The origin of the term "bracelet" is from the Latin brachile meaning "of the arm", derivative of the Old French "barcel." Bracelets are made from leather, cloth, metal, polymer clay, ribbon and other materials; embedded, or strung, with gemstone or glass beads, or left unembellished. Bracelets are many women's favorite jewelry accessory. I, for one, love to wear bracelets and consider myself a bracelet collector, with at least 30 of them cramming my jewelry tower. In my own jewelry making, bracelets are my favorite piece to design, closely followed by earrings.
Bracelets are a popular accessory worldwide and have been throughout most of history since ancient times, but for a brief period when they fell out of fashion. Bracelets have played a major role in various cultures, for personal adornment and as talisman.
Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians wore bracelets as a status symbol and as defensive armor. They were also buried with their bracelets, which served to identify their station in life, thus aiding the gods in deciding which status level the wearer and his or her wealth would be placed in the afterlife.
Romans
Roman bracelets were generally forged as part of a matched set; a popular style were ball earrings with matching ball-style bracelet. Heavily engraved bangles and snake bracelets were also very popular. Bracelets forged of twisted coil, decorated with a lion's head at each end, were common. Another popular bracelet style was the Herakules knot. These bracelets often featured colorful stones or glass; gemstones were commonly used to set in the eyes. The wealthier females of this era often wore bracelets layered in bezel-set emeralds. Open bands were cut, representing an ivy vine, and entwined with pearls. Many of the leaf-and-berry motif bracelets were heavily adorned with decorative glass.
Georgian Era
Bracelets were an exceedingly popular accessory in the Georgian era. During, and following the 1820s, coral was used extensively in a variety of accessories and jewelry, including bracelets. Paris jewelers became widely known for their elegant, gold bracelets with pearl edging. It was fashionable for young women to wear many bracelets at once, just as it is today. Wide silk ribbon and gold mesh bracelets were common. Older women wore gem and diamond bracelets carefully designed in geometric patterns.
Victorian Era
During the Victorian era, bracelets were rigid and normally worn in pairs. The buckle bracelet was also fashionable at this time. In general, Victorian era jewelry expressed a wide range of sentiments; bracelets often contained lockets or charms with photos or the hair of a loved one. Engravings were common. Early Victorian jewelry held mystical and hidden meanings, such as crostic bracelets that featured a variety of gemstones where the first letter of the gemstone name infused the piece with meaning. A bracelet given as a gift and set with lapis, opal, vermeil and emerald spelled "LOVE", thus expressing that sentiment to the gift's recipient.
Bracelets as Talismans
Throughout history, and today, bracelets are not simply worn for personal adornment. They are also worn for religious purposes or as talismans to ward off evil spirits. In Latin America, traditional Azabache bracelets are worn to protect against the "Mal de ojo", or evil eye. Azabache is a gold bracelet or necklace with a black or red coral charm shaped in the form of a fist. There is a belief that the evil eye is the result of excessive admiration or envious looks; azabache bracelets are often used to deflect this bad mojo. New parents often clasp a tiny Azabache around their newborn to protect them from the evil eye.
In Bulgaria, there is a tradition called Martenitsa. This ancient practice occasionally involves wrapping or tying a red and white string around the wrist. Wearing the traditional Martenitsa bracelet in this manner is hoped to please Baba Marta to make spring come sooner.
In some parts of India, the type and number of bangles worn by a woman denotes her marital status.
In our modern society, bracelets are worn to show support of, and to promote awareness of diseases. Bracelets are worn for the protection of the wearer to indicate various medical alerts and emergency instructions or allergies. These bracelets are made in a distinctive style representative of their meaning, and are often recognized by color; for example, "Breast Cancer Awareness" jewelry is pink.
Some contemporary bracelet styles people collect are as follows:
Tennis Bracelet This in-line, thin, diamond bracelet features a symmetrical pattern of diamonds. When Chris Everet, the world-famous tennis player and winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, was playing in the 1976 U.S. Open, she wore an elegant, light, in-line diamond bracelet. The bracelet broke and the match was interrupted to allow Chris to recover her expensive diamonds. The "tennis bracelet" incident sparked a new name for the item and grew to encompass a massive jewelry trend, tennis bracelets became a status symbol and highly collectible.
Charm Bracelet A sentimental throwback to the Victorian era, charm bracelets are composed of personal charms, decorative pendants or trinkets that are meaningful to the wearer, strung from a chain. Italian charm bracelets feature individual pieces soldered flat onto the surface of each individual link. Charm bracelets are often theme-based, the charms are either collected over time by the owner or received as gifts on special occasions. Some charm bracelet collectors have several different bracelets, each with a different theme.
Bangles Bangles are formed from metal, wood, glass, acrylic, polymer clay and other materials. They are often inset with gemstones and are smooth and shiny or textured with a design or engraving. For those who collect artisan jewelry, handmade bangles are found in a variety of fun and interesting variations. Some of the most colorful and beautiful ones are decoupaged with fine papers or magazine pictures and lacquered to a glossy finish. Others are enameled or hand-painted by the artist.
Bangles are often worn in multiples, in silver and other metals. In India, glass bangle bracelets are common. Made from ordinary glass that is about one-quarter-inch or thinner in width, several are worn on the wrist so that the wearer's every movement produces a pleasant windchime-like sound.
Cuff A cuff is distinguished by the way it curves around the wrist. It is a rigid construction with no need for a clasp, or flexible, allowing some adjustment for wrist size. Some cuffs are made with a hinge closure. I have a stunning, vintage, enameled Monet in my collection, it's more oval than round and has substantial weight to it. Hinges were also used in bracelets in ancient Egypt and other early cultures.
Cuffs are made in a variety of widths, up to 4 and 5-inches. Bold, wide cuffs have been popular since ancient times. Cuffs are made from a variety of materials, usually base or precious metals, inset with gemstones, shells and other components or hand-painted or enameled. A variation of the wide cuff, the arm cuff, is worn on the upper arm.
Watch Bracelet A watch bracelet, also known as a bracelet-style watch, is a combination of a bracelet and a watch. It incorporates the functionality of telling time with the beauty of a jewelry piece. Watches have always been popular collectibles, and watch bracelets are too. Commercially-made ones are often cuff-style. Handmade watch bracelets created by jewelry artisans and beaders feature a chain, chainmaille or gemstone nugget band with the interesting focal of a beautiful watch face. Wide bands of other materials such as leather, ribbon and other textile fabric are also seen in the artisan market.
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