Take a lovey stroll down memory lane with the Cartier Love Bracelet, now in a brushed finish.
A symbol of love, design innovation, and timeless elegance, the Cartier Love Bracelet has captured the hearts of countless individuals around the world since its inception. Thanks to its unmistakable aesthetic and a heartwarming message (which we will get to), the Cartier Love Bracelet’s appeal is far-reaching and deep, serving as a cult favourite among celebrities and a timeless classic instantly recognisable to all.
For all the warm, fuzzy feeling that the Cartier Love Bracelet preaches and embodies, it ironically began with a broken heart. The tale began in 1969 in New York City, where Cartier designer Aldo Cipullo conceived it after his romantic split. “I felt very sad,” he said, according to Cipullo: Making Jewelry Modern. “I wanted something no one could take away from me. I was searching for a permanent symbol of love.” It spurred him to design an everlasting symbol of love, one that manifested in two separable arcs held together by a set of screws to create a wrist-hugging oval shape bracelet. What captivated customers’ imaginations for decades was locking the screws with a special screwdriver; since two people are needed to secure the screws, it signified the permanence of true love.
The Cartier Love Bracelet, an expression of Cartier’s design philosophy, embodies perfection in its clean lines and precise proportions. Crafted as an oval bracelet, the bracelet’s two parts assume an elliptical shape with a flat top. The alignment of the visible screws accentuates the feeling of unwavering straightness, tracing parallel lines along the bracelet’s length.
Cartier, a jeweller who unapologetically recognises beauty in the unexpected, showcases what others might conceal. Leaving the screws visible was a radical choice considering the jewellery’s birth year, yet it was a masterstroke that set it apart from others. Whether it was sheer coincidence or a conscious decision, the bracelet screw’s design bore an uncanny resemblance with those seen on the Santos de Cartier watch, which has proudly featured them on its bezel since 1904.
The Cartier Love Bracelet’s androgynous guise is a testament to Cartier’s bold and stylistic intuition. Regardless of gender alignment, age, or over-the-top eccentric or modern minimalist personal style, the jewellery transcends these boundaries with various iterations. In 1978, the Cartier Love Ring was released. Offerings of the Cartier Love Bracelet in white and rose gold were later introduced in 1993 and 2002, respectively, before the widely popular open cuff variant from 2008 was relaunched in 2019. This year, Cartier presents its latest take on the Cartier Love Bracelet in yellow and white gold with a brushed finish contrasted by polished screws. While jewellery traditionally takes on a high-polished look, a brushed finish imparts a subtle and delicate shimmer and excels at concealing scratches, making it the ideal candidate for daily wear.
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