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Ever since Louis Cartier began designing diamond vipers in 1910, the French house has dreamed up a menagerie of lithe creatures, ranging from onyx-studded panthers to gold crocodiles. Now Cartier has coiled a serpent around an exotic gem to create a one-of-a-kind platinum cuff. Handcrafted in the jeweler’s atelier atop its boutique on the Rue de la Paix in Paris, the piece required seven artisans — one wax sculptor to create the shape, two jewelers, three setters (one just for the center stone) and a polisher — and about 2,000 hours of work. The result is a stunning snake, made up of 1,700 diamonds, tightly clutching its coveted prize: a 53.78-carat cabochon-cut rare emerald from Brazil.

Price upon request, cartier.us.