Guo Jingjing has been quite busy lately. She’s about to embark on a journey to Paris to serve as a diving judge. Not long ago, she also graced the cover of Marie Claire magazine, featuring in a sports-themed photoshoot that exuded elegance and effortless beauty.
In the photoshoot, Guo Jingjing effortlessly switches between Eastern and Western styles, adorned with Cartier’s TRINITY series jewelry, which serves as the perfect finishing touch to her cheongsam look. The fluid design of TRINITY complements her Oriental charm beautifully.
Although retired for many years, the title of “Diving Queen” remains Guo Jingjing’s trademark. In her Marie Claire interview, she humbly stated, “I still feel that Guo Jingjing on the diving board is more powerful because it’s that version of me that gives the current me more confidence.”
This identity has never strayed far from her, not only empowering herself but also inspiring others. This year, at the “Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards” ceremony, she shared stories from her diving career, encouraging entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams with her experience of “constantly facing failure and telling yourself to persevere.”
On that day, dressed in an elegant lace gown, she once again paired her outfit with the ever-present TRINITY series jewelry.
As a Cartier brand ambassador, Guo Jingjing has worn numerous Cartier pieces, but the TRINITY series remains her constant companion in daily life.
The simple three-ring design doesn’t steal the spotlight but imbues her with strength and confidence, representing the perseverance, self-discipline, and sense of responsibility she gained through sports. As a mother of three, the three-ring design likely resonates with her on a personal level as well.
TRINITY has always been Cartier’s most distinctive jewelry line. This classic creation by Mr. Louis Cartier has just celebrated its 100th anniversary. Its timeless style has transcended time and led trends, with its charm maturing over a century.
To commemorate this centennial jewelry, Cartier recently held the “A Century of Classic, Timeless Style” TRINITY 100 themed exhibition in Shanghai. After its Shanghai premiere, it will travel to Singapore and Tokyo, Japan, before concluding with a grand closing celebration in the United States.
I was also invited to the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai to view this grand exhibition. Through creative displays, the exhibition showcased the past and present of the TRINITY series, guiding visitors to experience the infinite charm of this century-old classic jewelry from various perspectives including design, meaning, aesthetics, and heritage.
The three interlocking rings made of yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold not only embody design potential but also interpret universal aesthetics through their own transformations, carrying all forms of love expression.
In the evening, I spent a wonderful day following Jackson Wang’s dance moves and JJ Lin’s singing, immersed in the surprises brought by Cartier.
After seeing this exhibition, I finally understood why TRINITY could become a “century-old jewelry” that still holds unlimited charm today.
What magical power does the number “three” possess?
Stepping into the first exhibition hall, an immersive romance envelops you. This grand exhibition features numerous video installations, seemingly transporting you into a dream, taking you back to the birth of TRINITY a century ago.
On circular electronic screens, photos of the Cartier brothers play continuously. Although Mr. Louis Cartier created the TRINITY series, his two brothers, Pierre Cartier and Jacques Cartier, played indispensable roles. The three worked together to establish Cartier as a world-renowned jewelry empire.
Francesca Cartier Brickell, granddaughter of the fourth-generation Cartier heir, once said: Cartier’s success is largely attributed to the collaboration of the three brothers. It was their close connection and mutual trust that allowed their individual talents and focus to complement each other perfectly.
Jacques, the youngest, was sociable; Pierre, the middle brother, had the keenest business acumen; while Louis, the eldest, was the soul of the enterprise, understanding both design and management. Many of Cartier’s classic styles and its current status were established by him.
The on-site images also showcase the three boutiques opened by the brothers in Paris, London, and New York – Cartier’s three historically significant “temples.”
The bond between the three brothers is deeply touching. They were not only the best family but also the best business partners – the most ideal relationship one could hope for.
Accompanied by the recurring lyrics “3 is a magic number” echoing at the venue, you’ll discover that the number “three” seems to possess a magical power, giving birth to the TRINITY series.
Its aesthetic style is simple and clear. The iconic 3-ring design, along with the 3-color materials of yellow gold, rose gold, and white platinum, are all independent entities that never fully overlap, yet remain intertwined no matter how you arrange them.
There’s a space called “Tri-gold” at the venue, where three rings overlap to form orbits, and three spheres move in circular motions. Like celestial bodies in the universe pushing and pulling each other through gravity, repeating endlessly, it prompts reflection on the meaning embodied in TRINITY.
From religion and science to aesthetics and humanities, the number “three” has always been a magical number that inspires philosophical thought. Lao Tzu once said in the Tao Te Ching: “One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things.” Three represents harmony in all things, each in its place, and in a sense symbolizes harmony and eternity.
The “three” in TRINITY embodies vitality and creativity. It symbolizes the unbreakable “bond” between the Cartier brothers, and also signifies the diverse emotions of harmony, inclusiveness, and symbiosis between all things. Everyone can interpret it differently, finding their own unique “meaning of three.”
Pioneering Design, Continuous Evolution
Leading a Century of Jewelry Aesthetics
Perhaps Mr. Louis Cartier himself never imagined that the three circles he created would lead TRINITY through a glorious century. Even today, The New York Times praises it: this design still looks cool!
So, what did the first TRINITY look like? In the Timeless Style space, I found the answer.
The ripples in the on-site pool installation resemble TRINITY’s iconic rings, and with a mirror-like visual effect, they showcase TRINITY’s story of continuous innovation and evolution over time.
The first photo on the wall shows TRINITY as it was born in 1924. The three-ring design was simple and clear, not much different from today’s TRINITY. Cartier also launched the TRINITY bracelet in the same year.
In its second year, TRINITY appeared in American Vogue magazine with its own advertisement, showing unlimited potential as a “newcomer” in jewelry. The name “TRINITY” was first used to refer to the tri-color gold rings and bracelets with intertwined three-ring designs.
While we may be familiar with TRINITY’s style today, such a design was quite bold and ahead of its time in the 1920s when it was born.
At that time, Cartier was known as “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers.” Celebrities, nobles, and wealthy ladies flocked to Cartier to customize their own luxury jewelry.
However, no one expected that while others were trying to catch up, Louis Cartier made a bold attempt — the surprisingly simple TRINITY was born, rewriting the popular trends in the jewelry world at once.
Whether it was the career women of that era who had just switched to pants and joined the workforce, or elegant gentlemen, they were all deeply attracted by TRINITY’s style. They discovered that jewelry doesn’t have to be intricate and luxurious, but can also be worn daily.
Francesca, a family descendant, once said that Louis Cartier was “the Steve Jobs of the jewelry world.” He was “gentle, confident, a recognized creative genius who was good at combining functionality with aesthetics, and constantly wanting to break boundaries and create.” What he kept breaking through and surpassing was actually himself.
The spirit of innovation not only established TRINITY’s timeless style at its birth and swept through the jewelry world, but also expanded from rings to bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, with an increasingly rich variety. Gradually, there were diamond-set versions, engraved versions, and ceramic versions, with diverse changes in size, thickness, and style.
The shape, volume, and number of rings have always been innovative. During the “Swinging London” period of the 1960s, the number of rings on the TRINITY bracelet increased to seven at one point, with a modern and fashionable style that fit the characteristics of that era.
In 1973, TRINITY was integrated into daily lifestyle items, with writing tools and decorative vessels incorporating the iconic three-ring design.
This year, to celebrate TRINITY’s 100th birthday, Cartier boldly transformed the rings into a more robust cushion shape that can still rotate freely. They also relaunched an extra-large bracelet and the iconic ring, both highly recognizable.
Throughout its journey, TRINITY has “advanced triumphantly” with innovative designs, first-class craftsmanship, and avant-garde concepts, proving that the idea of a new series is not to replace old jewelry with new, but to add new chapters to its history.
Iconic Charm Passed Down Through Generations
Fashion Cycles Creating Classics
Many people recognize TRINITY perhaps through the numerous nobles and celebrities who adore it. As times change, the different styles they present are both classic and cyclical fashion trends.
Entering the space of “Iconic Figures and Style Imprints,” Cartier “captured” celebrities who love TRINITY in the form of film images. I discovered that TRINITY is not only jewelry they can wear to important occasions but also witnesses many significant moments in their lives.
The TRINITY rings on Alain Delon and Romy Schneider’s hands were once “love letters” to each other. Before meeting Romy, Alain Delon liked to wear TRINITY on his pinky finger to express his independent personality and attitude of enjoying life.
After falling in love, the position of his ring remained unchanged, while Romy had her own TRINITY on her left ring finger – the couple expressed their love through this unique way of wearing.
Diana Spencer wore TRINITY stacked with her family’s signet ring on her pinky finger, showing its importance to her. Grace Kelly was wearing it when she met Prince Rainier III, and thereafter TRINITY often appeared on her ring finger.
Today, new-generation forces like musician Jackson Wang, singer Jisoo, actor Paul Mescal, actress and producer Yara Shahidi, and singer-songwriter Labrinth continue to reinterpret TRINITY innovatively, passing it down through generations among trendsetters.
Why are they all drawn to TRINITY? In my view, TRINITY transcends style, age, and even gender. It’s jewelry that both men and women can wear, pioneering unisex jewelry in its early years.
Among all TRINITY lovers, French writer and poet Jean Cocteau must be mentioned. This “godlike” figure in the 20th-century French art and fashion circles led an era with his versatile and avant-garde style.
Cartier has specially created a space for “TRINITY and Jean Cocteau’s Indissoluble Bond,” allowing you to understand this romantic talent from a unique perspective.
The visual effect of intertwining light and shadow creates a dreamlike mystery. Cocteau is like a “dream interpreter,” unraveling the enigma of TRINITY’s charm layer by layer.
This reminds me of an anecdote about him and TRINITY. There was a rumor that Cocteau once dreamed of Saturn with three rings of light, and upon waking, he found his friend Louis Cartier and had it designed into a ring, which later became TRINITY.
However, this claim doesn’t hold up, as TRINITY was born in 1924, while Cocteau started wearing it in the 1930s. Yet, the widespread circulation of this story adds a legendary quality to TRINITY. Even Cartier’s Creative Director Marie-Laure Cérède says it’s a great story:
“Everyone thinks Cartier designed the TRINITY ring for Cocteau, but that’s not the case. But when you see photos of Cocteau wearing the ring, you feel like you’re standing in front of something very innovative, novel, and fresh. We want to recapture that feeling and continue this story.”
While Cocteau might not have been involved in TRINITY’s design, his love for it was genuine. TRINITY accompanied him for a very long time; he wore it on his pinky finger, sometimes stacking two – Alain Delon’s way of wearing TRINITY was influenced by him.
The romantic Cocteau was a close friend of Louis Cartier. Cocteau once praised in his poetry collection: “A subtle magician who captures fragments of the moon on a thread of sun.”
If Louis Cartier dedicated his talent to Cartier, then Cocteau spent his life exploring various art forms. Both refused to follow trends and yearned to break rules, like two people quantum entangled with each other, sharing a kindred spirit.
Cocteau later bought another TRINITY ring for his lover to connect them. He attached a romantic declaration: “The first ring is you, the second is me, and the third is our love.”
Infinite Imagination and Creative Extension
Multiple Perspectives Touching Hearts
Whether it’s the magical power of “three” or the avant-garde aesthetic design, both have led the TRINITY series through a century. Today, TRINITY is also an infinite extension of creativity, becoming a source of inspiration for more and more people.
For this TRINITY 100 themed exhibition, Cartier invited creative guests from around the world to create various works of different styles centered around TRINITY through installations, sound, and images, converging into a single story. This lively and interesting format is arguably the best “birthday celebration.”
French curator JÉRÔME SANS calls this space “Infinite Imagination, Interlinking Circles.” Before our eyes are seemingly endlessly rotating rings, presented in a three-part maze-like structure, with mirror decorations creating water ripple light and shadow effects, giving people the joy of treasure hunting.
He even drew inspiration from the Renaissance “cabinet of curiosities,” presenting a wonderful and precious microcosm. This novel perspective once again allows people to feel the infinite charm of TRINITY.
Mr. JÉRÔME said that connecting these creative works was quite a challenge. He ultimately used non-linear, multi-scale exhibition design to present different TRINITY stories.
The entire space is like a small exhibition, rich in content, with artists from various industries interpreting this century-old series in their own ways, inspired by TRINITY.
The Shanghai premiere exhibited 45 works. Among them, musician Zhang Yadong performed a trio using three instruments, saying: “All great music today is built on the basis of tertian harmony.” Artist Gao Yuan created three ceramic rings, presented with three different crafting techniques, unlocking a century-old design with millennia-old culture.
At the event, I also met Xiao Xue, who hosted the exhibition forum. She said she had previously discussed with Cartier headquarters how to summarize TRINITY’s values: the first is related to love, the second is inclusivity, and the third is connection – hearing this left a deep impression on me.
In my view, after a century, the significance of TRINITY has transcended jewelry itself.
We love TRINITY for its minimalist beauty, uniqueness, and distinctiveness, just like the design of the three interlocking rings, intertwined yet independent and lively;
We love TRINITY for its all-encompassing, profound implications, from the universe to our inner selves, the small three rings represent infinite possibilities;
We love TRINITY for the most sincere emotions it represents, quietly extending the diverse and close relationships between people. The three rings can symbolize all the beautiful things in your heart, infinitely inclusive and precious…
TRINITY also showcases the unique depth and breadth of Cartier, a brand with 177 years of history. This is probably why TRINITY can still touch people’s hearts after a century.
Cartier TRINITY: A Century of Timeless Elegance – The Secret Behind Its Enduring Appeal
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