Bracelet or a piece of sculpture?
To our surprise, our pictures revealed what looks like, from any angle, like sculpture.
In reality, it is a bracelet — an avant garde, modernist bypass bangle that showcases faux "root beer" bakelite and hammered goldtone.
This mid- to late- 20th century creation is part-Trifari, part Yves Saint Laurent, part Patricia von Muslin, all rolled into one. Another surprise: it is unsigned, so we don't know who to credit with this fantastic design. We picked it up from a local estate in Dallas, with mostly modernist jewelry from the same era.
The bypass bracelet is large and impressive, with an asymmetric design that emphasizes the half that mimics rootbeer bakelite. This half, which extends from the hinge at the base to the top, is translucent lucite in a honey brown hue, with beautiful swirls that show thru when held against the light. This lucite is the shape of an arch or demilune with a softly pyramidical profile and a tapered silhouette. At the base, it is about an inch wide and has a rounded surface. Somewhere between the base and the top end, a soft pyramid shape forms, most apparent at the widest top portion, about 1 1/2" wide and peaks at 3/4" at the pyramid's tip.
The goldtone half is pale in hue and has a hand-hammered look. It is surprisingly shiny, instead of matte. At the base, it is about an inch wide. But unlike the faux bakelite half, it narrows to about 3/4" at the top end.
The two sides click in place, with a pair of magnets holding them in place. The girth is about 7 1/2". It is about 2 1/2" at the top where the two ends meet and bypass each either.
Unsigned, but has qualities found in a similar but symmetrical bracelet by Trifari from the same era, a primitive style bracelet by YSL, and the massive, sculptural lucite bracelets by von Muslin.
In overall very good to excellent condition. The faux rootbeer bakelike is sleek and glossy, the goldtone has its color mostly intact and in great shape.