The Love bracelet

Bracelet

A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...

(styled L⊝Ve, with the horizontal line inside the letter "O" alluding to the bracelet's locking mechanism) is a famous piece of jewelry designed in 1969 by Aldo Cipullo for the French jeweler Cartier SA

Cartier SA

Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...

.

The bracelet quickly became popular for its provocative (and intentional) resemblance in function to medieval chastity belts.

Cartier (as of 2011) continues to make the bracelets, and has since created other products based on the original bracelet's design, including cufflinks, rings, necklaces and watches, expanding the design into a jewelry line.

In June 2006, Cartier introduced the Love charity bracelet, a version consisting of a silk cord and a golden ring bearing the word LOVE. Cartier donates $150 from the sale of each bracelet to a variety of charities, each backed by a celebrity. The 2009 version of the charity bracelet was promoted by actress Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...

.

The locking mechanism

Unlike traditional bracelets, which are either wide enough to slip them over the hand onto the wrist or can readily be opened in order to put them on, the Love bracelet is designed to be opened only using a special screwdriver

Screwdriver

A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...

 that is supplied with every bracelet. The screwdriver is also available in the form of a necklace, allowing the bracelet to be "locked" onto one person while the "key" is kept around the neck of another as a symbol for their commitment

Commitment

Commitment may refer to:*Promise, or personal commitment*Contract, a legally binding exchange of promises*Brand commitment*Involuntary commitment, the use of legal means or forms to commit a person to a mental hospital, insane asylum or psychiatric ward...

 to their relationship.

The screwdriver does not act as a secure key

Key (lock)

A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...

, however. The Love bracelet can actually be opened with any standard slotted screwdriver.

Cost

An iconic luxury classic, the Cartier Love bracelet has a high entry price. As of August, 2011, the retail price for the classic 18k yellow gold locking Love bracelet at mainland United States Cartier retail stores was $5,575. In 2008, the same bracelet retailed for $3,600. Some of Cartier's Love bracelets with diamonds or ceramic can exceed $35,000.

Variations

Cartier has offered the Love bracelet in 18k yellow gold, 18k "pink" (rose) gold, 18k white gold and in platinum. Some bracelets are offered with diamonds in place of or in rotation with the screw-motif. Ceramic details and special colored precious gems have been offered as well. Pave diamond versions were made available in 2009. Cuff versions that do not close or lock are also available.

Famous wearers

Celebrities who are known to have worn some version of the bracelet includes the following:

• Tina Turner
  Tina Turner
  Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
  
  
• Beth Stern
• Barbra Streisand
  Barbra Streisand
  Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
  
  
• Diana Ross
  Diana Ross
  Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
  
  
• Joan Collins
  Joan Collins
  Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
  
  
• Jane Seymour
  Jane Seymour
  Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
  
  
• Princess Diana
• Linda Evans
  Linda Evans
  Linda Evans is an American actress. She is known primarily for her roles on television, and rose to fame playing Audra Barkley in the 1960s Western TV series, The Big Valley...
  
  
• Lionel Richie
  Lionel Richie
  Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
  
  
• Lindsay Lohan
  Lindsay Lohan
  Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
  
  
• Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
  Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland
  Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland is the youngest child and second daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden...
  
  
• Kenny Rogers
  Kenny Rogers
  Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
  
  
• Reggie Jackson
  Reggie Jackson
  Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
  
  
• John McEnroe
  John McEnroe
  John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
  
  
• Elton John
  Elton John
  Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
  
  
• Anna Kournikova
  Anna Kournikova
  Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova is a Russian retired professional tennis player. Her beauty and celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis stars worldwide, despite the fact that she never won a WTA singles title. At the peak of her fame, fans looking for images of Kournikova made her name...
  
  
• Shauna Sand
• Mary Bono
  Mary Bono
  Mary Bono Mack is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 44th, serving since 1998. She is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Palm Springs and includes most of central and eastern Riverside County. Bono Mack sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is...
  
  
• Cindy McCain
• Larry King
  Larry King
  Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
  
  
• Ayumi Hamasaki
  Ayumi Hamasaki
  is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
  
  
• Edison Chen
  Edison Chen
  Edison Koon-Hei Chen is a Hong Kong film actor, Cantopop singer, Hong Kong hip hop rapper, model, record producer, fashion designer, and a pop icon. Chen is also the founder of CLOT Inc., and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited...
  
  
• Britney Spears
  Britney Spears
  Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
  
  
• Quincy Jones
  Quincy Jones
  Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
  
  
• Kourtney Kardashian
  Kourtney Kardashian
  Kourtney Mary Kardashian is an American businesswoman, socialite, model, actress and reality television personality who gained fame as a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.She is the oldest child of Kris Jenner and...
  
  
• Lorenzo Lamas
  Lorenzo Lamas
  Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
  
  
• Jennifer Love Hewitt
  Jennifer Love Hewitt
  Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
  
  
• Julianne Hough
  Julianne Hough
  Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...
  
  
• Kelis
  Kelis
  Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
  
  
• Paulina Rubio
  Paulina Rubio
  Paulina Susana Rubio Rue is a Mexican singer and actress. Rubio achieved international stardom with her fifth studio album, Paulina...
  
  
• Cristina Saralegui
  Cristina Saralegui
  Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath....
  
  
• Sarah Brightman
  Sarah Brightman
  Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
  
  
• Khloe Kardashian
  Khloe Kardashian
  Khloé Kardashian Odom is an American businesswoman, television personality, radio host, socialite, and model...
  
  
• Rob Kardashian
  Rob Kardashian
  Robert Arthur "Rob" Kardashian is an American television personality. He is best known for appearing on his family's reality television shows, such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Khloé & Lamar. Kardashian competed and placed second on the thirteenth season of Dancing with the Stars...
  
  
• Mary J. Blige
  Mary J. Blige
  Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
  
  
• Paris Hilton
  Paris Hilton
  Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
  
  
• Nicky Hilton
  Nicky Hilton
  Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton is an American businesswoman, fashion model, socialite, celebutante, heiress and fashion designer. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton and younger sister of Paris Hilton....
  
  
• Rick James
  Rick James
  James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
  
  
• Sofia Vergara
  Sofía Vergara
  Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
  
  
• Priscilla Presley
  Priscilla Presley
  Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
  
  
• Kanye West
  Kanye West
  Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
  
  
• Bruce Jenner
  Bruce Jenner
  William Bruce Jenner is a former U.S. track and field athlete, motivational speaker, socialite and television personality. He won the gold medal for decathlon in the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics....
  
  
• Carmen Cervera
  Carmen Cervera
  María del Carmen Rosario Soledad Cervera y Fernández de la Guerra, Dowager Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva , daughter of Enrique Cervera y Manent and wife...
  
  
• Tiffany Hwang
• Kim Taeyeon
• Sylvie van der Vaart
• Sonny Bono
  Sonny Bono
  Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
  
  
• Sandara Park
  Sandara Park
  Park Sandara , better known as Dara , is a South Korean idol singer, actress, television host and model. She is best known as being a member and the Director of Communications of the Korean girl group 2NE1. However, she first gained major popularity on ABS-CBN's Star Circle Quest during her stay in...
  
  
• Kwon Jiyong
• Vu Andy
• Hilary Duff
  Hilary Duff
  Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
  
  
• Kanye West
  Kanye West
  Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
  
  
• Jennifer Aniston
  Jennifer Aniston
  Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
  
  
• Tamar Braxton
  Tamar Braxton
  Tamar Braxton-Herbert is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and reality television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a founding member of the R&B group, The Braxtons. Braxton is the youngest sister of prominent R&B singer Toni Braxton.In 2011, Tamar Braxton reunited with her sisters,...
  
  
• Kris Jenner
  Kris Jenner
  Kristen Mary "Kris" Jenner is an American television personality, socialite and businesswoman. She also is the manager for all of her family members, including Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian...
  
  
• Kendall Jenner
  Kendall Jenner
  Kendall Nicole Jenner is an American model and television personality, who is featured on the E! reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with the rest of her family.-Modeling career:...
  
  
• Kylie Jenner
  Kylie Jenner
  Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American model and reality television personality. She became known to the public as a cast member on Keeping Up With The Kardashians a reality television series on the E!.-Personal life:...
  
  

External links

• Cartier Love Collection, Cartier's showcase website for the Love brand.