The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-14
THE BRACELET IN HISTORY.
One OF the FRS, Forms OF Human
HdOrumeuC
Fron Id Jel.eIer's Cireuler.

From the JefreteT's CfFculCr.
The history Of the bracelet is a chapter
Of the history Of coquetry. II is one Of the
most ancient Of jewels Among the Israel
ties the gold bracelet was used alike b.
the two sexes. When Judah encounters
I Thamar. the latter asks IL exchange Of
I fayors his staff, his ring and his bracelet
| W hen Saul had persisted by his own sword
a warrior deSpOils him OF the bracelets with
| which his arms we're covered. For the
| construction Of the tabernacle" il IS said in
the Exodus, both men and women offered
their jewelry, among which We're qusnti-
ties Of rich bracelets
The Greeks and Romans also wore brace
let's After a time the latter abstained
from wearing them daily: they were con
! ferred SIS a mark of distinction, as
souvenir of some great act. and the pOSseSsor
guarded them consequently as glorious dec
oratlons, and conteIteQ himself with sus-
pending them upOa his breast on days of
ceremony and triumph, in the same manner
as general to-day wears his orders and
insignias. Ia TINS manner the bracelet
became the insignia Of the warrior. The
plebeian classes, dancing girls, and others
wore them around the wrists and ankles.
The Gauls were also great lovers of the
bracelet At POht-Audemer is to be seen a
magnificent gold bijou of this kind, very
L i
part of the reign of the Merovingians.
At the commencement of the sixth cen
fury no trace is found of the bracelet in
France A revolution has been effected in
wearing apparel as well as morals. Ladies'
wrists are ornamented with large colOred
silk cuffs, embroidered with gold and pearls
This fashion ends with the Carlovingians
When was the time that fashions prevailed
longer than one dynasty! Later on ladies
icrh% nd h,,f -fo
ing at the wrist; in the twelfth century
Jean de Garlande specifies the works made
by goldsmiths-hanaps Qarge cups of gold
and silver, necklaces, pins, knots and rings,
but nothing is said of bracelets. Finally
''manacles" were used; they were a sort of
bracelet composed of piece of stuff upon
which jewels were sewn, until finally, in
the last half of the fourteenth century, the
true metal bracelet appeared 1t seems
that it was worn by gentlemen, although
secretly as kind Of VOW, badge of serv-
itude which they pledged to the lady of
their thoughts.
The history of Jehan de Saintree Cham
berlain of King Charles VI, and of the
Lady DIES Bellies Cousines, bears witness to
this When Jehan de Saintre vows eternal
fidelity TO his lady, she demands of him to
constantly wear an emblem of attachment.
ION May l, of which will be tomorrow,
let Of some kind or other ON your left arm,
and wear it for n year" Next day he
comes with the bracelet which he is to
wear, and the lady puts it on. From about
that time this piece of jewelry has been
called bracelet
From about the middle of the fifteenth
century the bracelet became a distinctive
piece of ornament among the French ladies.
At the time OF the "Directoire" the women
who had p1outad tho fachfor rf N
robe la Romano ornamented their arms
with six bracelets, three on each arm-one
high up, another above the elbow, the third
mt the wrist. This is not all, however: they
also wore rings on all their fingers, includ-
ing the thumb; encircled their waist with q
large sheet as belt, and wore large hoops in
their ears.
About 1880 bracelets assumed great
Importance, and ranked even with litera-
ture and painting; in other words, they be-
came romantic Although it may appear
rather bombastic to assign so high a place
TO piece OF jewelry, nevertheless, nothing
will qualify so well the artistic tendencies
in this direction of the goldsmiths of that
epoch. Bracelets appeared on the arms of
lad es, composed entirely of pointed arches
in the midst of which iron-clad warriors
kept watch and ward. 1t is easy TO imagine
the enthusiasm with which they were re-
ceived, being so well in keeping with the
tendency of the people.
At present, finally, the fancy and caprice
of the day dictate to the jeweler the shape.
either new or copied from former ages. to
be given to their bracelets; sometimes a
serpent twisting itself around the wrist,
gold hoops with long jewel, a chain, etc
The shapes vary TO the infinite at present.
and many of them are due to the ingenuity
of our jewelry designs.