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How To Buy a Bracelet
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How To Buy a Bracelet
What could be prettier than a circle
of diamonds shimmering on your wrist, catching the light
as you move your arm, or a slender curve of gold
enhanced with rubies and sapphires, coiling around your
wrist, drawing attention to your hands and complementing
your rings? The bracelet is one of the most romantic and
elegant pieces of jewelry.
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How To Buy a Bracelet
What could be prettier than a circle of diamonds shimmering on
your wrist, catching the light as you move your arm, or a
slender curve of gold enhanced with rubies and sapphires,
coiling around your wrist, drawing attention to your hands and
complementing your rings? The bracelet is one of the most
romantic and elegant pieces of jewelry. It sets off your
wardrobe and draws attention to details in your dress. It adds a
flash of color and brilliance that catches the eye in a
never-ending display of metal and stones. Sometimes half hidden
by the cuff of a sleeve, the bracelet enchants with its
ever-changing glint of gems and metal.
There are different types of bracelets as well as styles and
materials. The term bracelet usually refers to a flexible piece
of jewelry, one that drapes softly around the wrist. A well
fitting bracelet should be loose enough to be comfortable and
not put pressure on your wrist yet snug enough so it does not
slide too far down onto your hand.
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A bangle is a slender, rigid circlet that
seems to float along the wrist as the wearer moves her
arm. Bangles are usually narrow and are often worn in
pairs or trios. Some women like to collect bangles and
mass them together to form a glimmering entity that
creates its own music as they clink together. A bangle
may be an endless circle or it may be hinged to make it
easier to put on. |
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A cuff is a wide, rigid bracelet that may
take the form of a circlet with a hinged opening, or it
may embrace only three quarters of the wrist, leaving an
opening to allow it to be put on. If you've chosen a
wide cuff bracelet, there's a trick to getting it on
your wrist. Don't try to put it on from the top of your
wrist. Instead, turn your arm 90 degrees so the thumb is
facing up. Now place the open end of the bracelet on the
narrow part of your wrist and gently ease it on and
around your wrist. To remove the cuff, reverse the
process.
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Mesh bracelets and chain link bracelets
as well as free-form floral bracelets are among the many
other types of bracelet designs. They range in diameter
from narrow to wide and may lie flat against the wrist
or have a circular design. They may be fashioned from a
flexible, circular mesh that terminates in decorated
ends.
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Sometimes a 'terminal' is a place to
catch a train but when we speak of a bracelet's
terminals, we have in mind the details that finish off
the open ends of the piece. A bracelet with a flexible
shank may be open at the ends, allowing it to be slipped
on and off easily, yet still be secure on your wrist.
The terminals are a principal design element of the
bracelet. In addition to the artistic working of the
metal, they may be set with colored gems, usually
cabochons. These tips are so pretty, you may want to
wear the bracelet with the open end on the upper part of
your wrist, to show them off. The other choice is to
turn the open ends to the inner part of the wrist, and
just let them flash a bit of color as you move your arm
this way and that. These terminals may overlap a bit,
crossing over each other. Crossover design bracelets
sometimes continue all the way around your wrist to form
another coil, creating a double or triple bracelet look.
The flexibility of the mesh used to create the circlet
makes it possible to slip the bracelet on and off.
Bracelet designers have devised a variety of ways to
open the bracelet to put it on and then close it
securely around your wrist. There may be a clasp or a
spring ring; the bracelet may be hinged or have a hidden
device that allows you to put the bracelet on and take
it off. Whatever method the designer has chosen, the
device should be unobtrusive and in harmony with the
bracelet. Most bangle bracelets have internal clasps,
often a tongue and groove device that is beautifully
hidden from view. Flexible bracelets may close with an
over-lapping clasp that is integrated into the overall
design of the piece. A secure closure is important since
bracelets are subject to more wear and tear than any
other piece of jewelry. |
Choosing To Suit Your Style
There's no need to restrict yourself to just one type of
bracelet. Different types are suitable for the many
different occasions in your life where you're wearing
very different kinds of clothes. They cover a wonderful
multitude of styles and designs. Take a look at your
wardrobe: what kinds of jacket or dress sleeves do you
usually wear? If the answer is slim and fitted, your
bracelet should be chosen with that proportion in mind.
Do you like blouses with frilly cuffs? Consider a lacy
bracelet, or perhaps an antique bracelet from the
Victorian era. Are your clothes more tailored? Then
choose an elegant bracelet in gold, or flush-set with
diamonds. Color, of course, plays a major role in
choosing a bracelet. You can match up colored gemstones
set in collets and linked together with white or yellow
gold.
A few basic rules also apply in matching up bracelet and
wearer. A very slender wrist and arm will look best with
a narrower bracelet, or an open-work design that gives a
light and airy appearance. An average wrist and arm can
support most any style. A wider wrist or heavier arm
looks best with a bolder bracelet, one that has enough
substance to command attention and balance the size of
the wearer's arm and wrist.
There are some signature style bracelets that go well
with nearly any type of outfit and just about any
woman's personal style. One such wearable wonder is the
tennis bracelet, worn memorably by tennis champion Chris
Evert, hence the name. This simple yet very elegant
bracelet may feature a row of circular diamonds set in
prongs or a series of channel set baguette and round
diamonds. The tennis bracelet is one of those pieces of
jewelry that some women just wear all the time, like a
wedding band. It can vary in importance according to the
size of the diamonds. For a casual, easy to wear,
everyday kind of tennis bracelet, choose small diamonds
set in yellow gold. For a major statement, and
especially for evening, choose a platinum or white gold
bracelet set with large stones. The tennis bracelet is
definitely a contemporary classic.
Charm bracelets have been in and out of style through
the decades. They were popular with movie stars of the
l950s as well as high school girls of that era but they
re-emerge periodically to capture our attention. The
charm bracelet starts with a classic link, as narrow or
wide as the wearer chooses. These links will support the
charms as they are added to the bracelet. The charms
dangle from the links, spaced out to create a harmonious
design. As charms are added, the spaces grow smaller.
Over the years, the wearer creates a personal piece of
jewelry that reflects the important occasions of her
life. Multitudes of designs in the shape of objects or
symbols, often engraved with significant dates, spell
out the landmark moments of the wearer's life. Charms
may be added to any link bracelet. If this is your
ultimate goal, choose one with links that are large
enough to support the charms and solid enough to balance
the added weight and volume of the charms. |
Finishing Touches
Whether you choose the classic bangle, a bold gold cuff,
or a bracelet set with stones, the surface treatment of
the metal is an important part of the overall look. The
gold may be bright and shiny, polished to gleam and
reflect like a mirror or it may have a softer look with
a subtle pattern or texture to the surface. This is
achieved in a variety of ways. Working with a texturing
machine or by hand, the surface is etched, brushed or
cross-hatched until it takes on a rich and more detailed
look. One of the techniques is diamond-cutting, the use
of a very sharp blade that makes minute cuts in the
surface. A simple rasp or file may be used to texture
the gold, producing a softer look. These details are an
important part of the style of a bracelet and will
influence the way it contrasts or coordinates with your
clothes.
Gemstones enhance the design as well as the appeal of a
bracelet. Small diamonds may be pavé set along the
surface of a delicate bangle; they may be set in collets
or bezels and then spaced along an open-work lattice
design, or they may be prong set and strung together
along the length of the bracelet to form a tennis
bracelet.
Choose your bracelet in the metal that best sets off
your wardrobe and your lifestyle. The cool and
sophisticated look of 'white on white', diamonds set in
white gold or platinum is very appealing to some while
the warmer look of yellow gold creates a quite different
feeling. The choice of diamond shapes, too, can change
the feeling of a bracelet. Baguettes, square cuts and
larger rectangular cuts are very elegant; round or
brilliant cuts are warmer and have a bolder in the
larger sizes. Your personality and personal taste, your
sense of style, can be expressed in your choice of
bracelets.
Because bracelets are subject to more wear and tear,
take time occasionally to look at the settings of the
stones in your bracelets to see that they are secure. As
with all fine jewelry, remove your bracelets when you're
planning to do dishes or to wash your hands. Soap and
cleansers aren't friendly to jewelry; they dull the
stones and the metal. And scraping up against dishes or
pots and pans certainly won't do the surface of the
metal any good. Take that extra minute to take off your
bracelets, and your rings, and you'll be rewarded with
pretty, sparkling jewels (as well as clean dishes)!
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© Hannoush
Jewelers, Inc. 2004
All rights reserved. Toll Free 1-888-325-3935 |
Last Updated
May, 2005
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© Hannoush Jewelers 2007
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