More Joy Less Pain, Aldo Cipullo and the Love Bracelet

Jewel Stories

After a little story on Instagram, I realized how fascinating the stories behind iconic designs are. The stories of jewelry are closely linked to the vicissitudes of their creators...the ups and downs of life, surrounded by ideas, beauty and passion.

Episode 1, Aldo Cipullo The Man Who Invented Modern Jewelry

Cipullo, born in 1935 in Naples, grew up in a family where jewels were a household feature; his father had a jewelry factory.

But Italy was too small for him, and in 1959 he arrived in New York where he enrolled at the School of Visual Arts.

America is a dream, and Cipullo, blond, blue-eyed and with Italian savoir faire, immediately feels at ease. “There's a sparkle, a fire.” he says of the Big Apple

He started working immediately at David Webb and then moved on to Tiffany.

In 1969 he proposed a super modern and innovative bracelet, a bracelet that screws onto the wrist, a symbol of the feeling that binds us to the person we love.

Cipullo says that the idea came to him during a sleepless night, when a disappointment in love had kept him awake at night.

“It was 3 o'clock in the morning, I was feeling very sad and I wanted something nobody could take away from me.”

"It was 3am, I was very sad and I wanted something that no one could take away from me"

In the 70s, jewelry is innovative, it is a symbol of a changing society, Liz Taylor's diamonds give way to these new creations that speak of reality and communicate to a different and younger audience.

The Love bracelet was an immediate success, thanks also to the jet set's attendance during the evenings at the legendary Studio 54, and was worn by stars and famous people.

From Elizabeth Taylor herself, Sophia Loren, Caroline of Monaco and Ali MacGraw, on whose wrists we see, in paparazzi photos, the legendary bracelet peeking out.

In 1971, Cipullo repeated his success with the "Nails" collection, later renamed "Juste Un Clou", just a nail. Here too, the inspiration comes from everyday objects and the hardware stores he frequents with his brother Renato.

Aldo Cipullo understood jewelry, the apprenticeship he had done sitting at the banquet had helped him to combine aesthetics and functionality.

"When you have function and design, married together, you always have a successful item.''

"When you have function and design together, you always have a successful product"

Aldo Cipullo's life will be short, at 48 he dies of a double heart attack, but his legacy so rich in imagination and energy is still very vital. Consider that Aldo Cipullo's drawings alone contribute to more than 50% of the Maison Cartier's turnover and Love is the best-selling jewel of all time.

The publishing house Assouline has dedicated a wonderful book to the talent of Aldo Cipullo,

where in addition to the most famous models we can admire the creativity and imagination of this artist who was able to imagine a jewelry store for a world that was changing.

Here Renato Cipullo, Aldo's younger brother, talks to us about his brother.