A few months ago, I set out to retrace my great-grandfather's footsteps in the Middle East. With no real sense of what to expect (after all this was 100-odd years later), I hoped to wander the same streets, search for pearls as he had done and - a long-held dream - meet some of the descendants of the pearl merchants he had known. What I didn't envisage was the extent to which the trip - and those I met - would impact me personally, and certainly not that it would make it into the newspapers, onto CNN and even lead to a record-speed Arabic-edition of The Cartiers. This week, against the odds, I am launching ‘The Cartiers’ Arabic-language edition in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. One always learns things with the foreign editions: this experience was incredibly fast paced and I must admit to being pretty incredulous when the proposed publishing date was announced - generally the foreign editions take about a year, this one was a matter of weeks. It also led to some fascinating exchanges with the translators (it’s rare for anyone to read your words so closely so I loved this part). And I learnt how lucky I was to have this opportunity as not many books are translated into Arabic: a 2003 UN study estimated that only c. 10,000 books had been translated into Arabic in the past millennium. I was really surprised to discover that. But the publisher who took on my book, Kalima (an initiative of the Tourism and Culture Authority in Abu Dhabi), was set up in 2007 to change this and its impact has already been felt: 20 years ago, only c. 300 books a year were translated into Arabic, now it's closer to 10x that figure. #dubai #abudhabi #arabic #cartier #publishing

Listening to a lecture about the formation of the Morgan Library and they just showed the @Sotherans invoice for Morgan‘s purchase of Gutenberg bible and Shakespeare‘s folios in 1890s. The American millionaire got a discount for paying cash!

This captivating session of #IBB2023 at the @AsiaSocietyHK features @cescacartier, author of 'The Cartiers,' along with @RadhikarajeG, a patron of the Heritage Trust. They are discussing 'The Cartiers: A Legacy of Luxury' with @SanjoyRoyTWA, Managing Director of @TeamworkArts.

My thanks to @Sothebys for this interview. In it, we chat about the origins of the unique ‘Cartier style’ (both in terms of design and craftsmanship), my family’s story, some surprising discoveries I made while researching it, and of course some favourite Cartier creations like the ‘Tutti Frutti’ Mountbatten tiara: sothebys.com/en/articles/fra… #jewelry #luxury #familyhistory

Another milestone in Guatemala: we have now removed over one thousand truckloads of trash from the Rio Las Vacas. 🇬🇹 This is our toughest river challenge so far, but we’re continually working to improve Interceptor 006 and keep tons of plastic from entering the Caribbean Sea.

Fun to flick through a Cartier New York catalogue from the late 1960s. The 60s/70s were an unusual period for the US branch. After Claude Cartier (Louis’ son) sold Cartier New York in 1962, several different owners/managers followed over the next few years with no shortage of new product ideas. These watches are examples of this period - as the eagle-eyed among you might be able to see, they’re all collaborations with other brands. On this page, from left to right, there’s a Corum Watches / Cartier branded watch, a Patek Philippe Cartier branded watch, and a couple of Piaget Cartier branded watches. Other pages show even more.. there’s the odd one with just Cartier on the dial but they’re in the minority. Interesting what these collaboration watches tell us about consumer demand in America at the time, the preference for more branding etc. Certainly different to what was going on in Cartier London, still family owned back then (under Jean-Jacques Cartier), where watches were designed and handmade in-house (albeit with movements imported from Jaeger-LeCoultre) and signed simply ‘Cartier’ or ‘Cartier London’. But back to the double branded ones - sometimes see these type of watches popping up at auction today. Some collectors prefer them, others consider them more of a blip in the design history of the firm, not so classically ‘Cartier’. Would love to hear any views? #watches #luxury #cartier #horology #collaboration #branding

This famous image by István Orosz features a scene from the classic novel The Mysterious Island. When a mirrored cylinder is placed on the Moon, it reveals by anamorphosis a portrait of the writer, Jules Verne [source: buff.ly/319f9VP]

According to legend, an elaborate labyrinth was built at Knossos on the island of Crete to hold a ferocious Minotaur. Discover the Palace of Knossos and the search for the Labyrinth: ashmolean.org/exhibition/lab… Coin minted at Knossos depicting the Cretan Labyrinth, 300–270 BCE

In 1977, Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most influential 20th c. Spanish-language writers, told William F. Buckley (whose first language was Spanish) his reasons for feeling, age 78, that English was 'far finer' than his native tongue. Right or wrong, I love his savor for language

Part III of my recent visit to Bahrain to learn about Jacques Cartier's travels in search of pearls. Wonder if he ever imagined that one day his great-grand-daughter would be following in his footsteps or rather donkey steps... ! #pearls #bahrain #luxury #cartier @Danatinstitute

In the fourth installment of DANAT's Cartier documentary, we take you on an amazing journey to discover the feeling of a generational reunion. Francesca Cartier Brickell meets with the families that her great-grandfather Jacques Cartier encountered,

Fun to share the story of how @Cartier secured its New York flagship at 653 5th Ave in exchange for Maisie Plant's pearl necklace.... in what was amongst the greatest trades of the twentieth century! @Danatinstitute #pearls #newyork #cartier #bahrain

A 100-Year Legacy of Bahraini Pearls (Part I): My thanks to @Danatinstitute for recording this 4-part documentary and helping me keep alive the story of Jacques Cartier’s visit to Bahrain over a hundred years ago piped.video/kYTMcKN7wpg #bahrain #pearls #cartier #jewelry

I love this! ❤️ Metal detectorist Charlie Clarke has found this exquisite necklace and pendant, now confirmed to be a pristine Tudor artefact bearing initials of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. It's in the British Museum now. Wow, just wow! 😍😍😍

On the eve of her wedding in 1913, the writer Vita Sackville West wrote to Jacques Cartier from Knole, the home she had grown up in and where she would be married the following day. In the letter, she writes in fluent French, thanking him... More here: bit.ly/3w3n4Dk

C'est amusant d'écouter cette interview podcast que j'ai enregistrée - pour le lancement belge de #LesCartier - à Bruxelles avec la charmante Cindya Izzarelli au studio de La Première (RTBF) pour l'émission 'Un Jour dans l'Histoire' : #luxe #cartier podcasts.apple.com/be/podcas…

The last Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab Mukharram Jah, grandson of the last Ottoman Caliph, just died last night in Istanbul- RIP. So ends an extraordinary and often tragic life. @EmpirePodUK @tweeter_anita

Notable deaths, 2022 Ash Carter Barbara Walters Bill Russell Bob Saget Elizabeth II Franco Harris Gorbachev James Caan Jiang Zemin Kirstie Alley Madeleine Albright Meat Loaf Olivia Newton John Pele Pope Benedict Ray Liotta Shane Warne Shinzo Abe Sidney Poitier Vivienne Westwood

Mes remerciements à @annatopaloff et @Lobs pour cette aimable revue de #LesCartier ! My thanks to Anna Topaloff and L'Obs for this kind review of #TheCartiers!

In honour of Mrs. Francesca Cartier’s visit to Bahrain, DANAT Institute hosted a dinner evening as an extension of her grandfather’s historical visit over 100 years ago.