La Doña de Cartier: Reptilian Magnetism

Her name was María Félix. She was a temptress with sensual, animal-like prowess, a woman of mystery, and a mesmerizing muse to all who laid eyes on her. Celebrated as one of the most famous Mexican actresses of her time, Félix stretched her persona across her native borders, casting her bewitching spell on her audience—both on and off the silver screen.

From Latin America to Europe to the United States, film enthusiasts and moguls alike were enraptured by her exoticness. Of Mayan-like splendor, her rich, black mane, thick, arched brows, chiseled cheekbones, large, doe-like eyes, red-painted lips, and hour-glass figure stopped men, and women, in their tracks. When María Félix was present, nobody else existed. Paired with a boundless, unobtainable spirit and the aloofness of a goddess, she was a rare creature—one that approached its existence on its own terms, free to feed on anything that crossed its path. To Félix, opportunity was her prey, and she refused to allow anyone or anything to stand in the way of her destiny: a life filled with great fortune and adventure regardless of the obstacles.

One of twelve children, Félix was born in 1914 in Sonora, a mining province in Guadalajara. Fearful of a future that entailed subservience, she ran away at the age of sixteen, only to find that what was waiting was equally as frightening. Although having fallen victim to domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, Enrique Álvarez, Félix was blessed with a son, Enrique, or Quique, for short. He was her treasure. Yet, in near unison, at the age of 25, the life she simultaneously loved and loathed changed dramatically; her husband kidnapped their son, and a short time afterwards, she was discovered by actor/director/writer Fernando Palacios while living and working in Mexico City. Breathtakingly beautiful, poor and distraught, Félix decided to do as she always had; she took control. 

She accepted Palacios’ offer to appear in El Peñón de las Animas. With its 1941 opening, Félix skyrocketed to stardom, and a mere two years later upon the release of Doña Bárbara, she became known to all as La Doña. From this point forward, she was triumphant. 

She regained custody of her Quique and raised him into an educated, successful man. She married some of the world’s most recognizable men, including singer Raúl Prado, her discoverer, Fernando Palacios, composer Agustín Lara, actor Jorge Negrete, and French banker Alex Berger. Gentlemen friends like the Farouk of Egypt, Ali Khan, and baron Guy de Rothschild entertained her. And artists such as Diego Rivera and Frieda Khalo made her a part of their love triangles. All the while, María Félix conquered the movie industry, starring in forty-seven films throughout her lifetime. 

With many produced in Paris, throughout the years she built a very friendly relationship with Cartier, particularly with Jeanne Toussaint, the director of high jewelry and muse for the legendary Cartier panther. Yet, out of all the meetings and memories, there is one María Félix escapade that tells a tale of unbelievable eccentricity.

One day, unannounced, La Doña entered Cartier carrying a bowl that held a small but very alive crocodile—a symbol of death and rebirth to the Aztecs. What a sight! It was here that she announced her desire to have a necklace made in the exact image of the original. Cartier, a lover of challenges and master of creating jeweled animals, was up for the task. The result was a perfectly sculpted, jeweled replica of its live reptilian counterpart. Gold, the articulated bodies are respectively set with 1,023 brilliant-cut fancy yellow diamonds (60.02 carats) and 1,060 circular-cut emeralds (66.86 carats), the latter with ruby cabochon eyes, the other with emerald cabochon eyes.

La Doña never tired of sifting through her jewelry box to admire her animals (her collection of jeweled mascots) and wrapping her adored croc—her talisman—around her neck. This creature and keeper are forever frozen in time through this exquisite piece of jewelry and stand today as the inspiration behind the collection, La Doña de Cartier.

Provocative, reptilian-like, masculine and feminine, like María Félix, it enthralls those who come within its presence. “It” is the very contemporary La Doña de Cartier watch.

With an asymmetrical profile like a crocodile’s head and solid half-moons that glint like scales, the jewelry timepiece shimmers in the spotlight. It is presented in eighteen-karat yellow and rose gold, as well as eighteen-karat rhodium-plated white gold set with round-cut diamonds. Hour and minute functions told by black Roman numerals and sword-shape blue steel hands rest under sapphire glass. A bevel-cut crown, a dial with silvered sun background, and guilloche work around the hour marks makes checking time an anticipated event. For bold brilliance, La Doña de Cartier in gold and leather makes quite an impression. With an alligator strap in vivid red paired with yellow gold, candy-pink for the white gold, Maison burgundy for the pink gold, extreme, fiery boudoir tones exude the María Félix style. Water resistant up to one-hundred feet, La Doña de Cartier watch is an accessory of unrivaled glamour and sexiness for land or sea. The watch is also available in stainless steel.

Complementing this stunning watch is La Doña de Cartier jewelry. Echoing the same reptilian magnetism as the timepiece, this daytime jewelry collection reinterprets the characteristic profile and smooth curve of the iconic croc’s scales in yellow, pink, or white gold. Generous rings, bracelets, chains, earrings, and pendants, alone or encasing diamonds, citrine, or peridot appear full of fire, classic yet wildly untamed and seductive. 

In addition to the fine timepieces and jewelry of La Doña de Cartier collection, María Félix’s legacy is remembered through an array of lifestyle items. Picture frames, cufflinks, lighters, La Doña handbags, and opulent fountain pens boast sumptuous materials, sensual design, and of course, that lifelike crocodile motif. 

Through La Doña de Cartier, the historic jeweler pays tribute to María Félix—the oracle of the “reptile” style. A faithful Cartier client, a symbol of exuberance and freedom, and a woman always watched, there was no one else like María Félix. She truly was La Doña.