Before fierce was fierce, there was Maria Felix. One of the most glamourous women to ever live, and one of the biggest lovers of jewelry, the mexican actress was rumored to be as tough in real life as her screen persona. But who says you have to forgo ladylike jewels and adornment to be daring?
With a style all her own, Felix was always a huge fan of Cartier, giving this very chic and classic house some edge in the way she made their designs all her own. Her most famous (and copied) piece from Cartier is this pair of super exotic crocodiles that can be worn individually as two bracelets or a necklace.
The story behind the piece is that while living in Paris, she walked into Cartier with a baby crocodile (from her exotic pet collection!) in a jar and asked them to make them a piece similar to her pet. It is believed that she held the crocodile as an amulet, since according to the Aztecs, it signifies death and rebirth. In case you were wondering the crocs contain 525 grams of yellow gold and 1023 yellow diamonds, plus 1060 circle cut emeralds.
Another famous piece that Cartier did for her was this platinum and white gold serpent necklace below. It has over two thousand diamonds, as well as the ability to slither and move with the wearer.
Always a proponent of fun, Maria had the belly of the serpent enameled in beautiful colors.
Felix's daring designs brought Cartier a lot of notoriety, and panache. In 2006 Cartier returned the favor by developing the "La Dona" watch as a tribute to her and her timeless style. Here is the add inspired by La Dona herself.
Maria Felix is definitely an inspiring muse. Her well documented love for hoop earrings is one of the main reasons I have a multitude of hoop designs both in my personal collection and at my store. Here she is with her most famous pair.
And another...
The thing that inspires me the most about Maria Felix is her versatility, plus her incredible ability to go from femme fatale to ingenue. I keep this special quality very close when I am designing jewelry because I like my pieces to be universal, and appealing to all women who love beautiful things. Look at how delicate and fresh she looks in this picture:
Maria's style always had a worldly look to it. Her hats and jewels were always of the highest quality, and had just the right amount of rockstar chic. Look at these marvelous earrings. How can I not be inspired by such elegance.
Or this tiara and matching jewels:
Felix had stunning features, and accented them with her larger than life jewels. It's impossible for me to look at some pieces in my collections over the years and not think of Maria Felix.
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| Beautiful ombre hoops in multicolor rubies, handmade in 18kt pink gold |
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| Exotic combo: Sexy tsavorite and onyx hoops, in 18kt gold |
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| Maria, Maria! Black and white diamond hoops, in 18kt gold. Serpentine ring, with a baroque pearl center, and black diamonds, handmade in 18kt black gold. |
Maria Felix really is, and has always been an inspiration to me, even since the beginning of my career. Cheers to La Dona!
Love Always
Dani K
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