These wonderful dragon bracelets came to me at different times from different sources… but the workmanship is so similar that I believe they were made by the same artist.
The technique use is called filigree and granulation in most of North America … in Europe it is called granule work … sometimes wirework. The detail on these bracelets is just amazing … the teeth are sharp and the tongues are flexible.
These bracelets are Chinese but not made in China …another wonderful book helped me identify them …“Straits Chinese Silver, a Collectors Guide“, by Ho Wing Meng.
“During the late nineteenth century large quantities of Straits Chinese silver were being fabricated in small towns in Malaya and Singapore by local Chinese silversmiths, immigrants from Mainland China.”… Straits Chinese Silver is fast becoming a rarity”
These bracelets have so much character… in fact my photographer had posted photos of these on his website with captions … which prompted me to write about them… and take a break from the series on beads that I had been promising!
Visit PrivateCollection’s PictureBook to see additional photos.
