Cartier began in Paris in 1847, when Louis-François Cartier took over the workshop of his master, Adolphe Picard. The family held control until 1964, and the brothers Louis, Pierre and Jacques built the worldwide name. The house is also a watchmaker, and the first Santos in 1904 was its first men's wristwatch, made for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. The Tank followed in 1919, inspired by the tanks of the First World War. The watches here are the Santos watch 40mm and the Baignoire in several sizes, including the Baignoire mini 18-karat gold watch and the Baignoire medium 18-karat rose gold diamond watch, plus the Ballon Bleu de Cartier automatic rose gold diamond watch. Then there are the sunglasses, which are the largest part of this group. The panther first showed up in 1914 on an onyx-spotted watch, and you can see it in the Panthère de Cartier oval and rectangular frames. The C Décor, Clash de Cartier and Santos de Cartier styles are the other lines to know. If you are choosing a pair, my notes on sunglasses with a slim oval look can help you compare shapes, and a round dress watch is a good second read.

Aldo Cipullo made the Love bracelet in New York in 1969, and the idea was that it locks on with a screwdriver. Two years later, in 1971, he made Juste un Clou, which means only a nail, a nail curved into a bangle. Both are still the heart of the house. The LOVE collection here includes the LOVE 18ct Yellow-Gold Chain Bracelet, the LOVE Medium 18ct Yellow-Gold Bracelet, the LOVE Small 18ct Yellow-Gold and 0.15ct Diamond Bracelet and the LOVE Classic 18ct Rose-Gold And 1.99ct Brilliant-Cut Diamond Screw-Closure Bracelet. The Clash de Cartier 18ct Yellow-Gold Ring and the Trinity mini 18ct yellow, rose and white gold hoop earrings are the smaller pieces, and the Clash Large Leather Tote Bag and the Must De Cartier Leather Card Holder are for the day. Stack a Love bracelet with a watch rather than other bracelets, so the screws stay visible. For more bold gold, sculptural gold jewelry is where I would look.

The last group is a quiet one. La Panthère Eau de Parfum, La Panthere Eau de Toilette and La Panthère Refill Parfum carry the panther name, a motif that Jeanne Toussaint, nicknamed the Panther, took into high jewelry when she ran it from 1933. Baiser Volé Parfum, Déclaration Parfum and the Déclaration Haute Fraîcheur are the other scents, and the La Panthère Eau de Parfum Gift Set gathers one of them. Then come the optical frames, the Oval Eyeglasses, the Cat Eye Eyeglasses, the Première de Cartier 52mm Oval Optical Frames and the C Decor Squared Photochromatic Blue Light Glasses. For clear lenses with a frame that has some presence, the Panthère de Cartier and Silver Signature C optical glasses are the ones I would look at first. What I would skip is wearing a rimless pair with a delicate necklace, because the lack of a frame makes the face look washed out. If you are looking for a scent to go with them, creamy white florals is a nice pairing.

I would pick one watch, one bracelet and one pair of frames, and let each be a small signature. A Baignoire, a LOVE bracelet and the Panthère oval sunglasses make a complete set. Cartier has been all of these things for over a century, and a printed silk scarf tied to a bag is a lovely way to carry the Panther in the Jungle print.

If you want to keep going, Cendre Jewelry And Watches and 8 Other Reasons Jewelry & Bags pair well with this edit.