Trinity EarringsBy Cartier
The Art Deco movement was in full swing and the seductively opulent flapper style was at its peak when Cartier introduced its Trinity collection, a line of minimalist jewelry that now includes Trinity earrings. Although the line broke with the decorative trends in jewelry at the time — the era’s designers looked to African art, crafted geometrically rich diamond brooches and opted to set rings with colorful stones such as coral and turquoise — the Trinity earrings and other pieces in the collection are an example of French elegance, interlacing naturalism and classicism in a simple and timeless way.
Designed in 1924 by Louis Cartier (1875–1942), the grandson of the heritage jewelry house’s founder, the Trinity earrings share the same simple aesthetic as the tricolored Trinity ring. Like the ring's bands, the earrings consist of three connected hoops, each a different type of gold to represent the three phases of a relationship: the white stands for friendship, the pink for love and the yellow for fidelity. The Trinity collection may have debuted with the ring, its three bands forever joined in embrace, but in the decades since its original design, the ring has given way to a broader beloved series of Trinity jewels, including the Trinity necklace, Trinity wedding band, Trinity earrings and more.
While the original Trinity earrings are still in production and the most popular, variations on the motif have yielded a bold reshaping of the hoops, so much so that they’ve ended in a knot on occasion. The jewelry house has also introduced versions that outfit the three hoops with diamonds or colored gemstones. Some iterations are adorned with so many pavé diamonds that the metal beneath is barely visible.
While the Trinity knot itself has appeared in Irish jewelry and has roots in other cultures, Louis Cartier reportedly crafted the now classic and instantly recognizable Trinity ring at the request of his friend Jean Cocteau. The French poet, novelist and Surrealist filmmaker dreamed of Saturn’s rings in his slumber — some several hundred years after they were first observed by Galileo through his telescope — and hoped to see the otherworldly visions brought to life as jewelry. Cocteau was understandably impressed with the modern and richly symbolic accessory that followed.
Trinity earrings have been a staple of Cartier’s collection since they were added to the original, and marquee admirers such as Princess Diana and Gary Cooper contributed to the line’s fame. But thanks to Cocteau’s dream, the design has always had “star power” in the most literal sense.
Cartier Trinity Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s French Stud Earrings
18k Gold
2010s French Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s French Retro Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
Late 20th Century French Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Dangle Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Artist Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
1990s French Hoop Earrings
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century French Hoop Earrings
Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
1990s French Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century French Artisan Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Hoop Earrings
18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century Italian Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Hoop Earrings
14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modernist Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Hoop Earrings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Hoop Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century French Artisan Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s French Modern Clip-on Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hoop Earrings
18k Gold, Gold