins shaped as miniature crocodiles and tigers. With a diamond-covered panther, a smiling crocodile and enough precious stones to start a small geological museum, ‘Into the Wild’ makes one thing very clear: Cartier’s animal kingdom has never been one to stay put on the leash.
The new high jewellery creations are available to discover now across global flagship boutiques and online. Discover more here.
photography. courtesy of Sølve Sundsbø and Paola Dossi for Cartier
words. Gennaro Costanzo