The oldest proto-bracelets are twine pieces made from mollusk shells found in Africa, which are at least 75,000 years old. Other bracelet artifacts from the Paleolithic era were unearthed on the island of Timor in the Indian Ocean as well as the Altai mountains of Siberia dating back to some 40,000 years ago. The most ancient bracelets were thought to have mystical powers to ward off evil spirits. Their most common materials were hemp, branches, bones, stones, shells, and ivory. The oldest bracelets served as magic talismans that ensured connection with protective animal spirits or totems.
From ancient Egyptians to Mesopotamia, from China to India, from Greece to the Roman Empire – almost every ancient civilization had some form of a bracelet. For example, pharaoh Tutankhamun was buried with several bracelets made of gold and silver, the most famous of which featured a large scarab beetle symbolizing birth and rebirth. China and India were well-known for their intricate gold pieces from that era, while ancient Greeks and Romans favored iron and leather bracelets made for men to protect during battles.
The tradition of wearing bracelets and armlets as protective gear persisted in the Middle Ages. Vikings, Celts, Goths, Mongols, and Huns were all known to wear wrap bracelets that consisted of several layers of leather. One of the Norse myths featured a precious bracelet called Draupnir that possessed a special ability to endow the wearer with unfathomable riches. Moreover, the bracelet was self-replicating every several days, with all the replicas having the same magical powers.
However, at the end of the Middle Ages and in the 17th century, men’s bracelets slowly gave way to women’s fashion. Gradually, this type of jewelry became more elegant and stylish. Many Renaissance and Baroque bracelets featured gold, gemstones, pearls, corals, and silk ribbons. It’s common knowledge that the Victorian era was a period of sentimentalism. Bracelets of that time included charms, custom romantic engravings, and acrostic spellings of friendship terms or the loved one’s initials.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, despite the coming of the industrial mass-produced era, many jewelers pushed back with their handcrafted custom gold bracelets and other pieces, especially as a part of the Arts and Crafts movement. Today, we keep up their sentiment and are ready to make any of your jewelry dreams come true.
From beaded to single-piece options, from bangles to penannular items, from meshes to cuffs, from protective amulets to alternative health pieces, from friendship bracelets to fan-based art, from hippie-style to more formal office-friendly items – we can make it all! Whether you value innovative, glamorous, and fashionable designs or revere gemstones’ metaphysical and mystical properties, we are here for you to make the best personalized bracelet that would suit your values and sense of style.
