Explore NOVICA's Bangle Bracelet Collection. The myriad designs showcase the diverse jewelry-making techniques global artisans use to create their traditional and contemporary, plain and embellished styles of bangle bracelets.
Artisans the world over utilize the natural materials at their disposal to create beautiful, sustainable jewelry. Wood, bamboo and dried gourds. Coconut shells, rattan and terra-cotta. Even natural grasses lend themselves to a jeweler's creativity while art glass beads and pendants can be made from discarded bottles. Some artisans reclaim precious silver from photographic negatives. Colorful magazine pages can become tightly-rolled beads protected by a coat of varnish. Always creative, artists craft their bracelets out of innovative, eco-conscious materials.
Handmade women's bracelets each have their own unique characteristics. Color, texture, size and design all vary. Often, the technique alone will tell you, for example, hand-knotted, braided or woven bracelets. Leather bracelets with cutout motifs or embossing are usually crafted by hand.Thai jewelry by Karen silversmiths shows hand-stamped geometric or floral motifs and beads are usually made of fine silver, which is more malleable than sterling. Similarly, filigree jewelry is a meticulous handcrafted process. Most bracelets with natural, sustainable or recycled materials are handmade. Even some of the most sophisticated and modern gold and silver may be signed by the artist who made it.The most common indicator that a bracelet is handmade is the detailed and intricate design. Novica artisans demonstrate their techniques in the many videos on www.novica.com youll find the links on their product descriptions and also on the artisan bio page.
Traditional bracelet-making techniques have been passed down over generations around the world. Women's bracelets in gold and silver are usually crafted with the lost wax technique. The image is sculpted in wax and enveloped in a mold materia. As molten gold or silver is poured into the mold, the wax image melts and the metal takes its place. However coiling fine strands of metal results in Andean filigree jewelry. Balinese artistry applies polished spirals and tendrils as well as tiny globes known as jawan to sleek silver jewelry. And a few contemporary artisans even weave or crochet the slender silver strands.Jade was highly prized by the Maya and still has an important place in modern Guatemalan jewelry. Amber from the rich mines in southern Mexico adorns the women's bracelets, necklaces, and earrings of the area. Macrame and beading are popular everywhere for boho style. And West Africas handmade beadwork is renowned the world over.
women's bracelets carried immense cultural significance in ancient times and they still do. In Perus pre-Hispanic societies, gold represented the sun, and jewelry indicated social status and identity, as it also did among the Maya of Mexico and Central America. In India, bangles or kangans showed a woman was married and are a part of the 16 adornments customarily worn by a Hindu bride. Traditional West African beads are a sign of cultural identity. Each one has a meaning and tells a story.Today, women's bracelets are still culturally significant. In India, jewelry often depicts religious symbols and meditative mantras. Balinese bracelets may also depict dragons, thought to be the protectors of the gods, or the Hindu Barong deity, also a protection symbol. Motifs stamped into Karen hill tribe silver encourage living in harmony with nature. The hand-knotted bracelets of Guatemala symbolize friendship but evolved from a silent protest for loved ones missing during the country's armed conflict. Today, friends each tie a bracelet on the others arm and make a wish. The bracelet is worn until it wears out and falls off so the wish will come true.
Silver, gold, brass and copper have been popular for thousands of years and are often set with colorful gemstones. Artisans in different regions of the world take advantage of unique local resources, such as Brazilian golden grass, leather and coconut shell from Thailand, and carved bone jewelry from Bali. Intricate openwork carving, known as jali, can be seen in bangles from India. West Africa has a long tradition of beadwork, with beautiful beads made from recycled glass and even plastic becoming popular in recent years.
'Music Gleams' bracelet is large for a wrist measuring 6.25". However, even though the bracelet hangs low it does not fall off and has a charming, pretty appearance. Not possible to adjust size. As pictured, has high shine finish.
I love chunky bangles, and when I saw these I had to treat myself. I was pleased when I opened the (beautifully packaged) box -- they seem like sturdy and well-made bracelets, and the colors are even nicer in person, all different shades of blue. These will go perfect with jeans!
"Creating elegant and accessible jewelry has always attracted me, and embellishing someone with a personal touch is marvelous."
Latest Update"We have known you only a short time. But from the beginning, we loved the opportunity to show our jewelry and to make Taxco's... read more
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The Bangle Bracelet
Novica's Bangle Bracelet collection features one-of-a-kind, skillfully-crafted bangles from talented silversmiths and artisan designers around the world. Our bangle bracelets are primarily crafted in sterling with cultural and modern embellishments in garnet, amethyst, among others. We hope you enjoy!
Bangle bracelets are one of the earliest types of
jewelry worn by women and men. In traditional Indian weddings for example, they are given to the bride and groom as symbols of their union.
Worn individually or stacked, bangles usually have a circular shape. However, Catherine Clarke in Brazil defies convention with designs that are bold and daring. Having won international acclaim as well as awards in Japan and Switzerland, her designs feature the enigmatic glow of
tourmaline on her triangle and square-shaped stainless steel bangles.
In Peru, Mili and Manuel Pujazón are avid admirers of Inca jewelry. Their collections of bull horn bangles and
necklaces preserve this millenary tradition. For Demetrio and Yolanda, the rich natural grain of local pumaquiro wood guides their designs of bangles and
rings.
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The Spring Catalog
Discover our unique collection of beautiful, handmade objects from around the world, inspired by more than a century of exploration.