Cartier (Firm)

Cartier International SNC, or simply Cartier ( KAR-tee-air, French: [kaʁtje]), is a French luxury-goods conglomerate that designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells jewelry, watches, leather goods, sunglasses and eyeglasses. Founded by Louis-François Cartier (1819–1904) in Paris in 1847, the company remained under family control until 1964. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and is currently a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group, a global luxury giant. Cartier operates more than 200 stores in 125 countries, with three Temples (Historical Maisons) in Paris, London, and New York City. Cartier is regarded as one of the most prestigious luxury-goods manufacturers. Forbes ranked Cartier on its Most Valuable Brands list as 56th in 2020, with a brand value of $12.2 B and revenue of $6.2 B. Cartier has a long history of sales to royalty. King Edward VII referred to Cartier as "the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers". For his coronation in 1902, Edward VII ordered 27 tiaras and issued a royal warrant to Cartier in 1904. Similar warrants soon followed from the courts of Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Russia and the House of Orléans. The largest ever single order to date was made in 1925 by the Indian royalty, the Maharaja of Patiala, for the Patiala Necklace and other jewelry worth ₹1 billion (equivalent to ₹210 billion, US$2.5 billion or €2.4 billion in 2023).