The Cartier Trinity Turns 100
If we were putting together the T&C OG Issue of 1924, it’s safe to say Jean Cocteau and Elsie de Wolfe would appear in its pages. Indisputable icons of their age, certainly, but also examples of how we determine who makes our annual OG cut—those who make their mark, and then another, and another. Look at this year’s list: No matter how long they have been at the top of their game, these 100 legends are having their best year ever.
As is another legend. Cocteau and de Wolfe would have made the OG list, but they also could have popped up in Bright Things, 1924. They were among the first that year to wear a new creation from the mind of Louis Cartier: a ring and a bangle of three interlocking bands of colored gold. Later in the century it would get baptized as the Trinity, but from the start it has been the signature of an original. It was made of gold at a time when platinum dominated. It was radical simplicity in an age of excess, a feat of engineering and a celebration of individual style. Cocteau wore his Trinity ring on his pinky. Elsie wore the bangle on her bare arm. Trinity is turning 100 this year, and this XL version of the bracelet is back after several years of hibernation. (There is a new square Trinity, too, that I highly recommend.)
Somehow, many years ago, I had the foresight to buy one of my own. I love wearing it, partly because it connects me to others in the Trinity cult (Gary Cooper and Romy Schneider, Princess Diana and Grace Kelly—seems like good company to keep), but mostly because of the sound effects. This is an underrated aspect of jewelry, but if you have ever sat near someone wearing a Trinity bangle, you know exactly what I mean. Would you describe it as a jingle-jangle or a clanking? Either way, it makes its presence known. OGs always do. Welcome to Town & Country, March 2024.
This story appears in the March 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
You Might Also Like
