Bling bling. The French jewellery giant has dropped a new diamond-inspired fragrance.
Any mention of Cartier will most likely awaken the rabid magpie within. And its influence is far-reaching. The iconic nail bracelet. Extra AF bejewelled pieces in the structure of a panther. The classic love screw rings. And now, the luxury French jewellers have something as equally dreamy in store: a brand new fragrance based on diamonds, Carat.
“Cartier brings diamonds to life by showcasing them so stunningly, by introducing light and making it scintillate and shimmer,” explains Cartier Perfumer, Mathilde Laurent. “I wanted to create a fragrance that sparkles, alive with all the fire of a diamond. ”
Inspired by the very different rainbow refractions of light you get when a diamond catches the sun, Carat, is infused with seven fresh floral notes that come together as one. We’re talking a white, pure scent (comprised of violet, iris, hyacinth, ylang, daffodil, honeysuckle and tulip, fyi), housed in a prismed, Art Deco glass bottle.
We chatted to Mathilde Laurent about the new fragrance…
Are there connections between fragrance and jewellery?
Many connections. In fact, have you heard of the French writer, Huysmans? He said in a very famous quote that a perfumer and jeweller do exactly the same job. They both take something from nature and cut it. So the jeweller is cutting the stone and the perfumer is cutting the botanics to obtain the oil, and at the end, they size it on a ring or in a bottle. When you feel confident in your perfume it’s exactly as if you were wearing a wonderful diamond necklace.
Can scent be spiritual?
We know that smell can have an impact on your wellbeing. We know that you can also take care of yourself with essential oils and herbal teas, and it’s something that perfumery used to do before being for fun and pleasure. When you put a smell in a room it can change the behaviour of people. Perfume is like a personal declaration.
Was it challenging to interpret the Cartier aesthetic through a fragrance?
We looked at archive images with all the creators. I tried to create something between the history of Cartier and the future. I thought, what could I offer women and men that hasn’t been already offered?
What are your plans for the future?
I have so many ideas. For example, ten years ago with Les Heures, we offered mixed, non-gendered perfumes. At a time everyone was using citrus and fresh notes, we did flowers for men, spices for women. Making a perfume that you can share between genders, with not only citrus notes, it was revolutionary.
Did you have much involvement in designing the diamond-inspired bottle?
I was involved in every aspect of the project. With the marketing team and also the general manager of perfume at Cartier. We decide the story, the perfume, the heart of inspiration.
When did you first become interested in perfumery?
I wasn’t. I wanted to be an architect when I was very young, because my father was. But then I decided to do perfumery because a friend told me I had to. They said they could see me always smelling and speaking of smells, and asking people “are you wearing this?” and “you could try this new perfume, it’s incredible.” I studied chemistry, but at the end I chose perfumery. That’s how I came to it. In a totally magical way.
What is next for Cartier fragrance?
Many things. What is very important for me, is to offer people something that doesn’t already exist. We want to continue trying new things and being revolutionary.
