Why French designer chose Indian names for necklaces

French luxury jewellery house and watchmaker Cartier has an entire collection inspired by India. (Image credit: Cartier)

French luxury jewellery house and watchmaker Cartier has an entire collection inspired by India -- Tutti Frutti -- featuring vibrant pieces studded with sapphires, rubies and emeralds.

The luxury conglomerate’s encounter with Indian designs can be traced back to 1911, when Jacques Cartier, one of Cartier’s pioneers, sailed to India for his first voyage, according to an article in fashion magazine Prestige.

Cartier was inspired by the vibrant and elaborate jewellery in India. Mughal designs inspired him to create jewellery in red, green and blue -- a combination that was new to western countries, Prestige reported.

Flamboyant jewellery featuring colourful stones came to be known as Tutti Frutti in the 1970s. In 1989, Cartier patented it, according to Prestige magazine.

“Tutti Frutti creations are emblematic of Cartier style,” the luxury house says. “Inspired by India, whose influence is more alive than ever for Cartier, with a passion for volume and combining stones and colours.”

In 2019, Cartier unveiled a necklace named Maharaja. Engraved in Indian tradition, it featured Zambian, Colombian and Burmese gems.

Two years after that, Cartier came out with a piece called Udayan, which means garden. The highlight of the piece was a magnificent 67.7-carat pendant made with ruby from Mozambique.

“The Udyana is a one-of-a-kind creation that celebrates nature at its most luxuriant and colourful through a profusion of motifs and intricately engraved blue sapphires, rubies and emeralds,” Prestige wrote. “Set in platinum, the necklace forms a rich canopy of ribbed emerald beads studded with rubies, and is topped with an astounding 67.7-carat engraved ruby pendant from Mozambique.”