Ciner Diamond, Sapphire & Gold Snake Bracelet

NWS 4-1442

~ Thick and ropy and covered with the world's best crystals, this sexy bracelet is as elegant as can be. Absolutely no hint of the faux here, for Ciner was a master at making costume jewelry look real. Unlike, say, Schiaparelli or Juliana, who made outrageous, fun jewelry, and didn't give a hoot that their stones did NOT look real, Ciner was the master of illusion. He wanted his creations to look like the finest jewelry in the world, and he succeeded. Keep your eye on Ciner,... collect it at every chance you get,... because the prices of his vintage pieces are going sky high. This is not only a sublime addition to your wardrobe, but a great investment as well. To examine a piece of his workmanship is to understand why.

~ Let's start with the construction. While not visible with the naked eye, if you look at the underside of this bracelet with magnification, you'll see that this bracelet is actually made of 54 separate links that have been joined by two goldtone chains. One chain runs along the top of the links, and the other runs the length of the bottom of each link. You cannot see this substructure, but you can feel it: The band is wholly flexible (fully articulated), like a thick rope, yet the links are tightly strung together, so there are no gaps.

~ The band of the bracelet is made of goldtone metal. It has been set with rows of faceted, faux sapphires and faceted, faux diamonds. The sapphires run along the full length of the center, in an XXX pattern, while the faux diamonds run along the sides, in a zig zag pattern.  Though the stones are faceted, the golden prongs sit high, becoming part of the design. When you slide a finger across the surface, it feels sleek, heavy, cool and appealingly rough, like a real snake-skin surface. From a practical standpoint, these raised prongs probably help to protect the stones as well.

~ In addition, the band of the bracelet is domed. As you drape it over your wrist, you'll note the thickness of the "n" shape, as it rises above the edges like a rope sliced in half along its length.

~ At the top, center, of the bracelet, the two snake heads meet. They are joined together with a hidden hinge, so they flex up and down independently. Each snake has 2 large, faux emerald cabochons for eyes, and, at the crown of each head, is a huge, faux sapphire cabochon. I've never seen stones like these,... they are quite narrow and sit quite high (see 2nd photo above).

~ The bracelet measures just over 1 1/8" wide at the heads, and 7.25" long. It bears a safety chain and has a tight, shovel clasp that is surmounted by one of the blue stones and effectively hidden, for an unbroken design.

~ The reverse of the clasp is signed "Ciner ©". This bracelet is also signed with the same mark on the back of each head. You won't believe this, but even the underside of their heads is designed to look like "scales". Workmanship, utterly superb.

~ The firm was founded in the 1890's and made only fine jewelry with precious metals and gemstones until the 1930's when it switched to costume jewelry (because of the depression), but they always maintained the same high standards of design, materials and workmanship. This bracelet has the carefully articulated construction and flowing movement one associates with fine jewelry, and it has a wonderfully substantial, slinky feel on the arm.

c. 1958, in excellent condition, snakes have inspired artists and jewelers throughout the ages, and this is a sublime rendition of the motif.

Price = $728.00

 a-c 1, b 1

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