The Friday Carat · October 16, 2026
The screw has always been the point. For more than half a century, Cartier’s LOVE bracelet has been defined by the small screw heads that lock it to the wrist, and this autumn, on the house’s flexible LOVE Unlimited line, those screws have become diamonds. Cartier has added diamond-set LOVE Unlimited bracelets and rings and introduced the line’s first necklace, a ribbon of gadrooned gold.
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At a glance
- What’s new: LOVE Unlimited bracelets and rings with round diamonds in place of the screws, plus the line’s first all-gold necklace.
- Diamonds: 0.80 carats of round diamonds on the bracelet, per launch coverage, each in a screw-shaped white-gold setting.
- Metals: yellow gold, rose gold and rhodium-plated white gold.
- Construction: about 200 miniaturized, hand-polished components per bracelet or necklace, with a patented invisible clasp.
- Price context: the gold LOVE Unlimited bracelet launched in 2025 at $9,400 (yellow or rose gold) and $9,900 (white gold); rings at $2,670 and $2,860.
- Original design: the LOVE bracelet, created by Aldo Cipullo in New York in 1969.
What is Cartier LOVE Unlimited?
LOVE Unlimited arrived in autumn 2025 as the first truly supple version of the LOVE bracelet. Where the classic is a rigid oval cuff closed with a screwdriver, Unlimited is a flexible band built from roughly 200 tiny parts, so it wraps around the wrist like a ribbon. The gadrooned surface and the screw heads stay; the stiffness goes. A patented invisible clasp lets one bracelet attach to another, so two can be worn as a pair, layered, or linked into a longer chain.
What changed in October 2026?
Three things. First, diamond bracelets: the screw heads are replaced by round diamonds, each held in a white-gold setting shaped like the original screw. Cartier uses white gold for these settings even on the yellow and rose gold versions, so the stones read bright against warm metal. Second, matching diamond rings carry the same idea onto the finger. Third, a necklace: the first in the line, in yellow, rose or rhodium-plated white gold, with gadrooned links alternating with LOVE screws.
Because the clasp works across versions, the diamond bracelet can be joined to an all-gold one. That is the practical story for a buyer: the new piece is designed to build on a bracelet you may already own, rather than replace it. The campaign, shot along the Seine in Paris, is fronted by actor Jacob Elordi.
How much does LOVE Unlimited cost?
At its 2025 launch in the United States, the gold LOVE Unlimited bracelet was listed at $9,400 in yellow or rose gold and $9,900 in white gold, with the ring at $2,670 and $2,860. Cartier has adjusted prices since then, as it does most years, so treat these as a floor rather than today’s tag. US prices for the new diamond bracelets, diamond rings and the necklace were not published in the launch coverage we reviewed; expect the diamond versions to sit well above the gold ones, and confirm with a boutique before you buy.
LOVE Unlimited vs the classic LOVE bracelet: which to choose?
The classic LOVE is a statement of permanence: rigid, closed with a tool, meant to stay on. Unlimited trades some of that ritual for comfort and versatility. It slips on and off easily, moves with the wrist and can be combined with a second bracelet. If you want the icon in its original form, and the strongest resale record, the classic remains the reference. If you want something that layers and wears softly every day, Unlimited is the more modern choice. The diamond version sits in between: the familiar silhouette, with a little more light.
A short history of the LOVE bracelet
Aldo Cipullo, an Italian-born designer working for Cartier in New York, created the LOVE bracelet in 1969. His idea was a bracelet that locked, opened only with a small screwdriver, an echo of romance as a lasting commitment. The screw heads that close it became the design itself, repeated around the band. Over the decades Cartier added diamond-set versions, thinner models, rings and necklaces to the classic family. LOVE Unlimited is the first time the bracelet itself was rebuilt to move, and October’s diamond pieces are the first time the screws on that flexible band have been turned into stones.
The screw was always the signature. Now, on the supple LOVE, it is a diamond.
Frequently asked questions
Does LOVE Unlimited need a screwdriver?
No. It closes with Cartier’s invisible clasp, which also lets it connect to another LOVE Unlimited bracelet.
How many diamonds are on the new LOVE Unlimited bracelet?
Launch coverage gives 0.80 carats of round diamonds, set where the screws used to be. Check the exact count and weight on the piece’s certificate in store.
Can I combine a diamond and a gold LOVE Unlimited bracelet?
Yes. The patented clasp is designed to join bracelets, so the diamond version can be worn attached to an all-gold one or layered beside it.
Who designed the original LOVE bracelet?
Aldo Cipullo, for Cartier in New York, in 1969.
Sources: Emirates Woman · F Zine · Savoir Flair · PurseBlog · Something About Rocks · Buro 24/7
From the editor
A detail that didn’t fit above: Cartier sets the diamonds in white gold even on the yellow and rose gold bracelets, which is why the stones look so crisp against the warmer metals. Next week, watch for the first US prices on the diamond pieces and the necklace, and for how the new line sits beside our LOVE bracelet price guide.
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