The Mexican film icon María Félix commissioned two of the most audacious jewels Cartier has ever made: a fully articulated diamond snake necklace in 1968, set with 2,473 stones, and a pair of gold crocodiles in 1975 paved with 1,060 emeralds and 1,023 yellow diamonds. She did not choose from the display case. She walked into Cartier and told the greatest jeweller in Paris exactly what to make — and changed what a client was allowed to ask for.
Who was María Félix?
María Félix (1914–2002) was the defining star of Mexico’s golden age of cinema and, off screen, one of the boldest jewellery clients of the twentieth century. She collected with an appetite and a temperament that jewellers still talk about. Cartier devoted a whole exhibition to her legacy in 2023, and for good reason: her special orders pushed the house into some of its most ambitious animal jewellery.
The 1968 diamond serpent
In 1968 Félix asked Cartier for a snake. Not a stylised motif — a serpent that moved. The result is a 57-centimetre necklace, fully articulated so that it drapes and shifts with the wearer, paved with 2,473 diamonds and finished on the underbelly with enamel plaques in black, green and coral, the colours of the Mexican flag. Legend has it she brought a live snake to the salon as a reference. It remains one of Cartier’s technical high points. You can see the piece on Cartier’s own heritage archive.
The 1975 crocodile necklace
Seven years later she went further. In 1975 she arrived at Cartier’s Rue de la Paix boutique — the story goes — with a baby crocodile for the designers to study. Cartier made two articulated gold crocodiles that hug the neck: one set with 1,060 emeralds, its twin paved with 1,023 fancy yellow diamonds. The pair could be worn together, split into two brooches, or set out as a table sculpture at her dinners. It is now among the most famous pieces in the Cartier Collection.
Her Cartier commissions at a glance
| Commission | Year | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Articulated snake necklace | 1968 | 57cm, fully articulated, 2,473 diamonds; enamel underbelly in black, green and coral |
| Crocodile necklace (pair) | 1975 | Two gold crocodiles — 1,060 emeralds and 1,023 yellow diamonds; convertible to brooches |
Details from Cartier’s heritage archive and contemporary reporting on the 2023 Cartier exhibition of María Félix’s legacy. Dated for reference, July 2026.
What her taste means for collectors today
You will never buy Félix’s snake, but her instinct is worth borrowing: pick jewellery with character and movement, and wear it as if you mean it. The serpent motif she loved runs right through the market — from Cartier’s animal jewels to Bulgari’s Serpenti — and pieces with real presence and a signature tend to keep collectors interested over time. That is a description of how distinctive jewellery has behaved, not a promise; values can fall as well as rise, and this is not investment advice. To find pieces with that kind of personality, browse our Chrono6538 fine jewellery selection →
Last updated: July 2026.