This Cartier dragon watch will make you feel like Daenerys from Game of Thrones

Dragons are the ultimate evil fantasy creature in Western mythology: winged, fire-breathing and dangerous to know – just watch Game of Thrones for proof. In China, however, dragons do not fly and are imperious and powerful, but generally good-natured.

These legendary creatures were established in Chinese culture as far back as the Shang dynasty, and their dramatic features have been depicted in all forms of art ever since, from wood carvings and paintings to beautiful jewellery. Cartier most recently designed a timepiece with a bejewelled dragon, wearing a most benign smile, coiled around the bracelet and dial.

This magnificent creature shows how animals, both mythical and real, have long fired the jeweller’s imagination. Animals, birds, serpents and fish are frequently depicted in ravishing jewels by the grand jewellery houses but, often, reality and fantasy are blurred in their designs.

The wings of Pegasus and the long horn of the peace-loving unicorn, for instance, are both based on white stallions, their histories buried in Western folklore.

Pegasus is one of the most recognised creatures in Greek mythology, a symbol of purity that Boucheron has interpreted as a romantic diamond ring. Van Cleef & Arpels’ vision in their L’Arche de Noé collection is a brooch showcasing their signature mystery-set rubies, diamonds and coral. An enchanting unicorn, first depicted by the maison in the 1940s, appears in the same collection with sapphires and diamonds.

Van Cleef & Arpels has often dabbled in fantasy and fairy tales to express its skills in figurative jewellery, including mermaids and mythical turtles. Similarly, depictions of the animal kingdom have featured regularly in Boucheron’s collections since its beginnings in 1858, and today includes charming hummingbirds and elephants.

In London, Boodles’ new high jewellery collection is called “Always a story”, with each jewel rooted in a fairy tale such as the Sea Turtles Tale, expressed as a diamond and green tourmaline bracelet with a pink star sapphire turtle on his ambitious journey. Of course, turtles are also symbolic in Chinese culture.

Some creatures are almost supernatural like the phoenix: auspicious in China, and a magical firebird that burst into flames and was reborn from ashes in ancient Egyptian lore. The bird flutters into Van Cleef & Arpels’ and Chanel’s jewellery.

Chanel’s Coromandel collection is inspired by the Chinese lacquer screens from Coco Chanel’s flat, with all sorts of imaginary birds and beasts interpreted in precious gems.

Chaumet similarly taps into the animal kingdom for watches and jewellery in its Trésors d’Afrique collection, with mythical serpents circling watches and animal brooches, including a giraffe. Now there’s an animal that seemingly blurs the boundaries of reality and fantasy.

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