Gallery

Comments

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  Linda Pastorino June 8, 2013 at 2:50pm

  The enameling colors seem to be of an early palette.. just strange application , never saw that before ?
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  Joost Daalder June 8, 2013 at 10:34pm

  Am I unusual in thinking that the silver alloy has a somewhat "hard" look about it? I.e. is "not top class" / "provincial"? It seems reasonably competent, however - part of a tradition that had existed for some time. By contrast the enamel looks as though the smith was hardly skilled at using it and applying something new to him, with little knowledge - but I feel that it was all done by one person. The oddities also those technical ones you mention, Hillary, seem to point at a specific area of production different from others. As some of the other pieces shown appear similar but not necessarily identical I would guess that they need not all be from the same workman, though probably much the same area.
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  Joost Daalder June 8, 2013 at 10:41pm

  Actually clearly more than one alloy was used, but I miss, in most of this, the "softness" I associate with high quality silver. And I wonder whether that points to an area with little wealth - a very rural one.
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  Linda Pastorino June 8, 2013 at 11:46pm

  To me it looks like chain is of a mixed metal but the cuff needs polishing but seems to me to be of good silver. 
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  Ethnic Embellishments June 9, 2013 at 12:29am

  Yes Linda, the safety chain is a white metal, as is the pin, possibly replacements.
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  ait ouakli June 9, 2013 at 12:31am

  long and interesting discussion. for me it is still not yet clear. i still think that the enameling is added later and the form and some patterns have a western influence ( some missionary )

  figuig as origine is maybe out of subject
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  Joost Daalder June 9, 2013 at 5:06am

  THE CHAIN AND PIN NEEDED TO BE STRONGER, SO IT WAS LOGICAL, PARTICULARLY FOR A VILLAGE PIECE, TO CHOOSE STRONGER ALLOYS. SORRY - WRITTEN FROM MY IPAD ...
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  Linda Pastorino June 9, 2013 at 6:21am

  to me the chain and the style of the pin look more contemporary then the rest of the cuff. and also the style is not in keeping with the style of the the workman ship to my eye.  It is plausible that it could be a decision based on strength but when ever I have had a rural silver bracelet from any place in good silver, I have never seen a pin or chain from poor silver on the same piece , so I'm not sure that is something I would agree with . 
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  ait ouakli June 9, 2013 at 9:23am

  regarding the chain and pin. i see that is normal that some piece souffre during all the years. it is impossibl to have a used piece since years without anythink broken or missing some small piece.usage traces make items authetic.

  it is actualy easy ho handle it. there is enough broken bracelets candidat for melting, just take the chain and pin from and exchange
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  Joost Daalder June 9, 2013 at 2:05pm

  Of course it is fully possible, I agree, that the pin, and particularly the chain, are later. I concede that the chain looks out of keeping stylistically - unnecessarily heavy. A good point, Linda. That chain is actually rather an eye sore, and the smith would probably have chosen something better!