Cufflinks Cartier 18K Tri-Color Gold Love Knot Back to Back , Vintage c. 2000
Cartier cufflinks 18K tri-color gold, pink, white and yellow, back to back of love knots, one large the other smaller. Signed by Cartier, numbered and marked 750 for 18K, these cufflinks weigh 21.6 grams or about 2/3 of a troy ounce and are therefore neither too big nor too small. The larger of the knots measures .5 inches or approximately 12.7 mm.
These classic cufflinks, with a high polish, are in fine condition. The distance between the two uneven knots is generous for ease of wear, and putting on and taking off.
Cufflinks are generally worn by men - except in the 19th century when they were also worn by women. For a jeweled decoration, cufflinks have always been a popular accessory.
Cufflinks have a fair amount of complexity in terms of criteria for selection. Here are a quick dozen reasons from which men pick 1 or 2 as the reasons for favoring a pair of cufflinks. -overall size,
-weight,
-type of gemstone
-how the cufflink looks against solid color background
presented by the cuff, and
-the personality offered by the motif of the cufflink
-the distance or "throw" of a cufflink as between its back and its front. This criteria has a lot to do with whether or not the gentleman has a large or a small wrist size
-certainly the color or type of material - gold, platinum, silver, wood stainless steel, and carved stones,
-the time period - "I'm Edwardian", "Just call me Deco", "I wouldn't touch Victorian, but I adore Georgian" "Nothing but Belle Epoch for me", etc.,
-whether or not the cufflinks are signed
-ease of application and removal
-and as women would always judge - how a cufflink would "go with" a particular set of shirts, sport coats or suits, and
-who gave them to him!
The motif of a "love knot" traces its history back to Alexander the Great. In roughly 350 B.C., he began his conquest of Syria, Persia and Egypt which later in the Hellenistic age became part of the Greek Empire. In his travels he encountered King Gordius of Phrygia (think Turkey) who had constructed an intricate and large knot that showed neither a beginning nor an end. Gordius claimed whoever could solve the knot would become the ruler of Asia. Alexander studied the puzzle for a few minutes, and then quickly drew his sword in a peak of frustration and slashed the knot in half.
Hundreds of years later the puzzle of the knot became more romantic with lovers saying that their complex and knot like relationship, like their love, had no beginning and no end, hence "love knot".
Today, a preponderance of jewelry is machine made in large factories around the world with abundant and obvious suspicions as to its enduring qualities using not only inferior stones, but also man made stones and treated stones utilizing artificial substances. Alternatively, these cufflinks are a classic design by the great House of Cartier.
All items sold are accompanied by a detailed Statement of Value by our gemologist, as well as all original gemological documentation, if specified in the listing. As always, we guarantee all pieces to be exactly as represented. Each piece of jewelry arrives in a gift-wrapped fine presentation box.
Over the decades of our stewardship as a small but exemplary purveyor of the jeweler's art, we have strived to offer a fine and authentic selection, in excellent condition, of collectible jewels from all highly sought time periods at competitive prices. In the process, we have had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting remarkable people - some collectors, others just extremely interesting individuals who have taken the time and effort to examine their lives and select things that tend to make them smile, or admire, or just wonder at the exciting endlessly creative and nuanced panoply of jeweled artifacts.