Cartier Artistic Crafts “The Art Of Metalwork”

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Granulation
Granulation first appeared in the third millennium B.C. It reached its peak in the eighth century B.C. in Etruscan art. The technique of granulation, which can be likened to sowing seeds of gold, involves creating beads using gold wires that are cut up, rolled in charcoal dust and heated with flame. The gold seeds are then assembled one by one and fuse with the gold sheet in order to create the design.
In 2013, Cartier created a watch with a panther motif through the use of granulation. This luminous feature is made up of nearly 3800 gold beads which are attached to the dial in groups of five. Nearly 3500 firings were necessary to complete it. The engraving of the motif took 40 hours, and nearly 320 hours were required to attach the beads.



Filigree
The invention of filigree work is attributed to the Sumerians. The first objects created using this technique, which comes from the cities of Troy and Ur, have been dated to 3000 B.C. Our craftsmen have adapted this technique to Cartier’s criteria of excellence and to the scale required for watchmaking. Today, gold or platinum wire are twisted and flattened with a hammer. They are then shaped to form the motif and soldered. When the elements are attached on the sides but not on the bottom, it is known as “openwork filigree.”
In 2015, Cartier reinvents this technique with a watch that combines this ancient art with lacquer and gemstone setting. These techniques come together to create this sublimely beautiful watch, which took ten days to complete the filigree work.

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