The 2024 Cartier Love bracelet in yellow gold. $12,000, cartier.com.au. Photography courtesy of Cartier. In 1969, Aldo Cipullo designed the Cartier Love bracelet with a radical message: Love locked in permanence. Two flat, rigid arcs of metal — joined only when screwed together with a custom tool — became not just a bracelet but a symbol of steadfast commitment, requiring a partner’s assistance to be fastened. Inspired by the concept of medieval chastity belts, Cipullo’s design presented an aesthetic as stark as it was sincere, with its exposed screws and industrial simplicity. The Love bracelet swiftly became an icon, worn by couples as a tangible sign of their devotion. As an accessory, the bracelet did more than adorn; it bound. “After all, love symbols should suggest an everlasting quality,” said Cipullo at the time of its launch.
Fast-forward to today, and the Love bracelet has not only endured but evolved. The latest adaptation, introduced this year, is the medium-sized model, a new dimension between the original and its slimmer counterpart. While the look may have been updated, the essence of the bracelet remains: a perfect oval with distinctive screws, paying homage to Cipullo’s original design while speaking to the individuality of modern wearers.
Perhaps the most significant innovation is the bracelet’s new functional screw and hinge system, making it possible for the wearer to put it on and take it off independently — reflecting contemporary lifestyles that value both connection and autonomy. All of the models now embrace this new hinge, while the original locking mechanism is preserved as an option on the classic version for those who prefer the ritual of a shared moment.
