There are very few “new” ideas in jewellery. Every part of the body seems to be taken care of – chains and necklaces for the neck, combined with amulets for the upper chest; rings for the fingers and toes; earrings for the ears; even nose rings for the nose.
There is an interesting clash of cultural ideas when it comes to the wrist, however. Males generally only wear watches, being, as they are, traditionally bound to “functional” jewellery rather than “aesthetic” jewellery. Around the world, however, woman, the more elegant sex, seems to be undecided over the question of whether to wear bracelets or bangles.
History
It is a very curious fact that the bangle style seems to have originated in many places at once. India is the most popular example, of course – in today’s culturally aware world, who is not familiar with the classic image of an Indian woman clad in a colourful silk sari with her arms covered in sparkling bangles? Interestingly, however, most Indian bangles are made of coloured glass – while one can find bangles made of precious metal in India, they are not all that common (the exception being Indian royalty, who wore gold and silver bangles). Simultaneously, bangles also seem to have arisen in many African cultures, where they are most commonly made from pottery-style earthenware or ceramic – again, excepting royalty and upper-class nobility, who wore metal bangles.
And when the style of wearing bangles finally migrated to Europe, the Italian jewellers put their usual classic touch on it by taking metal bangles (gold or silver) and engraving them with detailed goldwork and filigree. The French jewellery houses adapted the traditional Indian bangle design and turned it into the gold bangle bracelet, with added layers of detail and a generally higher quality of craftsmanship. Originally, Indian gold bangles were made of 24k gold (which is 99.99% gold by purity), which meant that the gold was so pure that the bangles would occasionally get misshapen due to regular use. European jewellers rectified this by creating 14k gold bangles, which were made of a gold-heavy alloy that was strong enough to withstand the stresses of daily use.
Of course, there were some people who preferred the original Indian designs – particularly, the Indian bangle bracelets, an absolutely luxurious (albeit heavy) work of design. These bangles became quite popular, since they dazzle as nothing but gold can. They was followed by several other variations on the theme. For example, look at the white gold bangle – an absolutely beautiful creation, and unique to Europe since the Indians did not use white gold. Even today, many jewellery fashionistas agree that yellow gold can sometimes be limiting, since it draws attention away from the outfit; also, it cannot be worn with a wide variety of colours. White gold eliminates both of these problems, adding a much more subtle touch to any dress – as tasteful jewellery should. Most Indian jewellery is higher in karat, 21k and 22k gold bangles are the most common, lower karat jewellery is not desired and thought of as being lower class to the masses in India. At a traditional Indian wedding it is common to find that guests will offer gifts of gold bracelets, gold earrings and gold necklaces, again all usually being 22k, and usually in complete sets.
Modern Day
Of course, one of the most striking effects about bangles is their sparkle, and the best way to maximize this is to incorporate jewels into the design – and as far as jewels go, nothing sparkles like a diamond. A diamond gold bangle can be pricey, but the effect of the dazzle that they give off is absolutely stunning. In a well-lit room, absolutely nobody will miss the light glinting off your wrist and catching their eye.
Bangles are an interesting design; some would say they offer more versatility than bracelets. They are certainly more exotic, and far more unusual – and after all, if jewellery is about creating uniqueness in appearance, then bangles would certainly seem to fit the bill.