Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-23
STORY OF THE BRACELET.
A TRlNkET THAT HOLDS A RO-
MANTiC PLACE IN HISTORY.
One Of the Most Ancient of Jeweis-Its
Career In Frsnce-Once Worn Upon the
Ankle As Well a- the wrist-Forty-flye
Years Devoted to n Collection.


Ankle As Well s- the wrist-Forty five
Years Drvot-d to "A Collection.
logerie deplores that its own government tthe
frenchl permits valuable private collections
10 be sold at auction and drift apart in this
manner, for the want Of funds 10 acquire
them for the state. The English museums,
1t says, more richly endowed than theirs,
hardly ever permit II chance to escape them
10 buy whole collections: for instance that
of kensington, in London, has bought at a
high figure three or four hundred pieces Of
rare Jewelry, constituting a complete history
OF the bracelet. The owner of this collection
SIR Harris Grant, had spent forty-five years i'm
collecting IL. and the London journals speak
of II in high praise. 1t was. a few years ago,
described in an (Frenchl art review
The history Of the bracelet il a chapter of
the history of coquetry Ii j. one Of the most
ancient Of jewels. Among the Israelites, the
gold bracelet WAS us,i alike bv the two
sexes; when Juda encounters Thanar, the
latter asks in exchange Of favors, his staff.
his ring and his bracelet When Saul had
persisted 10y his own sword, Il warrior despoils
him Of the bracelets, with which his arms are
covered. For the construction OF the taber-
nacle," IL is said in the Exodus, both men
and women offered their jewelry, among
which were quantities Of rich bracelets
The Greeks and Romans also wore brace
le'S. After a time the latter nhstaned from
wearing them daily, they were conferred as
Il mark Of distinction. as souvenir of some
great act, and the pos>eSsor guarded them
consequently as glorious decorations, and con
tented himself with suspending them upon
l,.,-s
in the same manner as general today
wears his orders and insignias In this man.
ner the bracelet became the insignia of the
warrior. The plebeian classes, courtesans.
dancing girls and Others wore them around
the wrists and ankles.
Our ancestors, the Gauls, were also great
lovers OF the bracelet. At Pont-Audemer is
10 be seen a magnificent gold bijou of this
kind, very finely worked. 1t is attributed to
the first part of the reign of the Merovin-
gians.
AT the commencement of the Sixth century
no trace is found of the bracelet in France 4
revolution has been effected i'm wearing an
parel as well as morals Ladies' wrists are
ornamented with large, colored silk cuffs. EN-
broidered with gold and pearls. This fashion
ends With the Carlovingians. When was the
time that fashions prevailed longer than one
dynastyf Later ON, ladies wore tight and
buttoned sleeves, terminating at the wrist; in
the Twelfth century, Jean de Garlande speci-
hes the works made by goldsmths: hansps
large cups of gold and silver; necklaces,
pins, knots and rings-but nothing is said OF
bracelets. Finally, ''manscles'' were used:
they were sort of bracelet composed of q
piece of stuff upon which jewels were sewn,
until finally m the last half Of the Fourteenth
har tal bra,
seems that il was worn by gentlemen. al
though secretly, as a kind OF vow, a badge of
servitude which they pledged to the lady of
their thoughts.
The history of Jehan de Saintre chamber
lain OF King Charles VI and of the Lady des
Bellies CousiueS, bears witness to this When
Jehan de Santre VOWS eternal fidelity to his
lady, she demands OF him to constantly wear
an emblem of attachment. 'Ou the first day
OF May, which will be Tomorrow she tells
MN, you will place gold bracelet of some
KIND or other on your left arm, and wear II
for year" Next day he comes with the
bracelet which he is to wear and the lady
herself puts it "a. From about that time this
piece of jewelry has been called bracelet"
From about the middle of the Fifteenth
century the bracelet becomes a distinctive
piece of ornament among French ladies' At
the time OF the "Directoire" the women who
had adopted the fashion of wearing a robe
la ROmaine ornamental their arms with six
bracelets, three on each arm; one high up
another above the elbow, the third at the
wrist. This Is not ali, however; they also
wore rings ON all their fingers including the
thumb, encircled their waist with a large
sneet ss belt and wore large hoops In their
ears. A French lady dressed a la salvage
nn savage Style, wore flesh coored tights,
over which was thrown a simple linen tu.
nique, gold hoops around her thighs and legs,
diamond rings on her toes, while on her feet
she wore sandals.
About 1880 bracelets assumed a great i'm
pOrtance, and ranked even with literature
and painting; in other words, they became
romantic" Although it may appear rather
bomoastic To assign 50 high place TO a piece
OF Jewelry, nevertheless nothing will qualify
so well the artistic tendencies in this direc-
tion Of the goldsmiths of that epoch Brace
lets appeared on the arms Of ladies, composed
entirely OF pointed arches, In the midst Of
which ironclad warriors kept watch and
ward. Ii Is easy to imagine the enthusiasm
with which they were received, being SO
well IL 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, chain etc The shapes
vary Ia the infinite at present, and many Of
them are due To the ingenuity of our jewelry
designs. na.-Jewelers Circular