The Biggest Flex: Cartier’s Love Bracelet Gets A Whole New Look
After more than 50 years, Cartier’s most iconic design has been reinterpreted with a flexible new look, bringing a new power player to the chicest wrist stacks around the world
There are a few pieces of jewellery that are so iconic that they have become synonymous with life’s milestones: intrinsic, silent signifiers of success. These are the most coveted designs by behemoth fine jewellery brands, and they can be counted upon one hand. Leading the charge? The Cartier LOVE bracelet.
First launched in 1969 and conceived by jewellery designer Aldo Cipullo for Cartier New York, the LOVE bracelet spoke to the utilitarian design codes of the era, which saw humble nail, pipes and screw motifs work their way into the fine jewellery vocabulary of the most major maisons. Cartier’s now iconic screw motifs were in fact already well-known; a reference from the maison’s Santos Dumont timepiece, first launched in 1905.
The LOVE bracelet was a work of simple, refined craftsmanship paired with inimitable marketing prowess – each bangle was sealed upon the wrist with a precious screwdriver, requiring two people to secure it on the wrist. Nothing said everlasting love, and the union of two people, quite like a Cartier LOVE bracelet. Now worn around the world by A-list celebrities and lovers of every generation alike, it is instantly recognisable, and perhaps most famously, New York hospitals keep one of the brand’s miniature screwdrivers on hand in case they need to remove one in an emergency. The LOVE bracelet wordlessly became a global phenomenon. From Elizabeth Taylor to Richard Burton, Steve McQueen to Sophia Loren, everyone fell in love with LOVE.
56 years later, the maison has unveiled LOVE Unlimited – the latest creation in the LOVE
collection. Gone is the rigid structure of the bangle; enter a fully-flexible bracelet that embraces the wrist like a lover. Conceived as a ‘second skin’, the LOVE Unlimited bracelet required more than a hundred trials and prototypes from the maison’s manufacture and design studios, meticulously honed and refined to ensure it meets the legacy of the original design.
Those who love the urban feel of the original, fear not – its signature screws are still in residence, adorning multiple gadrooned links, allowing artful lines and curvaceous curves to come together in harmony. One major difference: the LOVE Unlimited bracelet is easy to put on and remove, thanks to its patent-pending invisible clasp system. Still operated by a screw, its secret is invisible, known only to its wearer. Over 200 components come together in each bracelet, but the design goes one step further – this nifty clasp also allows multiple bracelets to be connected together, meaning bracelets can be joined, shared and exchanged, allowing white, rose and yellow gold iterations to combine.
To celebrate the launch of LOVE Unlimited, the brand campaign nods to both Paris and New York, explored by the maison’s mascot – the sleek panther prowling each iconic skyline. Mark our words – this is a historic moment, placing LOVE at the top of everyone’s wishlist.
For more information visit cartier.com.
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