LONDON – A spellbinding exhibition of Cartier jewels tracing the history of the luxury French design house beloved by the rich and famous, from Queen Elizabeth II to Rihanna, has opened in London.

For the first time in three decades, the V&A museum is showing a retrospective of some of Cartier’s most iconic creations, many never seen before in public.

Founded in Paris almost 180 years ago, the company has pioneered and modernised the luxury jewellery market.

Exhibition curator Helen Molesworth said: “We all think of Cartier as being this wonderful design epic and glamorous name, but it’s also because it is so good at creating something that is ahead of the times, but doesn’t go out of fashion.”

The exhibition, which opened on April 12, is already sold out for April and May. But visitors have until at least October to marvel at some 350 brooches, tiaras, necklaces and earrings festooned with diamonds, pearls and stunning jewels of all the colours of the rainbow.

The exhibition’s curators have brought together rare pieces from museums around the world, including from private collections such as items belonging to Britain’s King Charles III and Monaco’s Prince Albert.

One of the masterpieces on display is the breathtaking Williamson pink diamond rose brooch, made for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the year of her coronation. It contains a 23-carat pink diamond – one of the rarest, most flawless in the world – presented to the queen as a gift on her wedding to Prince Philip.