Antique & Vintage Bracelets

A bracelet adjuster, or extension chain, is a short length of chain added at the clasp so a bracelet can be worn a little longer or shorter. Many modern bracelets have one built in. On antique bracelets a jeweller can add a matching extension or remove links instead.

Monet was an American costume jewellery maker, founded in the 1920s, known for gold-plated and silver-tone bangles, chains and link bracelets signed Monet. They are plated base metal, not solid gold, and are collected for their design and quality. The signature is usually on the clasp or inside a bangle.

W. Germany or West Germany shows a piece was made in the Federal Republic of Germany between 1949 and 1990, before reunification. It appears on costume jewellery, charm bracelets and enamel pieces from makers in Pforzheim and elsewhere. It dates a piece to that period but does not say whether the metal is precious.

Popular choices are a gold or silver bangle engraved with the baby's name or birth date, a charm bracelet with a first charm, and a bracelet set with the baby's birthstone. Antique engraved bangles and lockets can be personalised further. Choose a secure clasp, since babies grab at jewellery.

Clinical trials have not found that copper bracelets or magnetic wrist straps relieve the pain or stiffness of rheumatoid arthritis any more than a placebo, so they are worn as jewellery rather than treatment. Copper can also leave a green mark on the skin, which is harmless and washes off.

Traditional Indian bangles are rigid circles worn in sets, often in high-carat 22KT gold, as well as glass, lac and silver. Gold bangles are given at weddings and births, and many are richly engraved or set with stones. Size them to pass over the hand, as they do not open.

Most vintage plastic bangles are Bakelite, a phenolic resin popular in the 1930s and 1940s, or later Lucite and other acrylics, with earlier celluloid. Bakelite feels heavy and gives off a chemical smell when warmed by rubbing. Carved and multicoloured Bakelite bangles are collected.

Measure the wrist snugly and add about 1.5 to 2 cm for a chain bracelet. A small wrist is about 14 to 15 cm, an average women's wrist 16 to 17 cm, and a large wrist 19 cm or more. A bangle must pass over the widest part of the hand, so measure round the folded hand instead.

A tennis bracelet, also called a line bracelet, is a flexible bracelet set with a continuous row of matching stones, usually diamonds, each in its own small setting. It is valued on the total carat weight, the quality and matching of the stones, the metal and the clasp, which should have a safety catch.

A cuff is a rigid bracelet with an opening at the back, slipped on sideways over the narrow side of the wrist rather than over the hand. A plain gold or silver cuff can be eased slightly wider or narrower by a jeweller. Gem-set and enamelled cuffs should never be bent, as stones loosen and enamel cracks.

An ankle bracelet, or anklet, is a chain or band worn around the ankle. Anklets were worn in ancient Egypt and remain part of traditional dress in India, where silver payal anklets often carry small bells. In the UK there is no rule about which ankle to choose, and many people wear one on either side.

A tennis bracelet should sit close but move freely, with about one finger's width of space between bracelet and wrist. Too tight and the links strain; too loose and the clasp catches. Choose one with a box clasp and a safety catch, and have the links and settings checked once a year.

Yes. Gold charms can hang on a silver bracelet, and mixed metals were common on Victorian and mid-century charm bracelets. Attach them with soldered jump rings rather than split rings. A heavy gold charm can wear its silver link faster, so check the joins and have worn links repaired.

Look for a 925 or Sterling stamp on the clasp or a tag, or a full UK hallmark with the lion passant. Silver is not magnetic, so a strong pull from a magnet suggests plated steel. Sterling tarnishes to a grey or black film, which a silver cloth removes. EPNS or Silver Plate marks mean plated metal.

Bakelite is a heavy, cast phenolic resin with no mould seams, and two pieces knocked together give a deep clunk. Rubbed hard or run under hot water, it gives off a faint formaldehyde smell, and polish such as Simichrome turns yellow on a cotton bud. Lucite and celluloid look similar but behave differently.

Real jade is jadeite or nephrite, which feel cold, heavy and smooth, and show a fibrous or granular texture under magnification. Untreated jadeite is called A-jade; B-jade is bleached and filled with polymer, and C-jade is dyed. Glass and dyed quartz are common imitations, so a laboratory report settles it.

Rub a silver bracelet with a silver polishing cloth to remove tarnish, or wash it in warm water with mild soap, rinse and dry thoroughly. Avoid baking soda pastes, which are abrasive and wear fine detail. Keep silver dip away from stones, pearls and enamel, and store silver in a closed pouch.

Start with the largest or most important charm at the centre of the bracelet, then space the others evenly outward so the weight balances and the clasp sits underneath the wrist. Attach each charm with a soldered jump ring so it cannot fall off, and leave a gap near the clasp. Match gold charms to gold chains.

Yes. Men have worn bracelets since antiquity, and men's styles today include gold and silver curb and identity bracelets, cuffs, bangles and leather or bead bracelets. A men's bracelet is usually wider and longer, about 8 to 8.5 inches, and is worn on the wrist opposite the watch or beside it.

The main types are the bolt ring and lobster clasp on chain bracelets, the box clasp with a tongue that clicks in, often with figure-eight safety catches, the toggle, hook and magnetic clasps, and the barrel screw. The large clip clasps on chunky chains are oversized lobster or box clasps.