A brief history of the man’s bracelet.
Wrist and arm adornment, usually of precious metal and in the shape of a circle, is the classic definition of a bracelet, which we all know.
But what do we know about its origins and its history?
First prehistoric bracelet found in a Desinova cave in Siberia dated to 40,000 years ago, made in Chlorite: Aluminum, magnesium and iron silicate of metamorphic origin or hydrothermal alteration.
The use of the bracelet is attested from the earliest times with the introduction of metals.
The three basic types, made in all ancient civilizations, are: circle, ribbon, snake. In western protohistoric cultures, rather crude bronze and iron bracelets are documented, usually in a circle or ribbon.
In the eastern world, however, they were made of precious metals, set with gemstones, and both men and women adorned their ankles and wrists.
In the pre-Hellenic world, the first evidence dates back to the third millennium BC.
Even among the Greeks, the bracelet was used as an ornament for the arms and ankles
The particular favor enjoyed the serpent, then transmitted to Magna Graecia, Etruria and then to Rome:
the reptile is represented with a tubular circle or with a simple circle, tube or ribbon, according to a typology of Assyrian import.
Etruscan bracelets became widespread in the 7th century BC. C.
and in them the indigenous taste combined with the influences of Ionic art giving rise to precious works such as the examples of Vetulonia.
In Rome, the armilla (as the bracelet was generically called) was a typically feminine object, used by men only as a badge of military valor.
But there are several Latin names for the bracelet: sphinter (with a broken circle), spatalium (for the wrist), dextrocherium (for the right arm).
In addition to the snake-shaped one, the hemispherical bracelet, characteristic of Pompeii, derived from Celtic models, is known.
During the Roman Empire there was a progressive embellishment of the jewel, in rigid and articulated forms,
pierced and adorned with gems, according to that taste influenced by the currents of foreign peoples, which was perpetuated in barbarian art.
In the Middle Ages, bracelets were used much less in Europe and became exclusively feminine adornments.
Among the eastern peoples, however, the employment of men continued to prevail.
Famous were those of the Persian and Indian kings for the size and value of the stones set.
In the Renaissance, the bracelet became very popular everywhere, enriched with new forms and new materials, also thanks to distinguished engravers and sculptors who did not disdain the so-called “minor” art of goldsmithing.
The fashion for the bracelet continued in the following centuries, naturally varying the processing and decoration, according to the various prevailing tastes and styles.
Thus in the 18th century the bracelets were adorned with miniatures and the neoclassical period saw the triumph of the cameo.
In current art, on the other hand, there is a constant attempt to break with traditional forms in accordance with the new trends that combine with our style of dress.
Finally, the bracelets have ceased to be just a marriage of women, coming to intervene in an important part of the image of modern man, even though we are only at the beginning of this great evolution, being us, Aldo Fioriti Jewels, extremely representative and protagonists.
