This is the fifth and final program in the Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean exhibition lecture series. 

Join Francesca Cartier Brickell for a journey through Cartier's natural pearl history, from extravagance to near extinction. Hear tales of her ancestors' exploits, from adventurous voyages in search of the best pearls on the planet and the infamous exchange of a pearl necklace for a Fifth Avenue mansion, to surviving the natural pearl crash that almost bankrupted Cartier. Francesca, who has recently followed her great-grandfather’s century-old pearl diaries through the Middle East, will also share her own unexpected experiences.

There will be time for a Q&A session at the end of the lecture.

This necklace is on view in Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean.

Image courtesy of Hillwood.

Firm of Cartier (French, 1847 - Present)
New York, 1900s
Pearls, diamonds, platinum

HYBRID PROGRAM 

This lecture will be presented in the theater in the Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center and will be livestreamed via Zoom. Visitors can submit questions for the speaker from any location. 

IN-PERSON TIMELINE

5:30–7:00 p.m. | Explore Hillwood 

• Enjoy Hillwood’s mansion, gardens, and greenhouse, and exhibition, Fragile Beauty: Art of the Ocean, on view in the Adirondack building
• Find the perfect memento from your visit at the museum shop 

7:00–8:00 p.m. | Lecture in Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center Theater.

8:00 p.m. | Book signing. Francesca's book The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewelry Empire will be available for purchase in the museum store.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Francesca Cartier Brickell, an English Literature graduate from Oxford University, is a direct descendant of the Cartier family. Her great-great-great-grandfather founded the world-famous firm in 1847. Her late grandfather Jean-Jacques Cartier was the last of the family to manage and own a branch of the firm that still bears their name. Her book, The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family behind the Jewelry Empire, is the result of years of independent research into her family and the business they founded and has been translated into multiple languages. Francesca, who lives in Oxford with her family, lectures about Cartier’s illustrious history all over the world.

Image courtesy of Francesca Cartier Brickell.