Double Hearts, a romantic take on the iconic Dinh Van handcuffs
Two intertwined hearts to symbolize fusional love: heart shapes aside, the
Double Hearts collection, launched in 2009, is furiously reminiscent of another Dinh Van motif. And for good reason, the Parisian House was indeed inspired by the iconic handcuffs to create these bracelets and necklaces. Versions
earrings also exist, although they are no longer in Dinh Van's current catalog - they can be found on the second-hand market.
So with Double Hearts, Dinh Van combines its minimalist design style with a jewelry classic, the timeless heart motif, for gifts for the one you love, and not just on Valentine's Day!
The intertwined, half-open hearts, symbols of love but also friendship, are worked in rose gold and
18K white gold. Depending on the model, one of the two may be paved with diamonds.
The motif adorns bracelets whose chain takes up the design of the famous (and elongated)
Dinh Van links, and the same principle is applied to the
Double Hearts R9 necklaces, always with a choice between rose gold and white gold, diamond paving or not.
In this way, Dinh Van offers a romantic jewel as desired, which perfectly respects the codes of the House by declining the emblematic handcuffs ... and without this little sado-maso side that is sometimes lent to them.
A symbol of attachment, and a revolution in jewelry
Let there be no mistake, fifty years ago, Jean Dinh Van had no intention of creating a naughty jewel. The jeweler certainly wanted to break with tradition by imagining
minimalist pieces and bringing "jewelry down to the street" - a real revolution in the face of his colleagues' finery. But still, not to this extent...
Jean Dinh Van was actually inspired by everyday objects, favoring simple, geometric shapes that would stand the test of time. The ties of a key ring will give him the idea of a pattern. This also corresponds to the desire to take the clasp of jewelry, until then cleverly hidden, from its anonymity. Only then, once the motif was created, did it take on the name
Menottes, so much so that the two entwined key heads were indeed reminiscent of the ties of prisoners.
Never mind, the successive collections do symbolize the attachment between two people, but it is also appropriate to associate them with this wind of freedom and boldness that blew, let's not forget, on the 1970s. Mounted on a leather or fabric cord, the first Menottes bracelet was intended for both men and women.
Quickly, the collection and its many versions became another trademark of the
Maison Dinh Van, that of customizable jewelry. Everyone can indeed choose their metal, the type of bracelet (or necklace) and whether or not to opt for diamond paving. What seems obvious nowadays, as many jewelers have taken up the concept, was absolutely not the case 50 years ago.
