The largest Cartier jewellery exhibition is coming to NGV Melbourne

Prepare to be dazzled.

Today, the National Gallery of Victoria has unveiled its Winter Masterpieces presentation, Cartier, the largest exhibition on the global jewellery house ever staged in Australia.

Coming direct from London’s Victoria & Albert Museum and opening exclusively in Melbourne at NGV International on 12 June 2026, the exhibition explores Cartier’s world-renowned design and craftsmanship through a dazzling selection of over 300 jewels, necklaces, tiaras, brooches and more, owned and worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Rihanna, Princess Margaret and The Duchess of Windsor.

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The exhibition charts the evolution and artistic legacy of the jewellery house, including its transformation at the turn of the twentieth century by brothers Louis, Pierre and Jacques Cartier, grandsons of the house’s founder Louis-François Cartier. With an enviable client list of royalty and aristocracy, Cartier was described as ‘the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers’ by King Edward VII, who granted his Royal Warrant in 1904. Cartier’s reputation later broadened thanks to the devotion of leading creatives from the worlds of cinema, music and fashion.

A major highlight of the exhibition will be a display of more than 20 beautifully-crafted tiaras, including Cartier’s celebrated Scroll tiara (1902), crafted in the house’s signature ‘Garland style’ and worn by Clementine Churchill at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and by Rihanna on the cover of W magazine in 2016.

Others include the Sun tiara of 1907 with a 32-carat fancy intense yellow diamond in its centre and the Art Deco diamond and platinum Halo tiara of 1934, which was inspired by ancient Egypt and owned by Her Highness the Begum Aga Khan III.

The exhibition includes a 1951 necklace gifted to Elizabeth Taylor by her third husband and film producer, Mike Todd, while on holiday in the French Riviera in 1957. The necklace features a geometric latticework design of diamonds that showcase seven Burmese rubies, exceptional for their size and matching colour. Taylor herself described the necklace as ‘like the sun – lit up and made of red fire.’

The exhibition also focuses on Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, who was an early client of Cartier when the firm was becoming known internationally for its ‘Garland style’ jewels, often featuring floral swags and bows wrought in platinum and precious gemstones. Pierre Cartier was a fan of Dame Nellie, and a signed 1902 photograph of Melba, once owned by Pierre, will feature in the exhibition along with necklaces and bodice ornaments that the world-famous opera singer owned and wore both on and off the stage.

On display will be an intricate diamond rose clip brooch (1938) worn by Princess Margaret at her sister’s coronation, as well as a major selection of exceptional jewels belonging to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor and wife of former King Edward VIII. These include her famous Flamingo brooch (1947), an extraordinary Bib necklace encrusted with diamonds, amethysts and turquoise, and her 1949 Panther sapphire clip brooch which features an impressive 152.35-carats Kashmir cabochon sapphire.

Named for their colourful use of rubies, emeralds and blue sapphires, a rich selection of Cartier’s iconic Tutti Frutti jewels will also feature. Additionally, there will be a standout selection of Cartier timepieces that showcase the jeweller’s industry-leading innovations in watchmaking, alongside a selection of contemporary works featuring Australian opals.

The never-before-seen exhibition design is a collaboration between the NGV, Studio Sabine Marcelis and Cloud, two multidisciplinary design practices based in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The exhibition design will be inspired by colour, light and materiality, three elements that are synonymous with the aesthetic qualities of Cartier’s jewellery. The exhibition design will reflect Cartier’s expansive network of cultural and gemological sources that inspire their jewellery creations.

The Cartier exhibition will be on display at NGV International from June 12 to October 4 2026. For information and tickets, head to the here.