Vintage Chinese Cloisonne Bracelet

From vibrant to subtle, elegant to cheeky, vintage and antique enamel jewelry and watches encompass a wide range of colors and styles, and there are almost as many techniques for creating these distinctive pieces.

Enameling is one of the oldest forms of surface decoration, used to add color to jewelry without having to rely on gemstones. Evidence of enameling goes back to ancient Greece. Throughout history, far-flung cultures favored different techniques. For example, cloisonné enamel was popular during the Byzantine Empire, while artisans living in France and Germany in the Middle Ages preferred champlevé. And Art Nouveau jewelry designers favored plique à jour.

At its core, enamel is the fusion of powdered glass to metal, and artists like enameling because it allows them to add a painterly or illustrative quality to their work.

Cloisonné (“cell” in French) is a technique in the creation of enamel jewelry that sees the use of thin wires of fine silver or gold to outline a design, which is then filled with enamel. The piece is subsequently placed in a kiln where the enamel is melted. Cloisonné is distinct because the individual wires remain visible, forming an outline of the motif.

Champlevé (“level field” in French) enamel is almost the opposite of cloisonné. In this technique, depressions in the metal are made by etching, engraving or chiseling, and then layers of enamel are built up until they rise slightly above the surface of the metal. The enamel is then fired and polished.

Guilloché is a technique in which translucent enamel is applied to a piece of metal that has had designs cut into it using a lathe. After the firing, the patterns on the metal become visible. Guilloché was made famous by Peter Carl Fabergé, whose jewelry house used the technique on many of its objets d’art as well as jewelry.

Find antique and vintage enamel rings, bracelets, necklaces and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Today, it would be tough to track down a jewelry lover who doesn’t have a stack of vintage bangles and other bracelets ready to go for any occasion.

People have worn bangles and other bracelets for centuries. Examples can be found in the wide range of personal adornments favored by the Ancient Egyptians, some of whom wore bracelets and armlets made of gold and flecked with gemstones such as lapis and turquoise.

Fashion has evolved over the years, but the popularity of bangles has remained the same. Jewelry makers have created cuffs in all manner of styles, and no matter what your taste, you can find antique and vintage diamond bangles, ruby bangles, emerald bangles and more to suit you and to pair with any of your favorite ensembles. And although “bracelets” and “bangles” are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two.

Bangles are solid, one-piece bands that are always characterized by their rigid ring shape. Today, they’re made of metal, plastic, wood or other materials. Because this cuff is a solid piece, you have to slide it over your hand. Bracelets, however, are flexible pieces. Whether they’re charm bracelets, link bracelets, beaded bracelets or another variety, you open and close a bracelet at its ends, where it locks around your wrist with a clasp.

Bracelets and bangles suit most anyone, and there’s a style of bangle for every occasion, whether you’ve opted for an Art Deco bangle, a Victorian-era bangle or another kind. And their versatility doesn’t end there. Jewelry lovers know that when it comes to bangle bracelets (and other kinds of bracelets), you never have to choose just one. Just as you might wear a vintage tennis bracelet by itself or pair it with other thin bracelets, you can opt for a simple pared-down look with a single bangle or go big and stack your sculptural modern bangles to deepen their impact or double up your classic gold bangles and pair them with a T-shirt and jeans or a comfortable cotton day dress.

Browse an extensive collection of vintage bangle bracelets and other bracelets on 1stDibs. Find extraordinary works by iconic jewelry houses such as Cartier, Tiffany Co. and David Webb, or peruse the array of link bracelets, cuff bracelets and diamond bangle bracelets for innumerable accessorizing options.