Armenian silver bracelet, 1885

An Armenian silver bracelet of 1885. Armenian jewellery has a history spanning millennia. At first, ornaments were not only decoration but also amulets protecting against evil spirits and illness. In ancient and medieval times important centres of the craft were Dvin, Karin (Erzurum), Trebizond (Trabzon) and Van, and in the 18th–19th centuries Tiflis (Tbilisi) and Constantinople (Istanbul). Gold and silver were used not only for jewellery but also for weapons, church vessels and manuscript bindings.

The photograph shows the bracelet in two positions, closed and open. It is wide and made of hinged sections bearing delicate openwork patterns of fine silver wire. The bracelet is fastened with a metal pin, visible below.