Set in stone
legendary luxury jeweller and watchmaker. People would bring pieces to him from all over the world – both watches and jewels – which he would study for the telltale Cartier marks and craftsmanship, before giving a thumbs up or thumbs down verdict. His skill in the field also attracted less desirable visitors. Bellessort talks of “professional fakers [coming] from New York and elsewhere, bringing what they had made, just to see if I could spot the fake!” When asked to identify the quality that has allowed him to achieve success in his work, Bellessort replies: “Having ‘the eye’.” This is not something that is acquired easily, and he believes it is the single most important attribute that has allowed him to flourish in the jewellery trade. He harks back once again to his childhood, saying: “I have been training my eye constantly since I was 12; pushing myself all the time. I believe that one must train from such an early age to fully develop the talent. “Once you’ve got the eye you can see the edge of the cut of the stone and then you can see further details in the manufacturing and making of the piece. And once you see this you understand how a piece should be worn. Being able to really see in this way gives me a huge advantage in selling, authenticating and designing jewellery.”
Not surprisingly this time spent at Tiffany and Cartier brought Bellessort into contact with some of the most elegant jewellery ever made; “amazing pieces, mostly from the 1920s, 30s and 40s,” routinely made their way into his offices. His eyes grow misty when asked about some of the precious stones that have passed through his hands: “I am privileged... I have seen some amazing pieces – pearls, diamonds, sapphires and rubies from all over the world. At Cartier we would get emeralds from the 17th century, which we would then remount.” Bellessort draws attention to one particular piece, saying: “At the moment I’ve got a necklace, which is a Mughal piece – one from about 1640. It belonged to Shah Jahan, the legendary builder of the Taj Mahal.” Bellessort’s research indicates that the necklace is likely to have hung around the neck of the man who ruled the Mughal Empire during its golden age. Though he enjoyed his time at Cartier and other companies, Bellessort always harboured a desire to break free and create a brand of his own. These urges towards independence were fine-tuned as he found himself “always noticing people in the street, seeing the jewellery they were wearing, and thinking: ‘If you changed that just a little bit, it would work.’” Deciding that he had the touch required to correct these errors in style, he set about planning his own range of jewellery. The result,
“I am privileged... I have seen some amazing pieces – pearls, diamonds, sapphires and rubies from all over the world”
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