HTSI editor’s letter: the striking modernity of Cartier’s Trinity
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The Cartier Trinity ring celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. What remains so shocking about this simple piece of jewellery – three interlinked bands in different-coloured precious metals – is how strikingly modern it still seems. Made by Louis Cartier, the grandson of the maison’s founder, the ring became a favourite of the French poet and playwright Jean Cocteau, who wore a pair on his little finger from the late 1930s and popularised it as a gender-fluid piece. The design is pleasingly kinetic – it allows for a satisfying twizzle – and symbolic. Various interpretations find the bands representing fidelity, friendship and true love. An instant success, it has since been worn by many other patrons, among them Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Over the decades, the Trinity has altered very little: it is fluid in appearance yet immutable in construction. Hence, on the eve of a new dedicated collection to mark its centenary, this week’s issue brings together a trio of artistic talents who sum up its wide appeal. Emma Corrin is carving out an individual path through the world of acting, refusing to be pigeonholed or to conform to the stereotypes so often attributed to newcomers early in their career. Having captivated audiences as Diana in The Crown, they have gone on to play an androgynous poet adventurer (Orlando), a Gen-Z detective (A Murder at the End of the World) and an adulterous wife (Lady Chatterley’s Lover) and this year they will appear in the Marvel franchise’s Deadpool 3. As part of our HTSI trinity, they talk to Baya Simons about symbols and representation. Meanwhile, artist and photographer Coco Capitán talks art and expression with Sara Semic, and author Jason Reynolds talks to Inès Cross about the power of the spoken word.
On the subject of enduring friendship, this week’s Double Act features Swiss auctioneer Simon de Pury and Italian businessman Lapo Elkann, a duo who share many interests, among them art, philanthropy and football. The pair have known each other for decades – de Pury was first introduced to Elkann when the latter was still a child. They speak to Victoria Woodcock about their long relationship, their creative enterprises and personal styles that find them diametrically opposed.
How do you feel about an AI sommelier? As someone who would rather stab a wine menu than have to listen to someone wanging on about tannins and fruity top notes, I think an algorithm that pings up lots of options is possibly a good idea. Alice Lascelles, however, is less comfortable with the human aspect of the wine selection being erased for ever. She reviews Preferabli, one of a growing number of wine apps using the technology, to see if it spells curtains for the human expert, or provokes a new conversation about the way we consume wine.
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