Fine Jewelry Bracelets

About Antique and Vintage Fine Jewelry Bracelets

Bracelets are the most carefree pieces of jewelry, an accessory for the wrist that often has no up or down, no front or back, no left or right. Unlike a ring, which can signal to the world one’s availability when it comes to romance, or a necklace, which is a favorite armature for everything from personal mementos to public pronouncements of one’s faith, a bracelet is mostly worn for fun.

In Victorian times, popular bracelets included those made from black Berlin iron or gauze-like Silesian wire. Bangles of rolled gold were also common, as were bracelets decorated with red coral (it was thought to protect children from diseases and bad spirits) and tightly woven bands of human hair...

During Queen Victoria’s mourning period, elastic bracelets made of carved chunks of black jet were considered quite fashionable, as were tortoiseshell bangles inlaid with fine lines of silver. Concurrently, pearl and ruby encrusted enameled bracelets celebrated the Renaissance Revival, while cameo bracelets depicted everyone from Roman gods to European literary lions like Dante and Homer.

As gold-plating techniques advanced, more bracelets were made out of the precious metal. Inexpensive gold-filled bracelets were made in great numbers, bringing gold to the masses. Sterling silver was also a favorite—even Queen Victoria wore silver charm bracelets during her reign, making them a popular fashion accessory among noble Europeans. Sterling silver hearts—some set with precious or semi-precious stones, some puffed up in a style called répoussé—were as popular then as they are now.

Teeth and claws were another Victorian adornment for bracelets, as were sterling silver coins. By the Edwardian era, though, diamonds and gemstones had claimed their place around the wrist, as had turquoise and pearls, which were often strung in meshwork grids on platinum wire. But two other parallel aesthetics were also in play: Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, each of which, in their own way, infused the natural world into all types of jewelry, including bracelets.

By the late 1920s, all of these impulses would give way to Art Deco. Diamonds and gemstones were now firmly in control around the wrist, thanks, in no small part, to their suitability in the geometric patterns that typified much of Art Deco design. Sometimes a single large sapphire or ruby would define the center of a bracelet, but more often the pattern was intended to repeat endlessly, with even the clasp disguised under a blanket of precious stones.

This was the era when well-to-do clients looked to big-name designers like Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier to adorn their tanned and slender arms. After World War II, more adventurous patrons purchased bold silver cuffs from modernist jewelers such as Paul Lobel.

One of the most influential bracelet designers of the Mid-century Modern period was Jean Schlumberger, who started creating for Tiffany’s in 1956. Among his many achievements, Schlumberger created Tiffany’s classic bangles, which were such favorites of Jacqueline Kennedy that people called them "Jackie bracelets." It was also during Schlumberger’s tenure that “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” with Audrey Hepburn as the window-shopping waif of indeterminate means, made the New York City store itself a star.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview on Turn of the Century Jewelry Styles with Appraiser Joyce Jonas New!

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My background is in fine art. My B.A. was in Art Education, so I started out as an art teacher. Later, I began work… [more]

An Interview with Arts and Crafts Jewelry Collector and Author Elyse Karlin

I started collecting jewelry when I was about 13 years old. I was very close to an interior designer who took me to… [more]

An Interview With Arts and Crafts Silver and Jewelry Collector Paul Somerson

How did I get started collecting Arts and Crafts silver? My wife and I had been collecting Arts and Crafts items as… [more]

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Vintage 14k Heavy Gold Charm Bracelet - 99.53g$1,799 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 4 watchers
Early 1900s Platinum 3cts Diamond & Sapphire Bracelet$1,025 Ends Sunday 21 bids 72 watchers
David Yurman Diamond 18k Gold Cable Bracelet Nr$809.00 Ends Thursday 9 bids 64 watchers
Antique Vintage Large Mikimoto Silver Pearls Bracelet $729.76 Ends in 16 hours 28 bids 57 watchers
Heavy 14k Vintage Charm Bracelet - Solid Gold!$710.00 Ends Monday 8 bids 25 watchers
Estate 2.50ct Diamond 18k Gold Linked Bracelet Nr$680.00 Ends in 22 hours 12 bids 68 watchers
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Fabu Antique Victorian Red Coral Bracelet, 15k Gold$595.00 Ends in 22 hours 23 bids 51 watchers
Beautiful .72pt Diamond--heavy 14k Gold Mesh Bracelet$495.00 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 11 watchers
Fine Antique Victorian 9k Gold & Diamond Bracelet, Box$495.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 28 watchers
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Edwardian 18k Y/g 5ctw Rose Cut Diamond Bracelet 42.4g $404.88 Ends Sunday 24 bids 76 watchers
14kt Gold 7 1/2" X 3/4" Cameo Bracelet 45.8 Grams 5?? Nr$355.77 Ends in 19 hours 29 bids 47 watchers
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Wow! Vint William Spratling Sterling Rosewood Bracelet!$342.88 Ends in 22 hours 7 bids 50 watchers
Diamond & Sapphire Moon & Sun Bracelet 14k No Reserve$317.00 Ends in 18 hours 24 bids 44 watchers
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Vintage 14k Yellow Gold 10.00ct Moonstone Bracelet Nr$306.00 Ends in 16 hours 5 bids 19 watchers
Antique Ornate 14k Gold & Purple Gem Bracelet No Res!$304.66 Ends in 18 hours 19 bids 39 watchers
Victorian 9k Gold Padlock Bracelet Large Lock By Rodd$299.99 Ends Monday 2 bids 2 watchers
Fantastic Victorian Bohemian Garnet Bracelet$295.00 Ends in 19 hours 1 bid 27 watchers
Old Vintage Chinese Silver Filigree & Amber Bracelet$293.88 Ends Tuesday 10 bids 40 watchers
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Vintage Antique 14k Gold Stone Shell Cameo Bracelet$249.99 Ends in 19 hours 1 bid 10 watchers
Estate 14k Yellow Gold Amethyst Bangle Bracelet Great$249.00 Ends in 22 hours 2 bids 26 watchers
Fabulous 14k 3clr 1970s Cobra Link Smooth Wide Bracelet$247.50 Ends Thursday 5 bids 23 watchers
Victorian Whitby Jet Locket Vulcanite Bracelet C 1880s$240.26 Ends Friday 11 bids 34 watchers
Vintage 14k Gold Charm Bracelet 27 Grams Solid Gold Nr!$224.01 Ends Monday 10 bids 31 watchers
1920 S 14k White Gold Antique Bracelet W Diamond Fab !!$210.50 Ends Tuesday 14 bids 7 watchers
14k Gold 4.63ctw Sapphire & Diamond Tennis Bracelet Nr$207.50 Ends Tuesday 19 bids 15 watchers
14k Rose Gold Snake Necklace~bracelet~wear-scrap 55.2 G$205.00 Ends Thursday 13 bids 67 watchers
Beautiful Art Nouveau Pearl & Sterling Silver Bracelet $202.50 Ends Monday 5 bids 10 watchers
Lot Of 15 Vintage Sterling Silver Bangle Bracelets Old $201.50 Ends in 22 hours 2 bids 40 watchers
Estate 14k 7ctw Sapphire Diamond Tennis Bracelet 8.1g$201.50 Ends in 2 hours 13 bids 35 watchers
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Fabulous Pair Victorian Matched 14k Bracelets Nr$200.00 Ends in 23 hours 1 bid 18 watchers
Vintage Sterling 19 Puffy Heart Charm Bracelet Enamel $199.99 Ends in 21 hours 1 bid 29 watchers
Antique 14k White Gold Deco Bracelet Sapphire Diamonds$199.99 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 16 watchers
Sterling Reveriano Castillo Necklace And Bracelet$195.00 Ends in 16 hours 5 bids 14 watchers
Estate 14k Gold Wide Sadusa Mesh Bracelet 15 Grams$177.50 Ends Thursday 4 bids 20 watchers
Vintage Estate 2.0 Ctw Diamond 14k Gold Tennis Bracelet$162.59 Ends in 20 hours 14 bids 50 watchers
Awesome 40's Sterling Lampl Puffy Heart Charm Bracelet $159.49 Ends Wednesday 9 bids 65 watchers
12grams 1.03cts Diamond 14k Gold Waved Bangle Bracelet$154.17 Ends in 21 hours 14 bids 28 watchers
Plus Size 24ctw Aquamarine 14k Yel Gold Bracelet 30.6g!$153.83 Ends Thursday 14 bids 50 watchers
Heavy Solid 14k Gold, Double Link Charm Bracelet 38gr!$152.50 Ends Monday 8 bids 7 watchers
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Antique Victorian Silver Scottish Agate Bracelet 1890$151.83 Ends Monday 13 bids 65 watchers
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Vtg 18k 750 Gold Dainty Bracelet Unique Links 9.4 Grams$132.50 Ends in 22 hours 8 bids 3 watchers
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Vintage Sterling Silver Charm Bracelet Padlock Estate$131.30 Ends in 22 hours 16 bids 74 watchers
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No Reserve Platinum-topped Vintage Filigree Bracelet$128.50 Ends Wednesday 6 bids 16 watchers
Exquisite Japanese Toshikane Ceramic Silver Bracelet$127.50 Ends in 14 hours 7 bids 45 watchers
14k Gold Art Deco Sapphire Bangle Bracelet No Scrap 9+g$127.50 Ends in 13 hours 19 bids 44 watchers
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Rare Antique Art Nouveau Jugendstil Wmf Silver Bracelet$123.13 Ends in 16 hours 10 bids 42 watchers
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