For decades, Jean Cocteau, the French Dadaist known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles and surrealist films like Orpheus, wore two Cartier Trinity rings on his left pinky. The now-famous ring, designed in 1924 by Louis Cartier, grandson of the house’s founder, features three interlocking bands—yellow gold, platinum, and rose gold. At the zenith of France’s Art Deco movement, such an embellishment-free design and using mixed metals were considered groundbreaking. Cocteau, drawn to its innovative form, instantly connected with the piece. He told his partner, actor Jean Marais, “the first band is you, the second is me, and the third is our love.” This poetic sentiment mirrored the symbolic rings’ embrace of both the artistic and personal, much like Cocteau’s own work that blurred the lines between reality and abstraction.
To celebrate a century of the design, Cartier’s “Trinity 100” exhibition has traveled to cities around the world, from London to Tokyo. Just before the ring turns 101, and at the start of Miami Art Week, Cartier brought the show to the city’s Design District. The immersive experience not only details a decade-by-decade history of the design—which informed everything from bracelets to ballpoint pens and lighters—but quite literally plops visitors inside the ring. Upon entering the space, guests are greeted by a stack of rings so large several people can fit inside.
Delfin Finley at the “Trinity 100” opening party.
Photo by Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs
The exhibition has five rooms, from one dedicated to the number three to one highlighting the design’s permanent place in pop culture. (A century in, everyone from Cary Grant to Kylie Jenner has worn a Trinity ring.) For the lavish opening event, the exhibition ended with a party DJed by Janelle Monáe. Guests including Miami Heat forward Kevin Love and his wife, the model Kate Love, artist Delfin Finley, and the rapper Saint Jhn danced.
While Monáe’s presence was limited to one night, the exhibition will be open to the public from December 4th through December 8th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.
