The Hands of Transformation
In a new series of photos by artist Isabelle Boccon-Gibod, the Maison pays tribute to the female artisans whose rare skills produce some of Cartier’s most singular creations.
From the High Jewelry ateliers in Paris to the Watchmaking Manufacture in Switzerland, these women – captured with the tools of their trade – are engaged in the preservation, transmission and celebration of exceptional "savoir-faire".
Susana
Quality control technician (gemology department) at the Cartier Watchmaking Manufacture, LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS (SWITZERLAND), 25 years’ experience.
“Every day I get to admire what the Earth is capable of doing with the greatest of respect. What I really love about my work is being able to contribute to Cartier’s exceptional creations − this job is a real passion for me! And because of the precision and rigor it requires, it’s also a reflection of my personality. For my portrait, I decided to showcase the Coussin Watch, which contains over 680 precious stones, from sapphires to tsavorites, emeralds and tourmalines.”
Angela
Fine watchmaking chamferer at the Cartier Watchmaking Manufacture, LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS (SWITZERLAND), 3 years’ experience.
“Decorating watch movements is a meticulous operation that helps enhance the aesthetic value of a watch. Each decorated element must be perfectly uniform and free of any defects. Using various tools such as rubber polishers, buff sticks and small brushes, I create angled surfaces that will reveal the maximum brightness of each component, and thus of the movement and finally the watch itself. All these operations are performed by hand, which bestows a meaning and an identity to each decorated component. I etch a part of my soul and my emotions into each decoration that I have the opportunity to create.”
LAËTITIA
Jeweler at the Cartier High Jewelry ateliers IN PARIS (FRANCE), 12 years’ experience.
“I viscerally love my job. Jewelry has fascinated me since childhood and this demanding and difficult job brings me challenges that I am proud to be able to meet, and that make me grow. In life, I paint, I shape objects in paste. In my job, I like to personalize the tools. I enjoy bringing aesthetics into functionality. This portrait reflects my experience of this profession that I’ve seen change. Even though it was an exclusively masculine profession as recently as 15 years ago, women are now coming to be equally represented.”
Magali
Polisher at the Cartier High Jewelry Ateliers, PARIS (FRANCE),
17 years’ experience.
“In my profession, the magnifying glass, which you see in my portrait, is an ever-present instrument. With it, I constantly check my work, which must be perfect even when magnified 10 times. The smallest scratch, invisible to the naked eye, is not possible on a creation that comes out of our workshops. Every millimeter of metal undergoes this meticulous examination several times, including the six faces of each hole which must receive a paving diamond. These small facets become shiny like mirrors and reflect light through the stones. This is one of the magical sides of my job, because this demanding operation is not really visible, you only perceive it by its result on the brilliance of the stones.”
