Vintage Brushed Gold Curb Link Bracelet, Paul Rudolf Kraemer, Cologne, c. 1960

Gold was the major theme of post-war jewellery: it radiated renewed prosperity and optimism. With the economic miracle, it also found its way into jewellery fashion as a protagonist, without any additional gemstones. Heavy, magnificent necklaces and bracelets made entirely of gold soon adorned entire pages of jewellery catalogs, the displays of jewellers and, last but not least, the necklines and wrists of fashion-conscious women. In order to vary the material aesthetically, it was given interesting textures. "Textures fascinate artisans today more than ever before," it was said as early as 1963 (Graham Hughes: Modern Jewelry, London 1963). It was no longer purely shiny, polished gold surfaces that were in demand, but rather those that played with light and shadow through their surfaces and thus exploited all facets of the gold colors: surfaces like grains of sand were sometimes seen, sometimes reminiscent of veins in leaves or other natural structures, sometimes completely abstract. This bracelet is strikingly beautiful, as the surface of its 14-karat yellow gold links glows with the infinitely soft shimmer of silk organza. Under a magnifying glass, the origin of this fascinating texture is revealed as a hand-applied cross-hatching. The contrast with the smoothly polished backs of the links shows just how artfully the workmanship has been achieved. The luxurious bracelet bears the company logo of Gold Kraemer, the Cologne-based jewellery store founded by Paul Rudolf Kraemer in 1941. A wonderful, glamorous accessory!

Estimate:$8,872.65

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