There’s an opulence to this bracelet that’s hard to overstate. The colour alone gives it away, that unmistakable buttery yellow glow that only 15ct gold can produce. No longer made and now the collector’s favourite for exactly that reason, it carries a depth and warmth that modern alloys can’t touch. The links are beautifully curved and puffed, giving the whole piece a sculptural softness, and alternating between mirror bright polished surfaces and hand chased textured ones. This is a true day and night bracelet, designed so it can be worn either way, the plain side facing out for daytime simplicity or flipped to reveal the richly chased links for evening splendour. Each of those grainy matte links was worked by hand with a tiny tool, a slow and delicate process reserved for luxury pieces at the end of the nineteenth century. The effect is mesmerising, light dancing across the surface in two directions at once.
The engraved heart padlock is a work of art in itself, chased with swirling foliate detail and retaining its satisfying, precise snap. The links are semi hollow but the goldsmith was so generous with his gold they are unbelievably thick and do not show the slightest hint of a dent even after more than a century of wear. Every detail of this bracelet speaks of craftsmanship and care, the kind that was built to last and clearly has.
15ct yellow gold
Length 7 inches
Weight 25.4 grams
Inscribed and dated 1899