The Cartier jewels designed by Aldo Cipullo: the seventies are a classic ♦
From the bijoux and silver chains of Tuscany to the altars of New York and Paris high jewelry: the story of Aldo Cipullo is probably unrepeatable. The son of a manufacturer of costume jewelery components, as there are many between Florence and Arezzo, Aldo Cipullo moved to New York in 1959, having learned the secrets of the trade from his father. But his reason for living was design and jewelry. First he worked for Tiffany, then for David Web. But his consecration as a great designer took place with Cartier, in 1969, the year of the moon landing.
With the French Maison he signed some of the pieces that marked an era, such as the Love bracelet. The idea: two bands of gold held together and tightened on the wrist by a small screwdriver. It is one of the first jewels considered unisex. To launch the bracelet, Cartier gives 25 bracelets double, for him and for her, to as many famous couples, including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Liz wears Love in the movie X, Y & Zee, and contributes to the success of the jewel.
Another icon is the Cartier formed by a twisted nail. And in 1972 it was the turn of another iconic jewel, Juste un Clou. A simple bent nail that breaks jewelery conventions with a form borrowed from the world of tools. Cartier proposes this jewel several times, even in new versions with diamonds. A success that convinces Cartier to allow the designer to sign his creations for Cartier, an honor he was the only one to obtain.
The contamination of gold and semi-precious stones (such as lapis lazuli, carnelian, onyx, jade), the large rings that form necklaces and earrings, the decidedly attuned style of the Seventies, make Cipullo signed jewelry a classic that continues to be appreciated. The designer died in 1984, at age 48, but his jewelry is still produced and sold. Cartier dedicated a retrospective exhibition to Cipullo in 2012. Because his myth still lasts.
