CategoriesJewelry and Fashion Object Types
Bracelets
Ornaments worn around the wrist or arm, from ancient gold cuffs and bangles to Art Deco diamond bracelets and woven studio jewellery.
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About
Bracelets are among the oldest jewellery, worn in ancient Egypt, by Scythian horsemen in gold and by Romans as coiled snakes. In South Asia, glass and gold bangles have long marked marriage and celebration. Nineteenth-century Europe favoured hinged bangles and chain bracelets set with cameos or woven from hair as keepsakes.
The 20th century brought bold new shapes. Jean Fouquet built geometric Art Deco cuffs, Van Cleef & Arpels flexed gold bricks into the Ludo bracelet (1934), and Bulgari later coiled gold scales into its Serpenti bracelets. Silver and turquoise cuffs became central to Navajo and Pueblo jewellery from the late 19th century, a tradition that the Taos Pueblo jeweller Maria Samora renews in gold. Mary Lee Hu weaves fine gold wire with textile techniques. Look at the clasp and hinges, the flexibility of the links and any maker's marks.
