Cartier Love bracelet with 10 diamonds?

[sunshine55]

Hi everyone,

I'm still on the hunt for a love bracelet and have not made up my mind yet.

At the moment, I am looking into the 10 diamond love bracelet, either in yellow or rose gold.

http://www.cartier.us/collections/jewelry/collections/love/love-bracelets/b6036216-love-bracelet

This sounds like a really strange question, but as the love bracelets are meant to be worn 24/7, I wonder whether the bracelet would look "odd" as it gets older because the diamonds will always look bright and sparkly whereas the gold will look worn and older over time.

I hope you know what I mean

Here's a picture of an older 10 diamond love bracelet:

http://forum.purseblog.com/attachments/accessorize-yourself/the-jewelry-box/1459681d1312576991-celebrities-and-their-cartier-love-bracelets-2z9l1sj.jpg

What is your opinion on that?

TIA!

 

[ame]

This board isn't as focused on luxury brands as TPF, so they're going to have far less input on that stuff. But I don't think it's going to be any different than say a gold ring where the gold gets equally scratched up from wear over time. You can probably get the bracelet polished and cleaned up by Cartier just the same as a ring, to keep it in less patina'd condition as well. I am sure over time the diamonds will get banged up and chipped up just the same as well.

 

[sunshine55]

I'm glad to hear that it could be easily polished.

What would be your recommendation for polishing, i.e. how often could it be done without removing too much gold?

 

[tyty333]

Really depends how rough you are on it. A few scratches dont bother me so a once a year polish would probably be fine by me but if
you want it spotless you might have to go for twice a year or more. You would need to talk to cartier about how often is
too often.

 

[babs23r]

For that type if money, Cartier will definitely do "maintenance" on your bracelet. Same as a Tiffany purchase.

 

[SB621]

I have the love with 4 dimaonds in white gold. I have worn it everyday for the past 7 or 8 months. While the bracelet does have some wear I actually like the look of it that way. When you buy from Cartier they will give you a cleaning kit for the diamonds and the actual bracelet so if you actaully use it I"m assuming your love will look better. I have yet to use mine.

For $100 or $200 you can drop in any Cartier and have them polish it for you. I"m not sure if I understand your question about loosing gold? It will just polish the metal to make is shine- you won't loose anything.

It sounds like you really want this bracelet to shine and look new everyday- that will just not happen with something you wear 24/7. Perhaps instead of the bracelet you should look into the cuff as it can be taken on and off. It will look newer longer.

 

[sunshine55]

Of course I understand that it can't look shiny and new when it's worn 24/7 for years. Still, I don't like it REALLY scratched up so would want to have it polished once a year or so.

I think you lose a bit of gold while polishing. This is why it shouldn't be done that often. But I wonder how often would be too often?

 

[ame]

For $100 or $200 you can drop in any Cartier and have them polish it for you. I"m not sure if I understand your question about loosing gold? It will just polish the metal to make is shine- you won't loose anything.

When gold is polished, gold is lost, bec they're shaving a layer of metal off. So that's what is meant by losing metal.

If you can get by waiting and doing it maybe every other year, that would probably be the best, but you need to ask Cartier about it especially since they will almost certainly send it out (i'd be shocked if that was done in any store location, Tiffany's doesn't polish in house unless you're in NYC and even then I think it's still not in house and on the spot), and they have to deal with the hinges and screws and whatnot. They might not let you do it very often.

 

[sunshine55]

I've heard that the classic screw-design love bracelets must not be polished more than three times.

Do you think this also applies to the diamond version? After all, this bracelet can't "lose" the screw design by polishing.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

It does say this one screws on. I imagine they just need to avoid polishing the screw area. There are plenty of people here that like designer jewelry! I'd also check out the durability of the metals. I have seen on here before that rose gold is a little softer and might scratch more easily than white or yellow. That might make it not the best choice for a bracelet worn 24/7.

 

[sunshine55]

Oh really? I've never heard about that but good to know. I like the YG a tad more anyway, so that's fine with me.

I've just called a Cartier boutique and asked how often the bracelets could be polished, but they couldn't give me an answer to that?
I know a fully scratched up bracelet would bother me so I would want to have it polished at least every two years.

Would this be too often? Considering that I'm planning on wearing it for decades.

 

[ame]

You might want to call another boutique or two. Try the one on 5th and 52nd in NYC and see what they say. You're dealing with something that has a mechanism and you don't want to overdo the polishing and cause any reason to wear that thing down any faster.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh really? I've never heard about that but good to know. I like the YG a tad more anyway, so that's fine with me.

I've just called a Cartier boutique and asked how often the bracelets could be polished, but they couldn't give me an answer to that?
I know a fully scratched up bracelet would bother me so I would want to have it polished at least every two years.

Would this be too often? Considering that I'm planning on wearing it for decades.

Yes, I personally think polishing every two years would wear away the gold more than I would like. I think this particular bracelet is not for me, partly for that reason and partly because fine jewelry is just better preserved not wearing it 24/7. I'd rather have a bracelet that can be taken on and off and kept looking nice hopefully never needing polishing.

I will say, though, that yellow gold doesn't look bad with the normal tiny scratches it accumulates. I never had my original yg rings polished and they always looked shiny and nice. I changed over to platinum so I don't wear them anymore, but you may not need to polish yg as much as you think. I probably wouldn't polish that bracelet more than once every 10 years, though.

 

[sunshine55]

Do you think that the bracelet will look really scratched up if it's only polished every 10 years? Or do you think that the picture (see link) just magnifies the scratches and patina?

 

[ame]

After 10 years you'll have some patina, yes. The image you posted with the celeb's arm and her bracelets don't look too bad. Polishing it maybe every 10 years will be sufficient. The point of this thing is to put it on and not take it off, so that it GETS all scratched and patina'd. I don't really know what kind of activities you have planned while wearing this, but I can't imagine everyday life is going to do a lot of serious scratching up on this thing that waiting a few years on polishing will be a problem. If you're super concerned about polishing, you might really want to consider the cuff vs the real bracelet bec I have a feeling they'll be more amenable to polishing and then you also don't have to deal with the mechanism.

Out of curiosity...I just called NYC and was told that Cartier "does not recommend polishing this piece more than once over its lifetime due to the screws and hinges and while the diamonds will be safe, it's not ideal to repeatedly polish this bracelet due to the way they are set within the bracelet. It is meant to remain a permanent fixture on the body and with that comes the patina. Any polishing services on these are not done in house, and are sent to Paris." I did not inquire about costs on polishing or maintenance.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Ame....great info! Now we know they just aren't meant to be polished.

Looking back at that picture, no wonder her bracelets get all scratched up! They are hitting other bracelets and a watch all the time! Not a good way to take care of fine jewelry, in my opinion!

 

[ame]

Ame....great info! Now we know they just aren't meant to be polished.

That's the impression that I was given for sure. For the absurd pricepoint (that I think just went up AGAIN) they charge for that thing, I would not want to polish it too much and lose metal anyway. And that's from me, the one who likes perfectly polished, and clean, rings.

Also, I know that the new screw system they're using has a LOT of issues...and if you're buying this thing new, I would keep that in mind as well. (And get the thing insured!) Their current "fix" for it, and I am so not kidding, is GLUE. So...if you're gonna buy it...perhaps find a preowned one with the old screw system and love it with it's scratches.

 

[sunshine55]

Omg, they use GLUE to fix it? That's crazy... I hope not every bracelet is faulty.

And thanks, Ame, for calling the boutique - you obviously had more luck than I Well, I guess the bracelet should not be polished that often.

As for the patina, I don't mind the bracelet looking worn. It's just that I wonder if there might be a "sharp" contrast between the always shiny diamonds and the old gold. I would think that the patina looks better on the plain or even rainbow Love.

Is it just my imagination or could that be true?

 

[Malbec54]

I have had the cartier love ring in white gold w/diamonds for about 10 years, and Cartier told me that I can only have it re-surfaced three times for the lifetime of the ring. I have one more re-surfacing left....

I don't mind my jewelry looking a little "worn" --- I think it gives it character, but there's nothing like having a shiny looking piece of jewelry.

 

[Frenchcut]

Most people seem to wear it 24/7 as it's meant to be and accept that it gets scratched. I've always thought that some patina adds to a jewel, it makes it more unique somehow

I plan on buying one (plain yellow gold, the diamond version is not worth it IMO) and will definitely wear it all the time. And it's true that some people use loctite (the purple one) to secure the screws but I believe it's not needed anymore with the new system that was introduced a few years ago as the screws cannot fall anymore!

Congrats on your future Love, it's such a classic you'll never grow tired of it

 

[ame]

Actually the new system is the issue! It's been widely reported as a problem. And Cartier was using loctite as their "official" repair. Sorry but a bracelet that is like 6k$ being repaired with glue like that... No!

I'd be ok with a patina and white diamonds vs colored stones. I dunno why it would bug me more with colored stones more tho...

 

[sunshine55]

Thanks for all your help!!

Do you think that the patina is more visible in pictures than in real life? I feel that some pics make the bracelet look much larger (and more scratched up) than it is.

 

[sunshine55]

Oh, btw, I wouldn't want to stack the bracelet... will that make a difference in terms of scratches?

 

[ame]

Oh, btw, I wouldn't want to stack the bracelet... will that make a difference in terms of scratches?

Not having it with other items will definitely help with the prevention of scratches for sure. But banging it on things will speed up the process of scratching.

 

[sunshine55]

I will, of course, try not to bang it very much.

I don't do any sports and no activities that would be especially "harmful" to the bracelet. Apart from that, I wear long sleeves 95 % of the year.

Might that prevent some scratches too?

 

[ame]

I will, of course, try not to bang it very much.

I don't do any sports and no activities that would be especially "harmful" to the bracelet. Apart from that, I wear long sleeves 95 % of the year.

Might that prevent some scratches too?

Probably yes, assuming you're just wearing your average cotton shirts or whatever and not rubbing it on metal burrs on jeans or anything or purse straps/zippers. But the only thing to prevent them entirely is obviously not wear it which defeats the entire point of owning it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I will, of course, try not to bang it very much.

I don't do any sports and no activities that would be especially "harmful" to the bracelet. Apart from that, I wear long sleeves 95 % of the year.

Might that prevent some scratches too?

If you're not into active sports or do things that might be "harmful," then it will be less likely to get scratched up. I've not seen this bracelet in person, but looking at the photos, I have to say it would bug me if the gold became scratched up. I'd be more inclined to buy the bracelet in that photo with the many little diamonds and less gold exposed vs. the 10 diamond one you are considering simply because it would sparkle more and be shiny.

 

[sunshine55]

Well, I also like the bracelet with the many little diamonds but, unfortunately, that costs like $40,000 - a bit too much

The bracelet actually looks slimmer in real life. The pictures seem to magnify it somehow...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Well, I also like the bracelet with the many little diamonds but, unfortunately, that costs like $40,000 - a bit too much

The bracelet actually looks slimmer in real life. The pictures seem to magnify it somehow...

yeah, I figured the price would be more...just didn't know it is that much more. lol Oh well!

 

[Frenchcut]

Some wear a sport wristband over their Love to prevent deep scratches when they're especially active (sports, gardening, house cleaning...), haven't tried yet myself but it sounded like a good idea when I was told about it!