A GOLD 'LOVE' BANGLE, BY CARTIER With screwhead...

A GOLD 'LOVE' BANGLE, BY CARTIER

With screwhead motifs, in 18K gold, signed Cartier, numbered, French import marks, size marked 21, inner diameter 6.7cm

LOVE BANGLE CARTIER RESEARCH

Designed in 1969 in NYC, the Cartier Love bangle was the creation of Italian jewellery designer Aldo Cipullo. "Love," said Cipullo, "has become too commercial, but life without love is nothing. What modern people want are love symbols that look semi-permanent or, at least, require a trick to remove. After all, love symbols should suggest an everlasting quality."

The closure and screw to the bangles is to symbolise 'locking up your love'. Inspired by medieval chastity belts, and the idea that symbols of love should be everlasting. The design challenged the idea that jewellery should be slipped on and off as this bangle requires a special screwdriver to remove. Thus, reinforcing the idea that love is not to be taken lightly. "How far would you go for love?" This is the question posed by the Cartier Love Bangle.

The Cartier Love bracelet is surrounded by lore. As the story goes, they could at first only be purchased by couples who would surrender the screwdrivers to one another. When Cartier introduced the bracelet, they were given to high-profile couples like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. According to Vogue, legend even has it that some NYC hospitals keep a Love bracelet screwdriver on hand in case patients need their accessory removed in an emergency. While a Cartier Love bracelet may be easier to remove than a chastity belt, it has still proved enduring, and a smart investment.