Described by none other than Vin Diesel as "the best Earth has to offer," Deepika Padukone has the sort of grace that allows her to move seamlessly between Bollywood action films and a Cartier brand ambassadorship. Padukone may be known by many as India's highest-paid female film star, but she's also cemented herself as a global visionary throughout her years in the limelight.
Her Live Love Laugh Foundation builds awareness around mental health in India and has garnered her many an accolade, including the Time100 Impact Award and the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award, given annually to artists for their impact on society.
This year, Padukone's appointment as the face of Nature Sauvage—Cartier's latest Haute Joaillerie collection—gave her the opportunity to reflect on yet another intersection: the deep ties between her cultural heritage and the craft itself. "Women, and especially Indian women, relate a lot to jewelry," she shares. "Our relationship to jewelry starts young—from seeing our mothers and grandmothers wearing jewelry. It is an integral part of our tradition."
A legacy can be a heavy load to bear, but the Nature Sauvage line embues that heft with a dose of levity. "I was surprised to discover flamingos and crocodiles [in the collection]," remarks Padukone. "Did you notice that one of the necklace pendants can be transformed into a turtle brooch?"
Indeed, despite their emphasis on unparalleled savoir-faire, the French house ensured that its statement pieces are anything but tame. Padukone has a personal fondness for the koaga necklace, a zebra in white gold that skims the décolletage, with rows of diamonds and onyx revealing the skin below.
An emerald-cut diamond and a 6.25-carat pear-shaped rubellite dangle from the animal's mouth, swaying in sync with the wearer's movements. This perfect storm of poise and play is what makes Nature Sauvage, in Padukone's words, a "theater of apparitions."
