French jeweler Cartier has created a new high jewellery collection called L’Odyssée de Cartier Parcours d’un Style, inspired by a magical and imaginary journey through the Old World.

‘L’Odyssée de Cartier’ riffs on Odysseus’s famous journey in Homer’s epic poem, with a modern twist. The collection represents “an inspired route winding its way to Africa via India, China and the Orient.”

In 1931 the brand first dabbled with African imagery creating their ‘Art Moderne’ bracelets for the Paris ‘Exposition Coloniale.’

Now they’ve revisited the African wilds with a new ‘Zebra’ bracelet, a traditional African bangle featuring bands of different-sized diamonds and onyx set in art-deco stripes, with a vivid garnet edge. Other pieces inspired by the continent include art brut and naïve tribal style necklaces.

There are also ‘Tutti Frutti’ styles inspired by traditional multicolored Indian ceremonial jewelry and voluminous pieces pairing intense fuchsia with diamonds and featuring serpentine elements.

Chinese-inspired pieces work diamonds and onyx into dragons and Zen garden shapes, with modern and minimalist bracelets using an abstract skyscraper motif to evoke the idea of the modern city.

A diamond, brown tourmaline and obsidian bracelet from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection

L’Odyssée de Cartier Chinese-style dragon bracelet with a Zen garden engraved rubellite stone

L’Odyssée de Cartier African ring with a brown tourmaline stone

A diamond and platinum bracelet from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection

L’Odyssée de Cartier drop earrings in obsidian

A ‘tribal’ necklace from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection

A ‘Tutti Frutti’ sapphire necklace from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection

A Zebra bracelet from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection featuring stripes of onyx, diamonds and a garnet edge

A ring in white gold, set with a 33.42ct brown tourmaline, obsidian and diamonds from the L’Odyssée de Cartier collection