#JewelledJuly Day 29- Queen Victoria Eugenia's Tutti Frutti Bracelet, Cartier, late 1920s- conch pearls, white diamonds and black enamel, white gold mounts A truly unique piece, this bracelet is presented as an articulated band of diamond vines burgeoning with conch pearl 'fruits', and is the only Cartier jewel ever created that employed these materials in their iconic "tutti frutti" motif. Examples of similar Cartier bracelets are highly chromatic, and normally use a combination of two or three coloured gemstones, making the sole use of conch pearls unique to this particular piece. It can only be assumed that these pearls were an element specifically requested or provided by the client. A sumptuous piece, it is considered to be one of the most important jewels created by Cartier in the inter-war years and originally belonged to Queen Victoria Eugenia ('Ena') of Spain. This bracelet remained with the royal family until November 2012 when it appeared at Sotheby's in Geneva, offered for sale by an unknown family member. Originally appraised for $1.6 million, the bracelet went for double it's expected price, fetching a record $3.4 million at auction. The bracelet now belongs to an anonymous buyer. @cartier #jewelledjuly #cartier #cartiertuttifrutti #queenvictoriaeugenia #queenena #famousjewelry #diamonds #conchpearls #enamel