Collection: Antique Armwear

What to Look For When Buying

Begin with the fittings. On a hinged bangle, the hinge and the tongue clasp carry the entire structural load, and both should close cleanly with no lateral movement. Gate bracelets and curb chains should be checked link by link for stretched or repaired sections, which are common and usually visible as a change in colour or gauge. Safety chains are frequently later additions, which is not a fault, though it is worth knowing what is original. Precious metal armwear was often hallmarked on the clasp or on a small applied tag rather than on the body of the piece, so marks can be easy to miss and equally easy to lose when a clasp has been replaced.

Set stones deserve close attention on this form in particular, because bracelets are knocked more often than rings. Claws should be intact and even, and pavé or grain set stones checked for any that sit low or move under light pressure. In flexible line bracelets, examine the articulation between links for wear at the pivot points. Every piece in the collection is assessed through this process before listing, and our team can answer specific questions about condition or construction ahead of any purchase.

Caring for Your Piece

Remove bracelets and bangles before manual work, sport, gardening and swimming, as this is the form most often damaged by simple impact. Store each piece separately in a soft pouch or lined compartment so that harder stones cannot scratch softer metals and enamel. Fasten clasps before putting a piece away, which prevents the clasp from catching and springing out of alignment. Keep armwear away from perfume, hand cream and cleaning products, all of which build up in link work and accelerate tarnishing. For routine care, a jeweller's soft cloth is enough. Have clasps and hinges checked periodically by a jeweller, since a small amount of preventative attention costs far less than the loss of a piece.

Periods Worth Knowing

Victorian armwear (1837 to 1901) is the most varied, ranging from broad engraved hinged bangles and buckle motifs to gate bracelets and mourning pieces in jet and black enamel. Edwardian work is lighter and more linear, with platinum and white gold, milgrain edging and delicate openwork panels. Art Deco bracelets from the 1920s and 1930s are the most architectural of all, built from repeating geometric links with strong material contrast and a precision of assembly that rewards close inspection.