The Love de Cartier is a one-of-a-kind bracelet – a jewelry icon that is not only desired for its beauty, but for its revolutionary symbolism. And it is to Aldo Cipullo that we owe this key work in the history of jewelry!

Love Cartier: Aldo Cipullo, Andy Warhol and The New York of the 60s

The aesthetic weave of the Love de Cartier bracelet is not to be found on Place Vendôme. No, the legendary jeweler from the Rue de La Paix did not in fact directly order this unique jewel.

It is indeed in the effervescent New York of the 1960s that we must seek its aesthetic roots. Yes, Aldo Cipullo’s daring and creative spirit was indeed radiant with the rhythm of a modern and eminently revolutionary era.

This son of an Italian jeweler was evolving in the artistic and underground circles of New York. In the 1960s, the American city was the epicenter of those who wanted to change the world, art and life!

In this, Aldo Cipullo bathes in this cultural bath which carries new values. Aldo Cipullo attends Warhol’s Factory, as one of his stars at the forefront of an unprecedented liberation in history!

Values ​​of liberation from morals, especially sexual … Values ​​that can still be found sung in the incomparable grooves of James Brown. Yes, the era was one of renewal and modernity – radical but elegant! And if there is luxury, this one had to be laid back, as if relieved of the weight of the past … As glorious as it was.

So it’s this graphic and ultra-modern New York; this New York which boasts so much the clear and precise lines of the Bauhaus-school which gave birth to the idea of ​​the Love bracelet in the spirit of the Italian jeweler. A bracelet which, again, finds its raison d’être in a very personal episode of Aldo Cipullo’s life.

The Love de Cartier: A Powerful Symbol

 “I felt very sad. I wanted something that no one could take away from me, I was looking for a symbol of permanent love. “

It was following a breakup that Aldo Cipullo decided to make a jewel with a quiet symbolism. “Modern love handcuffs” as Aldo Cipullo himself put it.

And it is precisely the environment and the times in which he lived that guided him towards a jewel of simplicity as playful as it was brilliant!

Inspired by the American hardware stores he loved to visit with his brother, Aldo Cipullo then had the brilliant idea of ​​introducing the triviality of nails and screws into a jewel of certain luxury. In 1968, in the middle of the Youthquake, to use the expression of Diana Vreeland… In the heart of the first Summer of Love carried by the Peace and Love wave… Aldo Cipullo presented a prototype of the bracelet at the Tiffany’s house.

An unpretentious bracelet with small screw, allowing it to be closed with a screwdriver … But the piece lacks grandiosity and the New York jeweler refuses the project.

A year later, it was on the desk of Michael Thomas, the very young president of the Cartier house in New York, that the project landed.

Perfect for the house which has made audacity and playfulness the essence of its works, at the same time grandiose but detached from the codes!

And this is how Cartier, in 1969, initiated a thunderous revolution in the world of jewelry … A new era of modernity was going to open up in the art of jewelry… As luxurious as they are!

The Love de Cartier: An Astonishing Bracelet

“What people want today are symbols of love that lock on permanently or are at least difficult to remove. After all, symbols of love should represent infinity “Aldo Cipullo.

Minimalist and functional, beautiful and loaded with symbolism – the Love bracelet will become a manifesto. Mixed and unisex, no longer round but oval to fit all wrists … This bracelet further reveals the deeply romantic intention of preserving the memories of a lost love …

Because the small screws of the bracelet are more than just ornaments – the two parts of the bracelet are indeed screwed together. The screwdriver supplied with the bracelet can be used to close and open it …

In 1971, a year after its commercialization on the American market, Aldo Cipullo was ironic about the emotion that emanates from such an adornment: “I have become a great connoisseur of nuts, screws and other nails. . This hardware, as hard as it may appear, has a certain warmth. Jewelry must radiate warmth. “

The Love de Cartier: A Legendary Work Of Jewelry

If the Cartier bracelet is today one of the absolute icons of the international jewelry repertoire, it is because, since its launch in 1970, Love has won over the ‘sacred cows’ of its time … To use an expression of Jean Cocteau.

In 1970, during a dinner organized by Cartier, the piece was offered to legendary couples of the moment! Starting with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton – the couple who brought legendary attire to the fore.

That same evening, the Love bracelet is offered to Ali McGraw and Steve McQueen, and Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti…

Also to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor – who refuse it! The Cartier Love bracelet, then considered too modern, ended up, according to legend, being offered as a gift to their valet.

But it was the appearance of the bracelet on Elizabeth Taylor in 1972 that made it a legendary piece of jewelry. The actress being known for her inimitable and insatiable taste for finery wears it in the film A Beautiful Tigress.

And Aldo Cipullo himself will confide having seen the film four times to have the pleasure of admiring his creation on this more than legendary icon!

The Love Bracelet Keeps On Adding To Its Legacy

In 1979, Cartier embellished the product with diamonds. In 1983, singer Tina Turner wore the Love bracelet during her triumphant comeback. This is the only jewel she wore … That is to show you the aura and symbolism of resilience that this timeless and definitely extraordinary jewel wears!

In 2017, the Love bracelet was so desired that the Cartier house made it the main draw for a collection. So declined in several other jewels such as rings, necklaces, or earrings … The Love collection is cut set with diamonds or other precious stones, in yellow, pink, gray gold, and in platinum!

Its screwdriver opening system? Well, there is no shortage of anecdotes on this subject … It is said, for example, that many New York hospitals have one of its screwdrivers in their possession. To be able to open the bracelet, if necessary.

This is undoubtedly why in 2017, Cartier published a new Love bracelet… A bracelet which, although it retains all of its unwavering grace, does not require the help of a second person to open it and put it on or to close it.

In the end, it is the Love de Cartier 2020 campaign that sums up the power of this powerful creation. The campaign was deftly asking: “How Far would you go for love?”