A new exhibition, which is running until March next year, has opened at the Houston Art Museum, allowing those who can't afford Cartier's jewellery to get up close to some of the world's finest platinum pieces.

Among the items on display are tiaras, necklaces and brooches, some of which were previously showcased in other US museums in the 1990s.

Cindi Strauss, Houston museum exhibit curator explained: "The basic idea was to select the items of jewellery solely on the basis of their design. We made our choices on the basis of that we considered to be the prettiest, the most wearable, the most reasonable."

Among the treasures on display is a stunning platinum tiara from the turn of the century, boasting 15 pear-shaped diamonds and oriental pearls.

The piece sits alongside a platinum and round diamond choker necklace created by Cartier in 1906.

Peter Marzio, the museum's director, told the Associated Press that the display was simply stunning.

"People will be knocked out, maybe a little frightened by the brilliance of it," he said.

"It wasn't even the preciousness of the gems or the famous people who owned them. What interested me was the incredible aesthetic quality of it."

The exhibit will now feature in Japan, Milan and Berlin and will also include photos of famous clients wearing some of Cartier's top pieces.