How the Cartier Panther Became a Jewelry Icon

"Emeralds, onyx, diamonds, a brooch!" is what Jeanne Toussaint is said to have screamed after spotting a panther in the wild while on safari with Louis Cartier The Panthère can first be spotted in a Cartier wristwatch from 1914, when its signature pattern appeared in diamond and ebony Toussaint, who joined Cartier around 1913, had earned the nickname of "La Panthere" from Louis Cartier, perhaps because she wore a full length panther coat, perhaps because she was ferociously opinionated and intelligent; perhaps, some say, for other reasons.

The first three-dimensional Cartier Panthère was created in 1948 for his wife, the Duchess of Windsor, using a 116.74 carat emerald from the Duke's own collection The Duchess of Windsor was not the only woman prey to the panthère: Daisy Fellowes, the Singer sewing heiress who made Cartier's Tutti Frutti necklace famous, had her own sapphire and diamond Panthère brooch and other fans included Nina Aga Khan and Barbara Hutton From its first appearance in a jewel created by Jeanne Toussaint and then as a motif in examples of art deco, mid-century, 1980s and contemporary jewels, the Panthère has been reinvented by Cartier just as the tweed suit has been reinterpreted by Chanel.

Many jewelry houses have subsequently been inspired by the "Big Cats," but Cartier did it first. . Source