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Zen Bangle
This one of a kind and unique bangle is made with heavy gauge Silver wire covered with a magnificent collection of Trade Beads! The focal bead is a great old Zen bead and on each side you’ll find african silver rounds, spacers and coiled tubes. Also on this great piece are four old Rattlesnake beads, some tiny yellow striped wound beads and two rare rectangular trail beads. The Zen bead is a gorgeous and rare venetian wound bead from the late 1800’s and is in great condition. Rattlesnake beads are a very popular old trade bead that are black with white trails with varying patterns. These beads are in great condition considering their age (late 1800’s to early 1900’s). Although millefiori beads have been made back to the 15th century, they appear not to have been made in great quantity until early in the nineteenth century. Most of the beads in circulation today are from the early decades of the twentieth century. In Venice, where they were made, they are known as MOSAIC beads, and millefiori means a thousand flowers. The making of a millifiori bead actually involves two different craftspeople. The first step, the making of the cane, is done in a glass factory. The mosaic slices or chips of this cane, called murrine, are then sold to the beadmaker, who places the chips onto a wound glass core. Sometimes only a few chips are places, or the bead can be covered. There are thousands of different designs of millefiori beads and these rectangular ones are even more rare and are in excellent condition. Please expect some irregularity in the size and shape of these beads, as they are all hand made and traditionally somewhat rustic in nature. Also some chips and pitting are to be expected due to the age of these beads and the many miles they’ve travelled. Bangles are worn by people around the world and are simply a less flexible piece of jewelry worn around the wrist. In many cultures, especially in the Arabian Peninsula and in South Asia, bangles have evolved into various types for different occasions. Bangles are part of traditional Indian jewelry and are usually worn in pairs, one or more on each arm. They are made of numerous precious as well as non-precious materials such as gold, silver, copper and bronze. Most Indian women prefer wearing either gold or glass bangles or both in combination. These bangles are made with a heavy 12 gauge silver and have some flexibility but are very stable. Once you’ve worn bangles it’s hard to go back to a regular bracelet. They’re incredibly comfortable and I rarely leave the house with less than two of them on my wrist and often I wear 3 at a time! Fits wrist up to 6 3/4 inches.
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