Cultures around the world use ornaments and art to decorate, beautify and sparkle things up, including themselves. Beautification is visually appealing and makes people feel good. A way to add loveliness to ourselves for centuries has been through the wearing of jewelry, one of the most popular pieces being bracelets.
A bracelet is an article of jewelry that is worn around the wrist, lower arm and/or upper arm. Bracelets may have a supportive function, such as holding a wristwatch or other items of jewelry such as religious symbols or charms, or merely as ornamental jewelry to add posh and pizzazz to an outfit. Bracelet are often worn for personal adornment and can be made from a wide range of materials.
Bracelets can be made from metal, leather, cloth, plastic, jewels, rocks, wood, shells, crystals, pearls and many more materials.
Bracelet Fun Fact: Although the term armlet may be technically similar to the word bracelet, an armlet is taken to mean an item that sits on the upper arm. The origin of the term “bracelet” is from the Greek “brachile” meaning “of the arm” via the Old French “bracel.”
Jewelry Fun Fact: The word jewelry is derived from the word jewel, which was Anglicized from the Old French “joule”, and beyond that to the Latin word “jocale”, meaning plaything.
For an exquisite piece of jewelry that will never disappoint you, lather your arms with bracelet. Bangle and jangle in bracelet beauty!
Various Types of Popular Bracelets:
- Charm Bracelets: Carries personal charms, pendants or trinkets which are signifiers of important things and events in the wearer’s life.
- Bangles: Rigid bracelets, usually made from metal, wood or plastic, worn in groups so that arm movement causes them to make a gracious sound.
- Slap Bracelets: Flat, felt covered metal strips that curve around one’s wrist when gently hit against it. These were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, often made of neon colors and vivid graphics.
- Beaded Bracelets: Made from loose beads with a center hole and connected together by a piece of string or elastic band through holes.
- Link Bracelets: Bracelets made from connecting or linking various or similar components of jewelry findings.
- Health Bracelets: Examples are ionized bracelets, karma bracelets and magnetic bracelets.
- Sports Bracelets: The use of colored silicone rubber as a material for producing sports bracelets was popularized by Nike.
- Arm Cuffs/Bicep Bracelets: These glamorous bracelets wrap or cuff over your upper arm, between your wrist and shoulder.
So many bracelets but only two arms. Stack the bracelet one by one to add style and charm.
Bracelet Fun Fact: The history of Egyptian bracelets is as old as 3000 BC. Starting with materials like bone, stones and wood, bracelets were worn to serve religious and spiritual interests. From the National Geographic Society, the Scarab Bracelet is one of the most recognized symbols of ancient Egypt. The scarab represented rebirth and regeneration. Carved scarabs were worn as jewelry and wrapped into the linen bandages of mummies. Myth told of the scarab God, Khepri, pushing the sun across the sky.
Bracelet Fashion Tip: I find a bracelet to be a lovely piece of jewelry to wear. I find it particularly appealing when a tight bracelet is worn around the upper arm, or mid-lower arm, above the wrist. I also adore bangles. These bracelets spice up all arms and all outfits to sheer perfection.
Beautify your arms with a bracelet!
Bracelet Fun Fact: In some parts of India, the number and type of bangles worn by a woman denotes her marital status. In Bulgaria, there is a tradition called Martenitsa, which sometimes involves tying a red and white string around the wrist to please Baba Marta in order for spring to come sooner.
Jewelry Fun Fact: In American English, the word jewelry is spelled with one L. In British English, New Zealand English, Hiberno-English, Australian English and South African English the word is spelled jewellery.
However you spell it, however you wear it, jewelry is girly girl gorgeous.
Bracelet Fun Fact: In 2008, Russian archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of Novosibirsk, working at the site of Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, uncovered a small bone fragment from the fifth finger of a juvenile hominin, dubbed the “X woman.” A bracelet excavated in the cave at the same level were carbon dated to around 40,000 BP.
Bracelets, whether skinny, large, elegant, chunky or clunky, are always fashionable, always cool!
In the world of jewelry, rule!
Nancy Mangano is an American beauty/fashion/style influencer, fashion journalist, screenwriter and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series. Visit Nancy on her global online fashion/style/beauty magazine Strutting in Style! at https://nancymariemangano.com, her Facebook page Nancy Mangano at https://www.facebook.com/nancymmangano/ Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano and her author website http://www.nancymangano.com
