Q&a / Zoe Saldaña on Cartier’s Le Chœur des Pierres high jewellery collection in Saint-Tropez

The Avatar and Lioness star chats with Style about her first time in Saint-Tropez and show-stopping Cartier high jewellery pieces
It’s not the first time Saldaña has wowed in Cartier. At the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2023, she wore a one-of-a-kind capelet made from 67,000 chain-mail gold links, 150 diamonds and several faceted onyx tassels.
How does it feel to be here with Cartier?
It’s my first time in Saint-Tropez. It’s a very special occasion. I love that my first time here is with Cartier. I’ve been collaborating with them for a little over a year, and I keep having wonderful experiences with them. Their approach to high jewellery … is just stunning. There’s so much craftsmanship and beauty and timelessness and art and care, and I have a lot of respect for that.

Tell me about the necklace you’re wearing
I went to the ateliers in Paris to see them putting the final touches to the piece, and I was able to put a lot of questions to the designers and artisans. That’s a process I enjoy a lot: it’s such a beautiful story of this very sensual stone. I like that this piece, even though it makes a statement, is not heavy or intense but really delicate. It still has a strong presence.

What about the very special Cartier cape you wore a few years ago?
When it was presented to me in theory, I thought, “I can’t do this.” But then, when you see the piece in person and talk to the team behind it, all of a sudden, you go from that extreme to: “I have to wear it.” … You’d think it would feel uncomfortable, but it wasn’t heavy. [It was] like a mesh that was seamlessly placed on my body. … It was wonderful to wear and wonderful to look at, so it was a great experience.