Cartier’s descendant concludes Bahrain visit

Her visit comes a century after her great-grandfather, Jacques Cartier, first arrived on the island. Brickell also found time for a book signing ceremony and a lecture during her visit to the Jewellery Arabia exhibition.

During the lecture, Francesca talked about the aspects of the family connection found by Cartier in the Arabian Gulf region and the Kingdom of Bahrain in particular.

Her travel itinerary also included visiting Muharraq and the diving and natural pearl extraction areas.

Cartier Brickell also sat for a rephotography session, where she sat in the same position her grandfather, Cartier, sat in 1912, along with the grandchildren of those who appeared in the 110-year-old photo.

The CEO of the Danat Institute, Noora Jamsheer, said, “The visit helped us to recall and reflect upon the rich history concerning pearl extraction and trade.”

“The Cartier family have played an important role in converging artisanship with gemstone procurement, resulting in the finest jewellery in the world,” said Jamsheer.

Layal Boushahri, the Director of Marketing and Communications at Danat, stressed the desire to undertake further international friendship-building initiatives as part of its mission to revive the pearl sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain – and enhance the sector’s contribution to the national economy.

After graduating with a degree in English Literature from Oxford University, Francesca studied French Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris before moving on to a career in finance as a financial analyst and later a fund manager (Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland). She has worked in London, New York and Asia but a few years ago took the decision to leave her work in the City to focus on her book.

Francesca has spent the last decade tracking down original source material across the world and meeting people connected with the family and its business.