This beautiful hand crafted bangle is French in origin.
The bangle has fine floral geometric openwork detail which gives the illusion of inset stones as the light bounces off the design. The piece is stamped with the boars head to both halves. In traditional French Silversmithing, multipart or hinged jewellery had strict staping laws. As the bangle splits in two via the hinge, French silver Inspectors were legally required to stamp both parts of the bangle to ensure that the artisan had used silver through out and not swapped to a cheaper metal to the back. Finding the stamp on both sides authenticates it as an antique piece of French silver. The boar mark was the stamp used for small articles so as not to damage the piece with a larger stamp. This mark was used from 1838 and phased out by 1962. The design and style of this bangle dates it to the early 20th century (1900-1920).
The other mark we looked for was the diamond lozenge makers mark which we located on the tongue of the clasp. Silvermiths deliberately chose this part as it was flat and somewhat protected. It was also away fro the design of the piece so the punched stamp would not distort any other part of the jewellery. This mark is not clear but we can see that the last letter is a V. There were 3 jewellers that worked in fine lattice panels that would fit this style at that time.
Alexandre Vaguer, Alexandre Valkringer and Albert Vignan are all possible makers of this beautiful bangle.
The clasp closed smoothly and secures the bangle well. There is a safety chain for added security.
We can see that the hinge has been repaired a long time ago with silver solder. This is shown and the repair is neat and strong. The hinge is firm and shows no wobble or movement. It is priced accordingly.
This is a rarity and these types of bangles are rarely seen.
The bangle is 62mm x 55mm. It is 5mm wide.
