This Cartier collection is the perfect accompaniment to black tie

An enduring Cartier collection, ‘Grain de Café’, celebrates a bewitching ingredient

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Published In Features
cartier brooch on black tie
‘Grain de Café’ brooch, price on request, by Cartier. Jacket (part of tuxedo), £1,790; shirt, £255; bow tie, £120, all by Caruso
(Image credit: Photography: Sam Nicklin. Fashion: Lucy Proctor. Interiors: Olly Mason)

Nothing sets off the austere curve of a black tie like a sprinkling of diamonds, and Cartier’s tempting bunch of yellow gold, platinum and diamond coffee beans will bring a buzz to the party. The ‘Grain de Café’ jewellery collection, created by Cartier creative director Jeanne Toussaint in 1938, epitomised her fascination with translating everyday symbols into precious high jewellery.

One of Cartier’s most enduring collections, it has cemented its place in an elegant cultural history, loved and worn over the years by the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. It includes rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, but it is this delicious brooch, with its carefully worked and richly textured leaves, which zings into life when set against a foil of restrained tactility. A black wool and mohair tuxedo by Caruso is just the ticket.

A version of this article appears inWallpaper’s October 2026 Guest Editors’ Issue, available from 3 September, in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Hannah Silver
Hannah Silver

Hannah Silver is a writer, editor and author with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.