I can’t resist dwelling on the Bracelet these days. Not only did the first one hundred years of creation confirm the cuff form, but design from this period became the foundation for all that would develop after 1970. Natives adapted the shape to suit male, female and even children’s tastes. Scale played an important role in this attention to gender preference. Yet both sexes came to appreciate some commonalities. The spread of stone settings on a cuff proliferated in the early 1900s.The contrasts created on a band from stamps and dies and repoussé work made the cuff more sculptural. Stone setting added to texture.

Fact: The early solid silver cuffs of the first two decades of bracelet-making have never lost their popularity and are frequently revived designs.