Show of splendor

The imperial jadeite bead necklace that once belonged to US socialite and heiress Barbara Hutton.[Photo provided to China Daily]

All items were made before the 1980s and none of them are available in the mass market today, says Xie Zhicheng, vice-director of Sichuan Museum.

"We put the Cartier pieces and the Chinese artworks together so that people can see how cultures in different countries are connected. They get to know more about French culture and will also gain a better understanding of our own," he says.

The exhibition is a very complete selection of the most precious pieces of Cartier jewelry, not in terms of value, but in terms of the powerful interpretation of the Cartier style, says Pierre Rainero, Cartier's director of image, style and heritage.

"The theme and the selection make this exhibition one of a kind. It's very interesting to present the two collections at the same time. It's away of putting the Cartier pieces in the frame of Chinese context," he says.

The brand started building the Cartier Collection in 1983, buying back historic pieces from auctions and private collectors. The collection now has more than 1,500 pieces including jewelry, watches, clocks and precious items.

Cartier Collection has been invited to exhibit 29 times in prestigious venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Kremlin Museum in Moscow and the Grand Palais in Paris.

In China, it has been exhibited four times, in the Shanghai Museum, the Forbidden City Palace Museum, the Liaoning Provincial Museum and the Shanghai Power Station of Art contemporary art museum.