Belize Bracelet

Bold, bright colors and sterling silver elegantly flow together in this gorgeous handcrafted artisan bracelet. Modern components and styling mix with a classic design to create this magnificent piece of museum-quality art jewelry. Although having an overall contemporary design, this bracelet provides a necessary bit of earthiness with the addition of natural coral and horn beads that make it especially intriguing.

I created this bracelet to accompany the stunning necklace of the same name. I was inspired to create these bold pieces of jewelry after seeing a picture in a travel magazine of a toucan sitting amongst trees in Belize. The toucan itself was black and yellow and the beak was absolutely amazing, mostly lime green with a splash of amber yellow and coral red tips. The colors of both this bracelet and the necklace are very similar to that of the toucan in the picture. In designing these pieces, I chose lush, vivid colors, added silver to unify the various components, and added some earthiness with the natural horn. Filled with the soul of the toucan from the picture, I fittingly named them Belize.

Resin comprises a large part of this bracelet, making it quite a bit lighter than it may otherwise appear. Both the amber yellow bead in the center as well as the translucent lime green beads are made from tree resin. They are handcrafted in Java, Indonesia where resin is collected from trees, mixed with color, poured into containers, hardened and then cut, shaped, and sanded. Due to their handmade nature, there will be slight variations in color and size.

The two red beads are actually slices of bamboo coral that is drilled and dyed this brilliant red hue. Notice the natural texture and "imperfections" of the coral segments. The large black beads are black onyx. All of the silver beads in this bracelet are actually silver-coated terra cotta beads from Greece. They are hand-formed from a unique mixture of terra cotta clays and kiln-fired. They are fired a second time with rough copper and then coated with 100% pure silver. The two larger beads at the ends of the bracelet undergo the extra process of antiquing.

This versatile designer bracelet closes with a sterling silver toggle clasp that is adorned with a beautiful sterling silver multi-stone drop.