Cartier Just Un Clour, by Aldo Cipullo, Instant Iconic Piece, 18K White Gold
View Similar Items
Cartier Just Un Clour, by Aldo Cipullo, Instant Iconic Piece, 18K White Gold
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2013
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Canterbury, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: JCK0011stDibs: LU2134213623152
Aldo Cipullo for Cartier
In a jewelry-design career spanning just over two decades, Aldo Cipullo created a portfolio of iconic pieces. And decades after his death, his most famous, the Cartier Love bracelet, remains a best seller.
A life devoted to jewelry seemed preordained for Cipullo, who was born in Naples in 1935 and raised in Rome. His father, Giuseppe, manufactured costume jewelry, and Cipullo, the eldest of five siblings, began selling goods for the family business at age 15.
In 1959, Cipullo left postwar Italy for New York City. He had found the right place at the right time to ply his prodigious talent and navigated between some of the most prestigious jewelers situated on the city’s most glittering thoroughfares, 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. Cipullo’s first stop was the workshop of David Webb, a favorite among the mid-century beau monde. Webb, who was one of America’s most influential and best-loved jewelry designers, became a mentor for the new arrival, advising him to call himself a designer despite his bench jeweler job description.
Tiffany & Co. came next. Cipullo alighted at the design studio in 1964, becoming — along with Sonia Younis, Don Berg and Donald Claflin — part of a youthquake that brought fresh ideas to the stately American brand.
At Tiffany, Cipullo came into his own as a designer with an original point of view, developing a facility across a broad swathe of motifs and inspirations that included lifelike florals, stylized African animals and masks, modern geometries — and hardware, expressed in a series of key-shaped brooches that offer the first glimpse of a theme he would return to later. By the end of the 1960s, he was designing some of Tiffany’s crown jewels, pieces in its Blue Book high-jewelry collection, often using lapis, coral or turquoise. These colorful opaque gems were among the materials that would become hallmarks of his work.
According to the designer’s brother Renato Cipullo — a coauthor with jewelry journalist Vivienne Becker on Cipullo: Making Jewelry Modern (Assouline) — when the term of a two-year contract with Tiffany neared its end in 1969, the brand passed on a gold bracelet design Aldo presented to the house. Though Tiffany wasn’t ready to raise Cipullo’s profile, another suitor would soon pick up the piece and give it, and in turn Cipullo, a major public platform. He struck a deal with Michael Thomas, president of Cartier New York, to carry some of his designs — including the new bracelet — exclusively.
Becker recounts the history of the Cartier Love bracelet in the book: Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle. The Love bracelet combined hardware with elements of symbolic Victorian jewelry and the chastity belt, plus the ritual of meaningful adornment.
The bracelet, along with its designer, was just the tonic that Cartier needed at the start of the 1970s, a moment when the venerable brand was seeking an injection of youthful jet-set glamour. Cipullo’s winning streak with the brand continued, even as he designed for his own studio, Aldo Cipullo Ltd., which he established in the early part of the decade.
The Love design — which also yielded a ring and a necklace — 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. When he died, at the age of 48, from a double heart attack, Cipullo was only getting started. Nevertheless, he left a profound legacy.
Find vintage Aldo Cipullo Cartier jewelry today on 1stDibs.
- Stunning Tanzanite & Diamond Trilogy Ring 18carat White Gold, Statement PieceLocated in Canterbury, GBThis tanzanite and diamond trilogy ring is truly a beautiful piece. Set in 18carat white gold, tanzanite is approx 7.5carat, diamond is approx 0.50carat. This ring comes in UK size L...Category
2010s More Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Tanzanite, White Gold
- Cartier Santos Octagone Wristwatch ref 187903. 18K Yellow Gold, Year 1990...By CartierLocated in Canterbury, GBOur Attractive Cartier Santos Octagone reference 187903 features the small size case with quartz movement and date function. The case (26mm x 31mm) and bracelet are of stainless stee...Category
1990s Wrist Watches
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Elegant Diamond Line Bracelet, 9 Carat White Gold / 3.50 Carat Diamonds 'Approx'Located in Canterbury, GBA unique piece within our carefully curated Vintage & Prestige fine jewellery collection, we are delighted to present the following: This elegant diamond line bracelet is set in 9ct...Category
2010s More Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, White Gold
- Vintage Baume & Mercier Dress Watch, 18K White Gold, Black Onxy Dial, 1980'sBy Baume & MercierLocated in Canterbury, GBOur very rare vintage Baume & Mercier dress watch (reference 38260) with 18k white gold case of 28mm, unusually features an attractive black dial. This vintage Baume & Mercier is pre...Category
Vintage 1980s Wrist Watches
MaterialsOnyx, White Gold
$1,732 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Ruby & Diamond Flower Ring, 18K White Gold Setting, 1940's, US Size 5.75Located in Canterbury, GBThis extraordinary ruby and diamond flower style ring from the 1940's is set in 18K white gold, showcasing a beautiful combination of stones. The ri...Category
Vintage 1940s Cluster Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Ruby, White Gold
- Pretty Diamond Ring, 18K Yellow GoldLocated in Canterbury, GBA unique piece within our carefully curated Vintage & Prestige fine jewellery collection, we are delighted to present the following: This pretty diamond ring is set within 18K Yello...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Cluster Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Yellow Gold
- Cartier Just un Clou Bracelet in 18k white gold diamonds with box & papersBy CartierLocated in Bilbao, ESJuste un Clou bracelet, classic, white gold 750/1000, set with 374 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 2.26 carats. Width: 3.5 mm (for size 17). At PRADERA we know that purchasing a pr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Clamper Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- Cartier Juste Un Clou “Nail” Bracelet 18k White Gold and DiamondsBy CartierLocated in Miami, FLDesigner: Cartier Collection: Juste Un Clou “Nail” Style: Bracelet Metal: White Gold Metal Purity: 18K Stone: Round Brilliant-Cut Diamonds Size: 18 (fits a wrist that wears 19...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Link Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, White Gold
- Cartier Juste un Clou Bracelet in 18K Rose GoldBy CartierLocated in New York, NYCartier Juste un Clou Bracelet in 18K Rose Gold PRIMARY DETAILS SKU: 133740 Listing Title: Cartier Juste un Clou Bracelet in 18K Rose Gold Condition Description: Translating to 'jus...Category
21st Century and Contemporary More Bracelets
Materials18k Gold, Rose Gold
- Cartier Juste Un Clou Diamond Bracelet in 18k White Gold 0.58ctwBy CartierLocated in New York, NYCartier Juste Un Clou Diamond Bracelet in 18k White Gold 0.58 CTW PRIMARY DETAILS SKU: 130209 Listing Title: Cartier Juste Un Clou Diam...Category
21st Century and Contemporary More Bracelets
MaterialsWhite Gold
- Cartier Diamond 18k White Gold BraceletBy CartierLocated in Geneva, CHCartier, Bracelet diamonds 18K white gold. Signed Cartier. Numbered 0G5093. Length: 18.00 centimeters. Width: 2.80 mm. Diamonds total weight: approximately 2.00 carats Total Weight:...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Tennis Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
- Cartier LOVE 18K White Gold 6 Diamond BraceletBy CartierLocated in Southampton, PAThis LOVE bracelet is a classic Cartier offering. The bangle is made with 18K white gold and features the iconic Cartier screw motif and is set with six ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary More Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, White Gold, 18k Gold