The Origin

In the late ’60s, Cartier was looking to create an accessory that represented everlasting love. Aldo Cipullo, the brand’s in-house designer, opted for a more sober style than was usual for the time, creating a bracelet with screw heads decorating the circumference. Its signature? Instead of a clasp, the piece featured two 18-karat-gold rods that could only be separated with an elegant gold-plated screwdriver. And so the Love Bracelet was born. It was jewellery meant for any occasion—formal or informal—which was seen as revolutionary at the time.

The Admirers

In 1969, Cartier held a glamour-packed event in New York to present the Love Bracelet to some of Hollywood’s A-list couples, including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and Ali MacGraw and Robert Evans. The bracelet charmed the group, although legend has it that the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Prince Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson) gifted theirs to their staff because they found them to be too modern. Today, the accessory is as popular as ever and worn as often with jeans as it is with a gown. Angelina Jolie, Eva Chen and Katie Holmes are all devoted fans. Even Kanye West has been known to sport one or two.

The Evolution

Since then, Cartier has reinvented Cipullo’s original creation. In addition to bracelets, there are ring, necklace and earring versions that are available in different materials (like white and rose gold) and even inlaid with diamonds and sapphires.

This article originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of ELLE Canada.