This lifelike Crocodile Necklace was a bespoke creation crafted by Cartier in 1975 for the iconic Mexican actress María Félix.
Known for her bold personality—both on and off screen—María Félix, who starred in French Cancan, was famously extravagant in her taste for jewelry. One day, she reportedly brought her two pet baby crocodiles to a Cartier boutique inside a glass tank and requested a necklace modeled after them.
Several months later, Cartier unveiled this extraordinary masterpiece, designed at a scale slightly larger than Félix’s real pets. The two crocodiles are fully articulated, allowing them to move naturally and fluidly, and each can also be detached and worn separately as a brooch.
The first crocodile was crafted in yellow gold, set with 1,023 brilliant-cut yellow diamonds totaling 60.02 carats, with cabochon-cut emeralds forming its eyes. The second was made of emeralds, evoking the rich green tone of crocodile skin, and its eyes are adorned with cabochon-cut rubies, adding a vibrant finishing touch to this legendary piece of jewelry art.
