The double clip brooch is a jewellery form developed at Cartier Paris in the 1930s in which two matching or complementary clip sections could either be worn as a pair, separately, or joined together by a purpose-made metal fitting to form a single larger brooch.
The Clip Mechanism
The individual clips differed from conventional brooches in one practical respect: instead of a pin pushed through the fabric and secured by a clasp, each clip used a spring-loaded gripping mechanism that held the piece to a lapel, dress front, neckline, or hat brim without penetrating the fabric. This made the pieces easier to attach, reposition, and remove, and it opened up wearing arrangements that a pin-and-clasp brooch could not accommodate.
When joined by the connecting fitting, the two clips formed a single object with a different outline and proportion from either clip worn alone. The same pieces could read differently depending on how they were worn.
Forms and Designs
Double clips were produced in a wide range of designs. Geometric forms in diamonds and calibré-cut coloured stones sit at one end of the range, fitting naturally within the rectilinear aesthetic of Art Deco at Cartier. Naturalistic designs followed as taste shifted: flower heads, leaf sprays, and scrolling plant forms all appeared in double clip format. Animal motifs were also made in this form.
The range of designs produced over the 1930s and into subsequent decades reflects how widely the format was adopted within the Paris workshops once it had been established. The convertible quality of the piece, its ability to be reconfigured for different occasions, made it practical in a way that suited the changing demands placed on jewellery in the period.
At Auction and in Collections
Double clips appear regularly at major auction houses among twentieth-century Cartier jewellery. Identifying the original connecting fitting, if present, is part of what specialists look for when assessing examples: pieces that retain their fitting can still be worn in both configurations, while those without can only be worn as separate clips. The condition of the clip mechanism itself is another factor the market continues to consider in evaluating period examples.
Sources
- Francesca Cartier Brickell, The Cartiers (Ballantine Books, 2019), ch. 7 (“Precious London: Late 1920s”) and ch. 8 (“Diamonds and Depression: The 1930s”)
- Hans Nadelhoffer, Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary (Thames and Hudson, 1984; revised 2007), pp. 166, 170 et al.
