NGV to outshine London with its blockbuster Cartier exhibition

Throughout its 179-year history, Cartier has served an expectedly impressive list of high-profile clients – among them Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly and royal families from Great Britain to India and Russia.

One of the jewellery house’s more curious patrons, though, was Dame Nellie Melba, the Australian opera singer who found astronomic success on stages in Paris, London and New York in the 19th and 20th centuries. A kind of Beyoncé of her time, she spent her hard-earned fortune on elaborate jewels, with which she covered herself like a pin cushion. By one account, during a performance in Melbourne, she wore a Cartier diamond collar, a diamond and turquoise necklet, a diamond stomacher with a swaying pendant, and diamond and turquoise brooches – all for a daytime show.

Loading...