Sunday is the first official day of summer and what better way to kick it off than with a summer party. This season you will probably collect a few invitations to different kinds of events. Don’t worry about your wardrobe because we’ve got you covered from the garden to the reception.

1. Hamptons Party

[Rolex Oyster Perpetual][Chanel Earrings][Sunflower Pendant] [Chanel Brooch]

Okay, so you probably aren’t headed to the end of Long Island this summer, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice this style. Dress code during the day is casual and chic. Match the sun and the scenery with floral themes, pastels and hints of gold. Make sure your outfit is breezy and light for the hot summer days. You don’t need to go heavy on the jewelry, but add at least one statement piece.

2. Garden Party

[VCA Watch][VCA Earrings] [VCA Ring] [VCA Alhambra Necklace]
Garden parties are more formal than typical outdoor gatherings, but don’t forget you are still going to be outside for the majority of the event. Dress in light clothing and accessorize with summer hues and motifs. Floral motifs and golden accessories are perfect for this type of social event.

3. Summer Wedding

[Chanel Ring] [VCA Alhambra Necklace] [Bulova Watch]
Summer is a common time for weddings — the sun is shining and the weather makes for beautiful photos. Make sure you are picture perfect while not outshining the bride. Keep your accessories minimal, but still add a little sparkle.

4. Cocktail Party

[Tiffany Diamond Necklace and Bracelet][Emerald Cocktail Ring][Cartier Tank]

Cocktail parties were popularized as an hour- to two hour-long social event where the host would serve cocktails as the guests socialized. Traditionally, the dress code was formal, but today, the dress code can range anywhere between formal and casual. Since we are partial to the idea of a Gatsby-era soiree, we recommend accessorizing with a subtle diamond necklace and an eye-catching cocktail ring.

The wearable watch has been in fashion for five centuries, but it wasn’t always a wristwatch or even just a pocket watch. The movements and designs both took decades and centuries to evolve from a fashion accessory void of practical timekeeping purpose to beautiful and practical tools of the highest precision. Read the history to see how your favorite watchmakers influenced the history of horology.

Clock Watches

The first watch was created in the 16th century after the development of the main spring. They were thought of as portable clocks. The first watches were called “clock-watches,” which is where the current term comes from. They were decorative pendants worn on a necklace. Though there was an hour hand, the time was inaccurate in most cases and the clock watches merely served as an accessory.

Pocket Watches
The design of the watch slowly changed and improved over two centuries. The clock watch had evolved into a pocket watch and to fit into the pocket of trousers, the watch design became flatter without sharp edges and with a glass cover. Early pocket watches were also inaccurate due to the nature of the mainspring which did not produce constant force, thus the timekeeping slowed as the force slowed.

Pocket watches were developed and by 1657, with the invention of the balance spring, the accuracy of the watch became accurate within 10 minutes. This led to the addition of a minute hand by 1700. With increased accuracy, previously-benign mechanical issues were brought to the forefront, which led to a two-century period of acute timekeeping innovation.

The Enlightenment
During the Age of Enlightenment, watches were viewed as instruments with a scientific purpose, which led to further development and accuracy in timekeeping. For purposes of accuracy during sea voyages and exploration, marine chronometers were improved drastically during this time. These developments were later used in watches.

During this time, the problems with the balance spring were improved greatly. Watchmakers discovered that the spring’s inability to cope with temperature changes affected their accuracy. Temperature sensitive balance springs were developed so watches were accurate within seconds.

Vacheron Constantin
Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watch companies in the world. In the 1800s, Georges-Auguste Leschot, while working for the watch company, invented a watch part that allowed interchangeable parts in watchmaking. This made the mass production of watches possible.

In 1851, using interchangeable parts, an American watchmaker started a watch factory that became successful as the Waltham Watch Company. The company was the first to mass produce watches.

The Railroad
Accurate timekeeping was necessary for railroaders throughout and the demand drove innovation in watch precision. In the late 1800s the first railroad chronometer inspection system was developed. The first watch precision contest took place in 1876. During this time keyless winding was also developed, and accuracy was only within error of a few seconds a day.

Wristwatches
It’s unclear who invented the first wristwatch. Some say that Breguet was commissioned by the Queen of Naples Caroline Murat in 1810. However, in 1571 Robert Dudley gifted Elizabeth I what was called an arm watch, likely the same as a wristwatch. Historically, wristwatches were worn primarily by women.

At the end of the 19th century, the military needed to discretely synchronize missions and attacks, so they would strap their pocket watches to their wrists. Early wristwatches were essentially pocket watches with a leather strap.

Louis Cartier was one of the first watchmakers to specifically design wristwatches for commercial sale after his friends and early aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont asked Cartier to design a watch for aviating. The watch is now known as the Santos.

After WWI, the public opinion — which in large considered wristwatches a women’s fashion — shifted and there was a large demand for men’s wristwatches.

Quartz Watches

After the development of a battery-powered watch, the ground was laid for the invention of quartz watches. Swiss and Japanese watchmakers developed the first quartz wristwatches. This innovation greatly increased the accuracy of wristwatches to error within only 12 seconds a year. More importantly, this development led to a drastic decrease in the price of watches. They became an affordable accessory and US-based and Japan-based companies began mass producing low-cost quartz wristwatches.

Photo Credit: designbuzz.com / sciencemuseum.org.uk / cowanauctions.com / pocketwatchrepair.com / monochrome-watches.com / atimelyperspective.com / christophlorenz.de

The year is long and with only two seasons of ready-to-wear shows, the stretch between summer and fall seems infinite. That’s when the inter-season Resort Fashion Week collections step in to save us from the midseason monotony. We sifted through the styles to find you the latest runway jewelry trends, so check out these six trends from the runway.

Rings

We saw two designers who liked to pile on the rings, but the two styles were very distinct. Gucci fit cocktail rings onto every finger in every color. In contrast to Gucci’s decadent art deco rings, Chloé kept it modern and simple. While embracing the plentiful look, they used simple gold bands, multiple on one finger, to avoid excess.

1. Gucci

[Green Tourmaline] [Opal] [Colombian Emerald] [Red & Silver] [Amethyst]

2. Chloé

[Cartier Love] [Bulgari B.Zero1] [Cartier Trinity] [Tiffany & Co. Snake]

Bracelets

As Coco Chanel developed and popularized costume jewelry, she was never one to simplify her jewelry. True to the Chanel image, the current direction under Karl Lagerfeld does not stray. In the Spring/Summer collection, Chanel runway models adorned their wrist in slogan bracelets. In the resort show, they were bedecked several chain link bracelets. While Chanel used several stacked bracelets, Elie Saab opted for a similar effect, but simplified. The golden cuff complimented the blush tones of her 1970s-inspired designs.

3. Chanel

[Two-Tone Chain] [Chanel Link] [Heavy Chain]

4. Elie Saab

[Chanel Matelasse] [Carrera y Carrera Horse Cuff] [Givenchy Cut Out] [Cartier Panthere]

Necklaces

True to trend, the statement necklaces of the show were either dazzling and ornate or striking yet minimal. At Oscar de la Renta, the pretty patterns and colors were complimented by equally colorful and beautiful jewelry pieces. Our favorite was a beautiful floarl design in yellows and blues. Ralph Lauren made a minimalist statement with large, round pendant necklaces that matched the shades of his diverse color palette.

5. Oscar de la Renta

[YSL Rhinestone] [Kate Spade Bib] [Carrera y Carrera Gold Flowers] [Eddie Borgo Tricolor]

6. Ralph Lauren

[Stephen Webster] [Cirvelli] [Roberto Coin] [Gucci] [Nouvelle Bague]

Photo Credit: style.com / footwearnews.com

Here are ten surprising facts about Cartier, the iconic brand’s legacy and the long list of family members who grew Cartier from its humble workshop in Paris to the global empire it is today.

1. Alfred Cartier was the first jeweler to successfully use platinum in jewelry-making.
Throughout the 19th century, platinum was an incredibly expensive material and was most commonly used by royalty for cutlery and watch-chains. Platinum’s high melting point made it incredibly difficult to work with, so it was an impressive feat when, in 1847, Alfred Cartier began using the brilliant and strong metal in his jewelry. Cartier incorporated it into his “Garland Style” pieces and to amplify the brilliance of diamonds.

2. Louis Cartier was the first designer to popularize the wristwatch for men.
After listening to his longtime friend and Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont lament about the difficulty of using a pocket watch to record flight times, Louis Cartier set about designing a more practical wristwatch. In 1904, Cartier debuted his first men’s wristwatch, the appropriately named “Santos” watch. At the time, it was a bold foray for the designer as society’s elite considered the pocket watch to the gentleman’s timepiece and women wore wristwatches. However Santos-Dumont’s fame and aeronautic achievements quickly spurred the popularity of the comfortable and functional wristwatch among men.

3. King Edward VII of England dubbed Louis Cartier the “Jeweler of Kings and King of Jewelers.”
Cartier’s celebrity client list included an impressive number of royals and aristocrats. Princess Mathilde, the niece of Napoleon I, made her first purchase from Cartier in 1856 and Napoleon III’s wife Empress Eugenie became a client in 1859. In the following years, Cartier would be appointed the official purveyor to King Edward VII (1904), King Carlos I of Portugal (1905), King Chulalongkorn of Siam (1908), King Peter I of Serbia (1913), King Fouad I of Egypt (1929), and King Zog I of Albania (1939).

4. J.P Morgan bought the first Cartier Mystery Clock for $3,200.
In 1913, Maurice Couet designed the first “mystery clock” for Cartier. These puzzling clocks featured seemingly floating hour and minute hands. The hands are in fact mounted to a transparent rock crystal but give the illusion the clock is running without gears. Cartier lavishly decorated these mechanical wonders with diamonds and gemstones and would sculpt the clock into a work of art. Financier J.P. Morgan purchased the first Cartier mystery clock, designed by Couet and shaped like a temple, in 1929. When it was put up for auction in 1993, it fetched over $1.5 million.

5. Pierre Cartier purchased the Cartier New York flagship not with millions of dollars but with a pearl necklace.
In 1914, Pierre Cartier had a stroke of real estate luck when one of his double-strand pearl necklaces caught the eye of millionaire Morton Plant’s second bride-to-be. Plant and his betrothed were eager to move out of the “commercialized” neighborhood where they lived on the posh corner of 5th Avenue and 52nd Street. Cartier meanwhile was keen to move in to the bustling playground of society’s upper crust. Plant and Cartier bartered a trade: Plant’s six-story apartment building plus $100 in exchange for the pearl necklace.

6. The iconic Love Bracelet’s design was inspired by medieval chastity belts.
Also Cipullo designed the Cartier Love Bracelet in 1969 and was inspired by the rather barbaric practice of chastity belts. According to folklore, chastity belts were a sort of underwear contraption designed to prevent the wearer from having sex and worn by women during the Crusades to preserve their faithfulness to their husbands who left to fight. Modern research however posits these were not a common practice and likely used in the 16th century.

But curiously enough, Cipullo drew inspiration from chastity belts, focusing on the symbolism of devotion and fidelity. His Love Bracelet design features a solid cuff with screws and a lock mechanism so it remains secure around your lover’s wrist. The bracelet comes with a screwdriver which is meant to be kept by your significant other so only they can open it.

7. New York City hospitals keep Love screw drivers handy.
According to a recent Vogue article, the Love bracelet is so popular, NYC hospitals stock Love screw drivers in their wards so they can remove the bracelet from patients’ wrists during an emergency.

8. For their iconic Panthere design, Cartier developed a unique and painstaking setting to create the texture of the panther’s fur.
Appropriately named the “fur” setting, diamonds are set into a honeycomb lattice made of tiny, hair-thin wires of gold. Onyx and sapphire are included as the panther’s spots.

9. The highest auction price for a Cartier jewel was $30,335,698.
Cartier’s Sunrise Ruby, a 25.6 carat Burmese ruby, was put on the Sotheby’s auction block in May 2015, with the winning bid of $30,335,698. The gem is now the most expensive ruby, the most expensive colored gemstone and the most expensive non-diamond gemstone in the world.

10. In May 2016, Cartier was ranked as the 58th most valuable brand in the world by Forbes magazine.
The brand is valued at an estimated $10.1 billion and boasts sales of $6.1 billion with 286 worldwide locations.
Now that you are a veritable expert in the brand, test your Cartier knowledge with our fun quiz How Well Do You Know Cartier here.

Photo Credit: monochromewatches.com / jewelsdujour.com / fashiongum.com / thenational.ae / rogue.cartier.com