Unique Gold Bracelet by Cartier with Antique Seal Fobs, Paris c. 1985

The 19th century loved seals and coats of arms. Hardly a gentleman of rank and status left the house without carrying his coat of arms engraved in stone. Letters were sealed with the family coat of arms or adorned with figures from classical antiquity, scholarly symbols and monograms under the family crown. This bracelet brings together nineteen historical coat of arms pendants, known as berlocks. The pendants, some of which are surprisingly large, date mainly from the first half of the 19th century and display an impressive variety of shapes and motifs. Most of them are probably of English origin, and some can even be attributed to aristocratic families. All the pendants bear hand-cut intaglios of carnelian, rock crystal, chalcedony, citrine or amethyst, set in elaborately crafted gold mounts. Snakes wind around signet stones, small crowns watch over monograms and heraldic animals defend centuries-old family mottos with impressive seriousness. In this bracelet, lions, boar heads, harps, squirrels and horses meet in remarkable harmony. Venus and Mars appear for a rendezvous, as does Zeus, the father of the gods himself. The Scottish Clan MacDonald proudly presents itself with its motto "Per mare per terras" (By sea and by land), while other stones proclaim "Respice finem" (Consider the end!) or "Deo iuvante vinco" (With God's help I will win). Even the Order of the Garter is not missing from this hand-picked company. What makes this gathering of noble families particularly special, however, is the provenance of the ribbon: Because the illustrious crowd was brought together in Paris, in the workshops of Cartier, to create the bracelet! This is where the solid bracelet made of high-carat gold with its elegant toggle clasp, in which two diamonds are set, was created. The antique bells, seals and seals hang from its large, round eyelets like small historical trophies. Of course, the idea of hanging all your family ambitions and aristocratic vanities on a Cartier bracelet is a wonderful one. However, this is precisely the appeal of this extraordinary unique piece. It combines aristocratic cosmopolitanism with luxurious nonchalance. The collection of bells and the mounting on the bracelet took place in the 1980s, when charm bracelets with antique seals were so popular that even Vogue featured comparable pieces. This unusual bracelet came to us from a private collection in southern Germany.

Estimate:£30,562.49

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