The Juste un Clou is a nail bent into a bracelet — deliberately plain, deliberately a little provocative — and it appeals to the lady who likes her jewellery with a touch of nerve and buys it for herself. Aldo Cipullo designed it in 1970s New York as elegance with an edge, and that is still exactly how it wears. What one costs pre-owned is set out below.
As of July 2026, a pre-owned Cartier Juste un Clou runs from about £500 for a single plain-gold hoop earring, or £900 for a small-model ring, up to roughly £16,000–£18,000 for a white-gold, pavé-diamond bracelet. The design is a nail bent into a bracelet — deliberately simple, deliberately provocative — and it holds up to daily wear remarkably well because the pieces are solid gold and endlessly wearable.
What is the Cartier Juste un Clou?
The Juste un Clou (“just a nail”) was designed by Aldo Cipullo for Cartier in New York in 1971 — the same designer, and the same year’s energy, as the Love bracelet. The idea was to take the most ordinary industrial object and render it in 18-carat gold, so an everyday nail became a piece of fine jewellery. It comes as a bracelet, a ring, a necklace and earrings, in yellow, rose and white gold, plain or set with diamonds, and in two widths Cartier calls the small model and the classic model.
How much is a pre-owned Juste un Clou worth in 2026?
The table segments the wider UK market by piece, width and setting. These are pre-owned asking prices from July 2026; current retail is shown for context. Cartier prices plain yellow, rose and white gold identically within a model, so one gold anchor covers all three colours.
| Piece | Configuration | Pre-owned asking (GBP) | Current retail (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ring, small model | plain gold | ~£900–£1,300 | ~£1,260 |
| Ring, classic model | plain gold | ~£1,700–£2,300 | ~£2,400–£2,550 |
| Bracelet, small model | plain gold | ~£2,400–£3,300 | ~£3,300–£3,550 |
| Bracelet, classic model | plain gold | ~£5,500–£7,000 | £7,650 |
| Bracelet, classic model | white gold + diamonds | ~£9,700–£16,500 | ~£12,800–£21,900 |
| Necklace, small model | plain gold | ~£3,000–£4,500 | ~£4,000–£4,500 |
| Earrings, single hoop | plain gold | ~£500–£800 | £920 |
| Earrings, hoops | diamond-set | ~£7,950–£18,000 | ~£7,850+ |
What’s the cheapest way in?
Two genuine entry points. A single plain-gold hoop earring (Cartier sells them singly) can be had from about £500–£800, and a worn small-model ring from around £900. Below roughly £800, though, is exactly where fake “Juste un Clou” pieces cluster, so a low price should trigger authentication rather than a quick purchase. The original Cartier box and any service papers move the price noticeably — a complete piece can be worth several hundred pounds more than the same piece bare.
What makes the price jump?
After the plain-versus-diamond split, the biggest lever is small model versus classic: the slim small model is the entry width, while the wider classic carries the higher plain-gold figures. Diamonds do the rest — a white-gold, fully-paved classic bracelet reaches £16,500 pre-owned, and diamond hoops climb toward £18,000. Yellow and rose gold tend to enjoy the strongest second-hand demand; plain white gold can sit a little softer.
Where to buy a pre-owned Juste un Clou
As always, the figures above are wider open-market asking prices, not Chrono6538’s prices. We authenticate and guarantee what we sell, and price it at a premium to the bare private-market floor — which, on one of the most-copied designs in jewellery, is exactly where the risk lives. Browse the fine-jewellery selection at Chrono6538 →
This describes how the Juste un Clou has been priced on the pre-owned market, not investment advice; values can fall as well as rise. Last updated: July 2026.