Abracelet is an article ofjewellery that is worn around thewrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have asupportive function to hold other items of decoration, such ascharms.Medical andidentity information can be marked on some bracelets, such asallergy bracelets,hospital patient-identification tags, and bracelet tags for newborn babies. Bracelets may be worn to signify a certain phenomenon, such asbreast cancer awareness, for religious/cultural purposes or as a sign of LGBTQ pride.
If a bracelet is a single, inflexible loop, it is often called abangle. When it is worn around theankle it is called anankle bracelet oranklet. Aboot bracelet is used to decorateboots. Bracelets can bemanufactured frommetal,leather,cloth,plastic, bead or other materials, and jewellery bracelets sometimes containjewels,rocks,wood,shells, crystals, metal, or plastic hoops, pearls and many more materials.
Although the termarmlet may be technically similar, it is taken to mean an item that sits on the upper shoulder: anarm ring. The origin of the term 'bracelet' is from the Greekbrachile meaning 'of the arm', via the Old Frenchbracel. A bracelet is also a small brace orbracer (an arm-guard used by archers).
The history ofEgyptian bracelets is as old as 5000BCE. Starting with materials like bones, stones and woods to serve religious and spiritual interests. From theNational Geographic Society, the Scarab Bracelet is one of the most recognized symbols of ancient Egypt. The scarab represented rebirth and regeneration. Carved scarabs were worn as jewelry and wrapped into the linen bandages of mummies. Myth told of the scarab god,Khepri, pushing the sun across the sky.
In 2008, Russianarchaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology ofNovosibirsk, working at the site ofDenisova Cave in theAltai Mountains ofSiberia, uncovered a small bone fragment from the fifth finger of a juvenilehominin, dubbed the "X woman" (referring to the maternal descent of mitochondrial DNA),[1] or the Denisova hominin. Artifacts, including a bracelet, excavated in the cave at the same level werecarbon dated to around 40,000BP.
InBulgaria, there is a tradition calledmartenitsa, which sometimes involves tying a red and white string around the wrist to pleaseBaba Marta in order for spring to come sooner.
In Greece, a similar tradition, weaving a bracelet from a red and white string on the first day of March and wearing it till the end of summer, is called "Martis" and is considered to help protect the wearer's skin from the strong Greek sun.
In some parts ofIndia, the number and type ofbangles worn by a woman denotes her marital status.[2]
InSikhism, an iron bracelet is one of the most mandatory articles known asthe Five Ks.
In Latin America, Azabache Bracelets are worn to protect against theMal de ojo, orevil eye. The evil eye is believed to result of excessive admiration or envious looks by others. Having newborn babies wear an azabache (a gold bracelet or necklace with a black or red coral charm in the form of a fist), is believed to protect them from the evil eye.[citation needed]
Alternative health bracelets, such asionized bracelets,karma bracelets,magnetic bracelets,Power Balancehologram bracelets, etc., are not distinguished by their design but rather the beneficial function claimed for them by their manufacturers and distributors. Karma bracelets are made from wood beads and may contain various charms, and are associated with bringing good luck and goodkarma to those who choose to wear it.[citation needed] No claims of effectiveness made by manufacturers have ever been substantiated by independent sources.[citation needed]
Hard material or rigid bracelets, usually made from metal, wood, or plastic, are referred to asbangles orbangle bracelets. They can be smooth, textured or set with stones. InIndia, glass bangles are common. There are a lot of handcrafted bangles in India too. Made from ordinary glass that is about 3 to 6 millimetres (1⁄8 to1⁄4 in) in width, they are worn in groups so that arm movement causes them to make a gracious sound rather like the clinking of wind chimes. In India, it is also common that young children will wear thin gold bangles on their hands and ankles. A common type is alsoFriendship bracelets.
Usually made from loose beads with a center hole and connected by a piece of string or elastic band through the holes. Most often made with wooden beads, plastic, glass or even crystal beads.
Made from an elastic fabric or spandex material, elastic bracelets are typically sublimation printed with colorful designs and reversible. First created and made popular by Zox in the early 2010s, they've become more popular in the past decade.
Bracelets made from connecting or linking various or similar components or jewelry findings. Link bracelets can be made of a variety of materials including metals and gemstones.
Penannular, meaning an incomplete circle, has been a very common form for bracelets, especially ones made in a single piece of a slightly flexible material such as metal or plastic. It is particularly popular in gold.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, "slap bracelets"—flat,felt-covered metal strips that curved around one's wrist when gently hit against it—were a popularfad. Often adorned with neon colors and vivid graphics, these bracelets could be found at inexpensive retailers. A rumor eventually emerged that "slap bracelets" caused bleeding and puncture wounds and thus they fell out of style.
Silicone and stainless steel emergency ID sports bracelet (2010).
The use of coloredsilicone rubber as a material for producing sports bracelets was popularized byNike andLance Armstrong through the YellowLivestrong wristband starting in May 2003.[3] Their success has led to the silicone bracelet becoming a low cost tool for various awareness, information, and charity campaigns. This can be likened to the use ofawareness ribbons for similar purposes. These bracelets are also known as "baller id bands", "baller bands" or "wristbands".[citation needed] They can also be referred to as rubber wristbands, silicone wristbands or gel wristbands.[4] Forsport climbing, bracelets are designed with climbing cords (dynamic rope) to serve as a mountain climbing gear.
Diamond and gold in-line jewelry bracelet, a.k.a. "tennis bracelet".This bracelet has zircon gemstones. The metal is zinc alloy base with silver coating.
While playing a match at the1978 U.S. Open, tennis playerChris Evert was wearing a diamond line bracelet, which fell from her wrist to the surface of the court.[5][6] She said about this, "I dropped my tennis bracelet", and since then diamond line bracelets have also been called "tennis bracelets".[5][note 1] The termtennis bracelet appears in print before this incident, but not necessarily referring to diamond line bracelets. An advertisement for a "sterling tennis bracelet" inThe New Yorker in 1975, for example, shows a solid silver bangle featuring a tennis racket design, made by theGorham Manufacturing Company.[7]
Tennis bracelets are made up of many identical settings, each of which incorporates a hinge. The links are usually riveted or soldered from the sides of the bracelet allowing it to flex freely around the wrist with minimal movement left-to-right. A typical tennis bracelet will feature round diamonds set in four claw settings. Tennis bracelets can be adjusted to fit the wearer by removing links, this must be done by a jeweller.
Metropolitan jewelry, a collection catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on bracelets
