Message in a bracelet
A novelty example is an articulated platinum strap with a series of bombé X-motifs pavé-set with round and baguette-cut diamonds in a fan pattern. It’s perfectly descriptive of the intention that someone’s a fan of your kisses.
First seen in 1935, the dynamic repetition of the Ludo Hexagone diamond-set honeycomb pattern from Van Cleef & Arpels deliciously alludes to honeybees as if to say, “Honey, I’m sweet on you,” or the rhetorical, “Will you be my sweetie?”
Fifty shades of great
Okay, so there may actually be only three shades of gold in the equally attention-grabbing and highly recognizable ‘Trinity’ series from Cartier. Often referred to as a classic masterpiece, the extensive collection of tri-coloured gold intertwined bands that originated in 1924 extends to bangles, earrings, and pendants, too. Each colour represents a different aspect of a relationship: white gold for friendship, pink for love, and yellow for fidelity. From the same house come the ‘Menotte’ and ‘Love’ series. Complete with screwdrivers, they’re a modern riff on a pair of handcuffs and chastity belt, and so socially acceptable they can be worn in full view of your mother or maiden aunt. There is nothing to be shy about when you have the Cartier marque on your side.
Why not challenge the straightforward visuals and capture the imagination. Recurring themes of the universal language of love connections can fuse seamlessly and inventively when they’re finessed into something delightfully wearable. It’s a romantic way to bridge the gap in personal interactions during this age of communication via the remoteness of tech devices. In an era when it’s common to see couples sitting across from one another in a restaurant paying more attention to texting than each other, it’s encouraging to find every romantic symbol possible in a piece of jewellery. The survival of mankind may depend on it.
Ron Dupuis is a gemmologist and graduate jeweller with 32 years’ experience in the international auction market. He is president and CEO of Toronto-based Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers and can be reached at ron@dupuis.ca.
