The Cartier Love necklace’s pendant features horizontal lines in the engraved “O” shapes, a reference to the round screws used to lock and unlock the bracelet that birthed this signature collection.

Initially requiring a small gold-vermeil screwdriver to wear and remove, the Love bracelet offered radical new symbolism about the eternity of love when it was launched by the legendary luxury jewelry house. Transgressive with its locking mechanism and timeless with its style — it was meant to be worn by a man or woman and match any outfit so you never had to take it off — the bracelet redefined romance in jewelry.

Italian designer Aldo Cipullo (1935–84) created the Love bracelet shortly after he joined Cartier in 1969. Born in Rome, his interest in jewelry was sparked by his father, Giuseppe, who had a costume jewelry company. Immigrating to New York City in 1959, he studied at the School of Visual Arts and went on to work with Tiffany Co. and David Webb, though the Love bracelet at Cartier was his first big success.

The bracelet’s semicircle halves are connected by a locking mechanism. And the screwdriver that opens it can also be worn as a necklace, maybe by the person who gifted it and holds “the key” to the recipient’s heart. As Cipullo said in the late 1960s, “What modern people want are love symbols that look semipermanent — or, at least, require a trick to remove. After all, love symbols should suggest an everlasting quality.”

The Love design was not Cipullo’s sole hardware-inspired jewelry for Cartier; his unisex Juste un Clou (“just a nail”) bracelet takes the form of a curved nail. Cipullo spent only five years with Cartier, eventually moving on to start his own jewelry business, but his work remains among the house’s top sellers.

Cartier now offers a whole Love line that echoes the screw motif in all manner of adornment. The collection’s necklaces, watches, rings, earrings and cufflinks are made for versatility in daily wear, albeit in more user-friendly designs. The circular shape of the chain-link Cartier Love necklace, with its lobster-claw closure, presents its own symbol of eternity, with versions in yellow and rose gold as well as those embellished with bezel-set diamonds.