When medieval warriors headed off to battle, they liked to lock their wives into a chastity belt to stave off the possibility of any questionable extracurricular activities in their absence. The idea of showing the world you were "locked up" in a committed relationship later appealed to Aldo Cipullo, a young Italian designer who joined Cartier in New York, and he was inspired in 1969 to create the two-piece bracelet that had to be bolted together to encircle the wrist: the solid gold Love Bracelet & its accompanying screwdriver.
Cartier management liked the idea that no was allowed to buy one for their own wrist, and to promote the new design, got 25 high profile couples to lock each other up and formally exchange screwdrivers: Nancy & Frank Sinatra, Ali McGraw & Steve McQueen, Sophia Loren & Carlo Ponti, and the Duke & Duchess of Windsor, and Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor. Today’s list of celeb fans is equally A-list: Jamie Fox, Mary J. Blige, Lindsay Lohan, Barbara Streisand, Diana Ross, Reggie Jackson, John McEnroe, Elton John, Tori Spelling, Jane Fonda, Liza Minelli, and back in the day when she was still merely Madonna, Madge (The Love Bracelet's most enthusiastic fan is arguably the Texan of a certain age of who once showed up at a Cartier reception wearing six on one wrist, and three more on the other. "Listen, honey," she explained to astonished bystanders. "I've had a few lovers in my time, and I made each one of them give me a Love Bracelet. For me, these nine bracelets are like the notches on a gunfighter's pistol!")
Cartier is now expanding the Love Collection to include a $38,000 gold cuff with screw, a black ceramic and pavé diamond pendant for $36,500, and watches with interchangeable straps and diamond bezel options priced between $5,000 and $10,000. "We are answering to the questioning and the requests of our own customers [for more Love styles]," CEO & president, Frédéric de Narp, recently told WWD about the new pieces which will be available at Cartier stores and Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC. "We wanted to design the collection with more earrings and pendants. The values of this collection are the same as the values of Cartier. Last year, the company also created a Love Charity bracelet, a charm made from rose gold on a silk cord. $100 of the $475 retail price went to a charity selected by each of eight special celebrity ambassadors, including Liv Tyler and Salma Hayek. Since the line launched, the company has donated in excess of $1 million to charities like U.S.A. Harvest, UNICEF and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This year’s Charity Bracelet will have a charm made from white gold, and be seen on the wrists of Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Djimon Honsou, Eva Mendes, Julianne Moore, Elie Wiesel, Rachel Weisz, Rihanna and Usher, who support causes such as Neighbor's Foundation, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, Believe and the New Look Foundation.
2006 saw June 8 officially designated as“Cartier Love Day” by NYC’s major, Michael Bloomberg, whil de Narp will commemorate this year by ringing the opening bell at Nasdaq, and donating 10% of Love collection proceeds to charity. "Love is in the air; there is love everywhere. You see people in love in the street. You see people give their hands and it's extremely pleasant to see…Cartier spreads smiling…Cartier is about hope and optimism. And when there is hope, there is peace.…This is a gift to New York and a gift to the world."
Lesley Scott - Fashion & Lifestyle expert Lesley Scott is the New York City-based Editor-in-Chief of the Fashiontribes.com magazines. Her ...
