Beauty In The Ruins: Damaged Victorian Bangles

Here are two beat up 19th century bangles. One is a handmade, wirework bangle which is missing wire and part of one silver panel. Still you can imagine how wonderful it must have looked at one time. Sometimes I like slightly wounded pieces because when things are too precious, I’m afraid to wear them and they end up in the bank vault, forlorn and forsaken. Unfortunately, this piece is far too gone to wear (or repair) at all. But I like having it around to look at.

The gold, foliate bangle pictured with it is quite wearable, even though it is far from mint. One of its applied scrolls has broken off and another has become detached. I know it’s 19th century, I just can’t place it within any style of that era. Lately I’m thinking that it falls into the Gothic Revival spirit. Another reason I like to pick up damaged antique jewellery is that it gives you a chance to more closely examine how a piece was constructed. For example, because one of the scrolls is missing, you can see where the smith tried to hide soldered joints with embellishments.