what is that for a bracelet style?

[gabriela]

hello,

I am a german collector for charm bracelet and fobs, and need some help to identify this bracelet. I allready asked in my german jewlery forum, but no one seams to know something about this.

what could that be for a period this bracelet was made? I think it could be victorian, but it has no british hallmarks?! I bought this in amerika.

the bracelet has no hallmarks, but the fobs are marked with "sterling". I never seen a bracelet like that before and by googeln or in katalogs I didn't find nothing like that.

the bracelet and the fobs are very big, the "fobs" are much bigger than those I have on my chateleines. there is one fob that spinns, the smokey topaz. the fobs or charms are very simlilar, so they don't look like taking from different watchchains.

have anyone any idea, what this could be? old, about 1900, or replika? for me looks like an original.

I bought this bracelet for little money, because I find it lovely, so it's ok even if it's not original. but I will like to know what I have in my collection.

thank you!







and just to image how big the bracelet is:

[kerangoumar]

gabriela -


this is definitely an old bracelet - the spring ring closure tells you that. a modern closure has a projection that makes it easier to slide open the ring. yours just has another wire soldered around the spring ring. (you need fingernails to open that, especially if the spring is still resilient)


now look very very closely at the links to the right of the spring ring. i am thinking particularly of the link to which the ring attaches. just above the ring, it looks as though there is plating that has worn off. clean the metal thoroughly so that you can easily determine whether it is plated or not.

all the fobs are from the same time period, most likely from the same manufacturer.

timewise it is probably from 1900 +/- 10 years. though i have seen very large link bracelets from closer to 1920.

[gabriela]

thank you so much for your quick answer!

the closure is also silver. I cleaned it and had a look with the magnifier. it could be gold plated vor long time, because it looks a little bit golden, but it's also silver.

so you mean, the fobs are as old as the bracelet and not a "marriage"? they look all the same and could be especialy made for this bracelet, not collected from watches.

do you know a manfacturer, which can have made this bracelet, or some bracelet that are similar? I'm looking everywhere but I cann't found something like that. that's frustrating.

very precious is the bracelet not, isn't? the gems are not intakt, two have little brunch and the cameo is splintered. but it's still a very nice piece and I love it.

[kerangoumar]

gabriela

it's possible that the silver was gold plated - vermeil. can't tell you if the fobs and links went together. there was so much stuff with a lot of it never marked, churned out by manufacturers large and small to fill the huge demand for jewellery from a rising middle class.

the clew you have is the frame of the fobs - but remember that it was also common for a manufacturer to buy the frames wholesale, the stones separately, and have them put together. sending you an address of someone who might help.