American Civil War bracelet | ||
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Posted 10 years ago
Bluboi
(103 items)
A very rare and immaculate, custom-made 14K gold bangle bracelet with an elaborate floral design and a central ivy leaf motif with white enamel in the leaf veins and a central old mine cut diamond approx 3/4 ct. The leaf opens to a daguerrotype of a US Civil War soldier, most likely from the Union Army, circa 1860-1865.
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The very few examples I've seen of this kind of bracelet were enameled in royal blue or green, an none had a picture, only a hair compartment.
I'm thrilled by all your posts :-)
Wow --- This IS STUNNING!!
What an amazing bracelet, and a testament to the standards achieved by American goldsmiths in the mid C19th. The very fine surface work is similar to the "frosting" you see on Regency cannetille work, and the combination of gold-work and enamel is extraordinary. If the piece was stamped Faberge no one would question it.
The naturalistic design is timeless, however the method of construction would give the period away without the Civil War connection. The necessary skills, plus the time available/required to make such a piece entirely by hand were gone by the end of the C19th/early C20th.
Do you know any more about the history of the piece, where it was made? Boston? New York? Who it was made for?
You have some fabulous jewelry, your Byron ring is wonderful.
Thanks everyone for your comments. The construction of this bracelet is beautiful -- the feel of it, the way everything fits is surely the mark of a very fine jeweler. I wish I knew "anything" about it other than it came from an estate and the sellers had no information. I bought it from a California jeweler, and he bought it from a California estate, so it made the migration from the East Coast at some point.
An unusual thing about the portrait in this bracelet is its colored tinting. Someone spent a lot of money on this piece!
I love the history of this old stuff, but sadly, so much is lost in time, never to be known. I have a few pieces where the history has been figured out, usually because it was owned by an historic figure, but this is rare. More often than not, these pieces are rings -- there will be a name and dates, so at least a starting point.
Truly Beautiful !!!!
Your collections are stunning !! So Glad you joined CW -- and look forward to your other posts !!!
Wow what a amazing piece ! Fabulous
WOW. This is exactly the reason I collect.. Thank you.