Located in Northampton, MA
Four delicate pierced and hand-carved oval jade plaques depicting chrysanthemums and peaches virtually guarantee you will enjoy both longevity (thank you, chrysanthemums) and perhaps even immortality itself (peaches). The highly detailed carving and piercing work was executed using relatively thin light apple-green jade plaques, which allows the light to pass through without obstruction. The result is a bracelet that is both light and visually refreshing.
Each carved jade plaque is quite securely prong-set within the 10K yellow gold frame. It's not the least bit uncommon to find vintage and antique jewelry featuring magnificent pieces of jade set into relatively humble metals: bronze, tin, low-grade silver, and low-karat gold. The reason for this is because in the Chinese culture jade was (and is) prized above all other materials. It's like, if Beyonce sings at your birthday party, who cares what kind of cake you had? Who'd even notice? Nobody, that's who. Because, Beyonce.
Today we most frequently find jade set into luxurious platinum, 18K gold, and surrounded by the finest rubies and diamonds. But when this bracelet was made (circa 1960s) it was not the "only 10-karat?" that it is today.
That said, this bracelet works perfectly in 10K yellow gold because the color of the gold is light, almost more like electrum than gold (electrum is a rare naturally occurring blend of pure gold and pure silver that was used to make coins in ancient Rome). This pale color allows the light, bright green to really seem to "float" about the wrist, rather than being strapped to it. 10K is very sturdy as well and these delicate plaques do require a strong mounting to protect them. Miraculously, they are not chipped, cracked, or broken and the extra-strong 10K gold is certainly one reason why. Each plaque is secured to the frame by between 6 and 8 prongs which curl up and over the edge of the stone for a secure hold. The clasp is sturdy and works perfectly and there is an attached safety chain. The bracelet is 7" long and the safety chain creates a very generous opening of approximately 78mm through which one can insert one's hand. This allows for this bracelet to fit a wide variety of sizes.
One of the plaques has a brief line of mineral coloring that at first glance might make think it's a crack or a weak spot. It is neither. Today, such a piece of jade would be soaked in corrosive acid until that discoloring was gone then impregnated with a polymer and possibly even dyed. Which would, of course, render the jade entirely worthless but the majority of jade is treated like this so we are very fortunate that these beautiful old carved jade panels...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern 10k Gold Retro Bracelets